On Color-blindness
And the myth of not seeing race
For a select few, it’s hard to believe that issues of race, discrimination, and privilege still need to be addressed in 2019. But all they need do is have an in-depth conversation with a Black person or Person of Color about their direct experience in these matters to realize that racism is alive and well. With today’s polarized political climate and the rising numbers of hate crimes, it’s more important than ever that these conversations take place in order to facilitate understanding, awareness, and motivation to eliminate racism.
“I don’t see color.”
This phrase has never sat well with me. I understand its intended meaning: a Person of Color’s race, ethnicity, and/or culture does not negatively impact my perception of them.
That’s a noble concept in theory, but it requires an enormous precondition: that all people are treated equally. We all know that’s not the world in which we live. When someone makes a confession of color-blindness to me, as a black person, the admission can be interpreted as a self-affirming pat on the speaker’s back at best, and a benign put-down at worst. To most People of Color, the words “I don’t think of you as [insert color or ethnicity here]” implies that the Person of Color is safe or nonthreatening, unlike other people of said group, and…
