A student at an elite university recently wrote to the New York Times: “I’m riddled with shame. White Shame … I feel like my literal existence hurts people, like I’m always taking up space that should belong to someone else … Instead of harnessing my privilege for greater good, I’m curled up in a ball of shame.”

This unfortunate student illustrates the destructive insanity in teaching personal guilt over so-called “white privilege.” In previous generations, the idea that their skin color made them less worthy than others proved devastating to black people; now some young whites are encouraged to “curl up in a ball of shame.”

As Dr. King made clear, in a decent society, individuals must be judged—and must judge themselves—on the content of their character, not the color of their skin.