The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this is a byproduct of society. We live in a society of people so afraid of being identified as biased that they hesitate to acknowledge any differences at all. And many, like my cousin, are taught at a young age that seeing and identifying color is wrong.
These are the unspoken rules that society abides by: no one is racist if no one is speaking about race.
We have unconsciously made our differences, specifically race, the (brown) elephant in the middle of our room. Its presence is undeniable, yet we continue to disillusion ourselves to its existence. But as we repeatedly choose to ignore these dissimilarities between us, we lose the connections and insight that we can potentially gain from them.
It’s Okay to See Color
Many people say, “I don’t see color” as a way to explain how they don’t let race determine their attitude towards people. But Vernā Myers, a diversity advocate, describes it best in her Ted Talk: “We’ve gone about as far as we can go trying to make a difference trying to not see color. The problem wasn’t that we saw color. It was what we did when we saw the color. It’s a false ideal.” In an attempt to be culturally sensitive, people have taken to saying they don’t see color. I understand it is said with the best intentions, but the declaration is often polarizing. Not only because it’s contradicting when you tell it to a person of color, but when you announce that you’re color blind you imply that the recipient’s histories, cultures and futures aren’t important to you. This Huffington Post article details how “[you] must see the color” because if you don’t, you “will never, ever understand the walk of anyone who doesn’t share the same skin tone or culture, nor will they understand” yours. We become disconnected from eachother when we let our fears eclipse our natural curiosity. And as we grow more concerned with avoiding the topic of color than we are with getting to know one another, we lose invaluable understanding and awareness.
Watch as these men and women share their understandings of the term “color blind.”
Shaping Identities
Using and Understanding for Equality
We know that the world is brimming with inequality. It makes headlines and is broadcasted throughout the world as we watch Black Lives Matters’ protesters rally against the wrongful deaths of young, black men like Trayvon Martin, as we hear about shootings like the one in an Orlando gay nightclub, and we feel the heartbreak that occurs after an act of hate targets a specific group of marginalized people. We know this exists, but we live in Elk River, home of the urban dictionary term elking, which is a suburb of Minneapolis, which is a city that lies in MinneSNOWta, which is a state known for our over pronunciation, “niceness” and agriculture. The injustice and heartbreak of the world seems so distant to our lives.
Equality is meant to ensure everyone equal rights, despite our differences. But by refusing to see color, we make people a standard, “pretend white.” We set everyone to a default, essentially stripping them of their identity and ignoring the things that make them who they are.
Sydney
Great job on this Jazzy! This is so powerful and so amazing!
Madeline
I loved this article so much Jazzy! It’s so true, I’m always scared to point out people’s skin color for fear that others will think it’s rude, and I hate thinking that way. We should all admire our differences. Thankyou for putting it all into words.