EDMOND, Okla. (KFOR) – Edmond resident Kitty Deering said she was shocked and saddened to learn about a so-called white privilege card making its way through the halls of an Oklahoma high school around Valentine’s Day.
She said while a card was given to her daughter, who is a student at Deer Creek High School, they were actually being sold for $10.
“I guess [the person that handed them out] wanted to just let it be known that these were being purchased,” she added, gesturing to the card. “They literally would just sell them, like a box of candy.”
With its glossy white background and black writing, the card could easily be mistaken for a credit or debit card. However, a closer look indicates something much different, with the following language printed on the back: “This card grants its bearer happiness because it’s the color of your skin and not the choices that you make that determine your ability to be successful.”
“This hurts because I have a multicultural family and we have Caucasian and African-Americans in our household,” Deering said of the impact the card had on her daughter and her family.
“And when you come to school and the Caucasians are judging you based on skin color, it doesn’t reflect love of whoever you are, no matter what race or nationality.”
Nexstar’s KFOR spoke Wednesday to the card’s creator, who said the card was meant to be viewed as a parody, not something meant to be taken seriously.
“We created this card as a joke,” said Joel Patrick, who is Black and sells the card on OfficalJoelPatrick.com. “If they’re saying this in seriousness, that’s a personal problem with them. You don’t go around telling someone you’re better than them.”
Patrick said the card, which also bears a reference to former President Donald Trump, has sold 200,000 units.
It’s featured on his website with a variety of other paraphernalia, including apparel, headwear and accessories, and is also licensed for sale by other retailers.
Deer Creek High School administrators said they acted swiftly when they learned the card was being passed around at the school, adding that they don’t “condone any action that would be considered as discriminatory or harmful towards any student or staff member.”
Officials also said they were able to retrieve a majority of the cards from students within hours of being reported, and that students who sold the cards “paid restitution and were given additional consequences.”
Deering said the issue points to a larger problem stemming from racial tension and bias in the district that’s often gone unaddressed by administrators and that’s difficult for other parents and students to speak about.
“There’s been years of ongoing issues of segregation here at Deer Creek between staff, between students, between the community,” said Deering. “There’s been private Instagram pages, [other] social media pages of very derogatory things and [things like ] the N-word being used very freely.”
“And I get it,” she added. “Kids are going to be careless. They’re only going to be a part of what’s going on in the world today. [But] we have to change it. That’s not how I raise my children.”
School officials said the district has a total minority enrollment of 39% and 47 languages are spoken.
“I just want a resolution to change the trajectory of what’s happening at Deer Creek. We just need to come together as a community, not just for one race but all the races that live here.”
