Not Privileged

One box mid-nineties
phone from 1974

To tell the truth, Long Live the Box!  Last Saturday at the church estate/garage sale I sold a box, but two remain.  I bought three alike because I liked them so much and could give them a home as storage/seating in the apartment in 1990. The apartment had a hallway between the room and the galley kitchen, a box fit beside the bathroom door (where I did some upper body weight exercises), and I needed other seating.    Now I am in a  small space.  Last Saturday I worked in the Book Department.


Quickly designed poster

On Facebook today a test about privilege indicates that at 27 out of 100, I am not privileged – however  67 (or so) out of a hundred, I still have individual examples of the box. 

One of the questions on the test was about was about:  I have worried about whether I could pay the rent.  The test results show, I am not privileged.  A question on the test was about public transit.  Today, we got out of the library basement tour at least forty minutes behind schedule.  In addition, the Number 13 bus from Downtown detoured to avoid the canopies over all the Art Festival at 26^th and Proctor. After a walk I bought onions and cucumbers at the Proctor Market and was given a small container with a peach slice in it near the Supermarkets… 

Laura Jensen at library

One box July 2015 at sale

So…”You’re not privileged at all. You grew up with an intersectional, complicated identity, and life never let you forget it. You’ve had your fair share of struggles, and you’ve worked hard to overcome them. We do not live in an ideal world and you had to learn that the hard way. It is not your responsibility to educate those with more advantages than you, but if you decide you want to, go ahead and send them this quiz. Hopefully it will help.”Today After the meeting of the Friends of Tacoma Public Library Initiative group, the Library Manager brought a small tour group around, through spaces on the Third Floor and to the Pacific Northwest Room and to the Basement.  The basement has been a legendary place for me, this was the first time I was there.  Twenty-five Years ago after some weeks with a bicycle, I still was riding around.   Fifty years ago, after starting work at the McCormick Branch Library in July, I was still working there.  (I worked there two years, until I graduated from high school.)