Living in a "Colorblind" Society is not the Answer

We live in a society where having difficult dialogues is something that people want to avoid at all cost. Not only is it uncomfortable for people, but people have different opinions on this topic called race. Race is something that goes deeper than just the color of your skin, or the box that you have to put a check next to so that the employer knows how to identify you. Race entails our history, and what people of color have had to endure in a society where brown skin is not seen as desirable. Due to these disparities, we then hear the term race change to terms like racism or systemic racism. In order to unpack all of these difficult terms that we hear everyday in media or in our homes, we need to first be able to have those difficult conversations on white privilege, and how generations of racism has gotten us to a place where we would much rather not talk about it, because that is just the easiest thing to go right? Wrong! Change can only happen when things are exposed, and exposure then leads to people being able to understand other perspectives besides themselves. Granted, there are people of every race that has contributed to the changes that we see today, but we must remember that we cannot stay stagnant, but continue to move forward to more progression.

Since this article is called, Living in a "Colorblind" Society is not the Answer, you may be wondering what does colorblind really even mean? According to Psychology Today by doctor Williams colorblindness is "the racial ideology that posits the best way to end discrimination is by treating individuals as equally as possible, without regard to race, culture, or ethnicity". After reading this definition, you may think that this is a great idea for society, because everyone is seen as equal right? This is actually a very skewed and unrealistic solution to our racial problems in society, and here is why. With the history of racism that has been endured on minority people's backs for centuries, we can all guess as to how racial colorblindness is not the answer. For one, racial colorblindness strips minority people from the very thing that sets them apart from others, their skin. It says that your culture, your skin, and your racial experiences (good or bad) is irrelevant. This is not only an unfair approach, but it does not allow minority people to embrace what their ancestors fought for. This approach strips away the identity of minority people, which is not just painful, but also makes people of color feel like white society is trying to take away something else that is so precious to their identity and culture. 

According to Racial Color Blindness: Emergence, Practice, and Implications by Apfelbaum et al, it states "Although this tendency to sidestep mention of race may stem from a well-intentioned desire to avoid bias (or at least a desire to appear unbiased), such color-blind behavior has been found to result in various negative social consequences. Ironically, for example, White individuals who avoid mentioning race appear more biased". This statement shows that acting like race does not exist is not the answer for equality. Instead, it promotes ignorance and White people still having biases about people of color. In order for ignorance to not fester, we must have conversations about race, our past history, and why understanding race is the first step to equality. I will end with a quote that Malcolm X said when he was alive. He stated, "“You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom”.  We must remember that every time we choose to not be colorblind, have difficult conversations, and deal with the reality that the systems that have been put in place is skewed and was always meant to keep people of color down, then we are slowly moving towards true freedom for everyone, no matter the race or skin color.