RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) — An alderman in a Vermont city says he didn’t know the meaning of the term “white privilege” when he posted a meme on his Facebook page that some found offensive.
The Rutland Herald reports that in his Wednesday apology, Paul Clifford, who is white, said he didn’t know the term was not just about economic opportunity but about differences in the way races are treated.
On Sunday Clifford posted a black-and-white photograph of a white woman and three children dressed in dirty clothing. The caption read, “White privilege: The ability to suffer life’s universal indignities without blaming another ethnic group.”
Alderman Lisa Ryan, who is black, called Clifford’s post deeply offensive.
Rutland area NAACP President Tabitha Moore says Moore is “onto something, but he’s still not quite there.”
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