The “Wheel of Power and Privilege” is a visual that helps us to name advantages we have experienced in life—both those that we have earned and those that we were born with.
(Yes, I used the word “privilege.” Please don’t stop reading. Privilege does not make you a bad person and it is not an evil thing. In fact, privilege can become your greatest tool for allyship. Here’s how.)
How to use the wheel of privilege
Either in your head or on a piece of paper, notice where your identities lie in the circle. In each segment of the wheel, are you close to the center of power or do you live along the margins?
As an example, one segment of the wheel is labeled ability. Able-bodied folks are at the center of the circle, meaning that they have the most power and privilege. People with some disability are a little further from the center of power, and individuals with significant disability are marginalized all the way at the edge of the circle. This means that they experience significantly less power and privilege than folks near the center—those of us who are able-bodied.
This example makes sense to most people. If you are free from disability, it’s easier for you to enter a restaurant with stairs at the entrance. It’s easier for you to see objects in front of you that are required for your daily work. It’s easier for you to interact in social situations.
Other segments in the wheel of power include citizenship, wealth, housing, body size, mental health, sexuality, education, skin color, and gender. This wheel is not comprehensive—there are other identities we could add—but it allows us to think about our allyship in more intersectional ways.
Being near the center isn’t a bad thing. You may have been born near the center, or maybe you worked really hard to move your way over.
Reflecting on your privilege with curiosity
When I go around the circle, I notice that my identities lie in the two innermost circles. I’m a cisgender woman with an average body who grew up mostly middle class. But other than that, you’ll find me close to the center of power.
This isn’t necessarily a reflection on me or who I am. A lot of my privilege is totally outside of my control—I didn’t choose to be born white, able-bodied, or heterosexual.
What is a reflection on me is what I choose to do with my privilege. As Saira Rao and Regina Jackson say in their book, “The only wrong move is remaining silent…doing nothing out of the fear of doing it imperfectly.”
Reflect on the following questions as you review the wheel of power and privilege:
- How has your career been impacted by your privileges?
- Which identities have been roadblocks in your life? Which identities or privileges were you mostly unaware of?
- Did any segments of the wheel make you uncomfortable or defensive?
- Are there any assumptions or stereotypes associated with segments of the circle?
- Is marginalization always a bad thing? How have your marginalized identities impacted your life for good?
- How does this wheel help you to rethink what success looks like for yourself and others?
- How can you use your power and influence to build bridges for others?
You don’t have to hate your privilege
Regardless of why you are where you are, if you are near the center of power, it is your responsibility, delight, and privilege to build bridges.
On a recent episode of Allies at Work, DEI Practioner, Velshay Stokes, explained how her view of privilege has evolved.
Velshay said that “something big” for her was realizing she doesn’t have to hate her privilege.
“People feel guilty for being privileged,” Velshay explains, “and that was me. I feel guilty—it’s not my fault I decided to go to college or that I moved.”
But Velshay decided to shift her mindset.
“Wait, no. Since I did these things, I have more power. I can use it to help others. How can I reach back and make sure those folks who didn’t have that can get to where I am or wherever they want to be?”
Privilege is not a bad thing if you’re using it for good—helping those who are farther from the center of power than you are. That’s what allyship is.
Download the “Wheel of Privilege Worksheet” to mark where you land in the circle and reflect on how privilege has impacted you personally.
Rachel Cottam 