Can "Outsiders" Add to the Conversation?

“No matter how intelligent, competent, and dazzling she may be, a black woman in our country today still cannot count on being understood and embraced by mainstream White America” (Jones & Shorter-Gooden, 2003).

Researcher Thoughts - Idealistic in thought and perhaps even naive at times(the millennial in me), I've more often than not believed that I am seen by the world as race-less. I cannot say the same for gender or age; however, the biggest eye opener I experienced regarding race was having a white girlfriend give me her take on a situation.  Her response:

"Hey, you probably were being discriminated against. As a matter of fact, I'm sure that's what happened."

Call it insightful or her being able to see things from a different perspective, but it had never entered my mind that I'd been discriminated against. The only thing that I did walk away from that experience knowing was that I had been treated unfairly, but I never thought about "thy why."  Once my friend described to me who the presumed discriminator saw when looking at me, my basis of reference changed. I was not upset, but more like "a-ha."

I say all this to say, yes, "outsider" status is beneficial because it provides a different perspective, gives new insights and allows "insiders" to wear a different pair of lenses from which to view the world.

What are your thoughts?

References:

Jones, Charrisse and Kumea Shorter-Gooden, Ph. D. (2003). Shifting: Based on the African American Women’s Voices Project. Harper Collins Publishers: New York.