Privilege: It's not just racial

I originally started this post in Summer 2024, when job loss had me skipping meals and paying my light bill at the grocery store the old school way. Things were HARD. They got easier with time, especially after landing two jobs that tied me over, but they still aren't what they used to be. And that's okay. I'm grateful to have what I need, and greater flexibility to figure out the rest. Still, I think it's worth sharing my thoughts from last year that never made it out of my drafts. They're a reminder to be grateful for what you have, and stay humble. You never know when things may change.

Thanks for Reading,

The Kultured Queen

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July 2025

The last few posts have been connected to the theme of job loss as I, like many Americans in this economic climate, find myself in search of my next career opportunity. While the time off has given me a chance to catch up on rest, books, and shows, it has also reminded me of my humble beginnings, and brought into focus the little things that I have taken for granted in recent years. My childhood was great overall, but it wasn't void of economic challenges. I've been thinking about the hardest times lately and realize that as I've grown into the comfort of my own lifestyle and career, I've unintentionally disassociated from those days when I watched my mom make miracles with limited provisions.

Our transition from being a comfortable middle-class household to a low-income household was my first exposure to economic privilege. I didn't know that there was a term for it back then; I just knew that one day, we had access to frequent travel, a newly purchased home, and multiple cars in the driveway, and then after a life changing event, we didn't. Soon, the shiny new car was replaced with a used one, big trips ceased to exist, and we downsized to a much smaller house in a rougher neighborhood. While it was hard for my younger self to accept initially, that experience armed me with a fearlessness and resilience that has been reawakened by my recent job loss.

Discussions of "privilege" most often center on race, but these past few months have reminded me of the lesser mentioned economic privileges that many of us take for granted every day:

• Online Payments

• Curbside Pickup

• Filling up the Tank

• Making Plans - Social and travel, especially spur-of-the-moment

• Mindless Ease - knowing the money will be replaced, and the next check or meal will come without thinking about it

• Not carrying cash/Paying for everything on your card

• Never having to calculate every single bill

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Jumping to the present day with the eyes of an educator, I've now seen a season of better days followed by another tight summer. Not as tight as last year, but close toward the end. My experience has taught me to be more mindful in seasons of prosperity because they can always come to an end.

What are you going to do if the well runs dry? If you don't have a plan, make one. Stock up while you can. Save if possible (and trust me, I know that for many in this economy, it's nearly impossible). Do what you can to plan ahead. Keep track of every dollar, and find balance between treating yourself and keeping yourself accountable. There's nothing worse than being unprepared if life pulls the rug from under your feet.

In conclusion, I encourage you to be mindful of the economic privileges you currently have and empathetic toward those who don't. If you're blessed to have your needs met with money left over, allocate it wisely. Help others when you can. If your main focus has to be on making it day to day, just try to do your best. Planning and discipline are tools that will help you prep for and sustain through hard times, either way. Whatever you do, carry yourself with humility and grace; you never know when your tides may change.

Stay Humble. #StayKultured