On the Frontlines of Feminism

SEEDING an Equitable Society

In 1989, WCW senior research scientist, former associate director, and feminist activist Peggy McIntosh published her essay “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” In personal, accessible, and non-judgmental language, she itemized examples of unearned advantages from experience. By making lists, she inspired countless others to explore their own experiences of privilege and disadvantage. Her papers started a national and international conversation on white privilege and privilege systems more broadly—including discussions of gender, race, sexuality, and colonialism—and remain among the most widely cited sources on the topic. For these contributions, she received the Centennial Medal, the highest honor of Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. In March, McIntosh was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. At the induction, she said, “Thanks to the support of the Wellesley Centers for Women, I developed several useful ideas. My research methods were never solitary.”

McIntosh was instrumental in creating the National SEED Project. SEED, which stands for Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity, partners with communities, organizations, and institutions to bring people together to learn through self-reflection. SEED training builds relationships through structured dialogue, and creates change through systemic analysis. Since 1987, SEED has trained more than 4,000 leaders from 1,200 partner sites—including preK–12 and university educators, parents, community leaders, and other public employees from 45 U.S. states and 15 countries.