Blog Post #3: "Colorblindness is the New Racism"

     “The White person has an everyday option not to think of herself in racial terms at all.  A key aspect of this unacknowledged privilege to avoid thinking of oneself as having a race is that whiteness operates as the normative foundation and reference for most discussions about race, race discrimination, and denial of equality”.  By not acknowledging one’s race, we are not recognizing an important part of someone's story.  I’ll admit, prior to reading this, the concept of “colorblindness” didn’t seem problematic to me, I thought it was being fair and unbiased to not be looking at another's race. I didn’t think that one wanted to be identified by their race, because in my mind, I am not, so why would they?  But I am not identified by my race only because white is the “normative”, the “default assumption”, a privilege afforded to me, that allows me to not have to think in racial terms..“Whites often aspire to colorblindness, believing that colorblindness promotes equality.  Most seek to emphasize that they are not prejudiced and hold egalitarian principles while still enjoying a status quo that advantages them relative to people of color.”   However, race is in fact a hugely important part of one’s identity, and acknowledging that is not racist, “whites fear creating the impression that they are ‘insensitive or prejudiced’.  It would be more helpful for everyone to notice the everyday presence of racial privilege and to think about how to combat it”, because “the failure to acknowledge racial reality in the United States reinforces and solidifies existing racial inequality and white privilege.”  

    Armstrong & Wildman promote the idea that it is okay to see race, to have what they term “color insight”, which “admits that most of us do see race and underlines the need to understand what racial awareness might mean” and says “ do not be afraid; notice your race and the race of others around you; racism and privilege still do affect peoples’ lives; learn more about the racial dynamic”.  Below is a video, by MTV “Decoded”, that breaks down how “colorblindness” is not the solution to end racism, and how it actually perpetuates systems of privilege and oppression, even if it is not overtly racist or unkind.  An example of how colorblindness perpetuates injustice and reinforces systems of privilege, racism and oppression (and also something I found really interesting while reading)  is that “U.S. jurisprudence and politics currently valorize colorblindness and race neutrality.”  “Colorblindness” was a term introduced to U.S. courts in the late 19th century in Plessy v. Ferguson as a “constitutional principle that would prohibit legally mandated segregation in public transportation”.  At that time, the Supreme Court rejected this concept and ruled in favor of Whites by allowing segregation.  “Colorblindness” only became an accepted and approved concept when “government programs that recognized race became perceived as disadvantaging white people”.    Allen Johnson wrote that “all of us are part of the problem.  There is no way to avoid that as long as we live in the world.  But we could also make ourselves part of the solution if we only knew how”.  Having color insight helps us to acknowledge and gain awareness of others' lived experiences in the, and that knowledge is power to facilitate change, and become a part of that solution.