Being a Black woman, the number of times I’ve been told “I don’t see color,” as a response when I’m trying to explain something that pertains to my life and my race is truly exhausting.
“I don’t see color,” has become a response of individuals to try and explain they aren’t prejudiced or racist. Although the sentiment is nice, this a tone-deaf response and is causing more harm than good.
How are we supposed to move forward as a nation and correct the outdated principles of prejudice and institutional racism if there are people who refuse to believe there is even a problem in the first place?
The goal for our society should not be to be “colorblind” and ignore the injustices people of color are facing, but instead to recognize and change .I don’t see color race isn’t the problem, racism is. To ignore race is the solution when you assume race is the problem, and the issue is so much deeper than that.
The statement “being colorblind” is counterproductive because it belittles the experiences people of color face on a day-to-day basis.
Although we have progressed as a society, it is ignorant to think the experiences of white people and people of color are not dramatically different.
I don’t see color , In 1960 Ruby Bridges became the first African American to desegregate a Lousianna elementary school. As of 2021, Bridges is only 66 years old. We aren’t as far away from segregation and Jim Crow Laws as many might believe.
If you are not a person of color, you’ve probably heard this term a lot: privilege. It can be easy to become desensitized to the privilege encountered on a daily basis. And when you see things constantly you can become desensitized to their actual meaning.
Black people experience things such as racial profiling, having someone clutch their bag out of unnecessary fear, and stereotyping. Things white people don’t have to second guess doing such as going for a run or walking down the aisle at a store are examples of their inherent privilege.
“What do you mean you don’t see color? Do you not see purple, blue, yellow? I feel like that’s ignorant. I think it’s impossible to physically not see color and metaphorically I think it’s impossible not to see race especially with the way structural colorism exists,” she said. “It makes me question why or how because in my life I see color and others see color in the prison, educational, and political system. They literally ask us when we fill out forms what race are you, so everything has something to do with color and race.”
These microaggressions can take a toll on people of color’s psyche and identity. I don’t see color For many, it can cause one to oppose their own culture or deny the validity of their personhood. This strips the very essence and being of a person’s individuality to assimilate to mainstream America’s comfort.
Taking your stance on a subject matter and justifying it by telling me your judgment was not based off the color of my skin but of some other motive as a means to create some form of ‘fail safe’ way to be racist without actually being blatantly racist. It’s the same tactic of making the counter-argument of says ‘All Lives matter’ over ‘Black Lives Matter.’”
I don’t see color
According to this individual, it is possible to acknowledge someone’s race and still not make any prejudiced assumptions based on their degree of melanin.
“It’s almost as if not seeing color’ and ‘seeing color’ is the deciding factor on whether a certain individual can be tagged racist or not,” he continues . I don’t see color “The act of not seeing color has almost created a gray area where you can with prejudice or judge a black man and not face any backlash because of your choice to ignore color. Oh well… what do I know, I’m just a black man trying to survive in this world.
