Privilege and Positionality

Privilege refers to unearned advantages granted to certain social groups through cultural, legal, and institutional systems. Those with privilege are often seen as the "norm," while others are marginalized or made invisible. Having privilege doesn’t mean you haven’t faced challenges, but it does mean you have systemic advantages. To be equitable and anti-racist leaders, we must recognize our own privilege and how it shapes our perspectives.

Positionality is how a person’s identity—such as race, gender, class, or ability—shapes their views, experiences, and interactions with the world. It recognizes that our background and social position influence how we see and understand things. Being aware of positionality helps people reflect on their biases, privileges, and role in addressing inequities.

Developed by the Government of Canada, the Wheel of Power and Privilege helps visualize our positionality by showing which identities hold more societal power and which face more marginalization. In this framework, identities closer to the centre of the wheel (e.g., white, cisgender, male, wealthy, able-bodied) typically hold more privilege, while those on the outer edges (e.g., racialized, LGBTQ+, disabled, working-class) experience more systemic barriers.