white guilt

American  

[hwahyt gilt, wahyt] / ˈʰwaɪt ˌgɪlt, ˈwaɪt /

noun

1. the feelings of shame and remorse some white people experience when they recognize the legacy of racism and racial injustice and perceive the ways they have benefited from it.

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Etymology

Origin of white guilt

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

“It’s about the West and the East and this idea of wealth disparity and white guilt in connection to Georgia,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2024

“I told her white guilt is showing up in all this leniency,” Hughes, who is Black, told The Oregonian/OregonLive in an interview last week.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 15, 2023

He recalled having to lead classes where he suppressed his own rage and trauma while making space for the emotions of his students, mostly their white guilt.

From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2022

It's like when you talk about white guilt, I don't see it as white guilt at all.

From Salon • Dec. 10, 2021

A project like this runs the risk, as Fentress acknowledges, of indulging white guilt through a form of “negative nostalgia.”

From Slate • Nov. 7, 2019