Me and White Supremacy: Day 8 - Color Blindness

Resource: Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad

Race-based color blindness refers to the idea that you do not “see color” or that you do not notice differences in race or that you do not treat people differently or oppress people based on those differences (most often taught to children with white privilege). While race-based color blindness may seem like a noble idea, (surely a society where people are treated fairly not matter their race is something to work for), just not thinking about race does not change the fact that it and negative impacts of it exist, and it allows people with white privilege to remain complicity in upholding white supremacy. It shifts the burden of addressing consequences of racism onto BIPOC by asking them to stop talking about racism and just work harder to be more like white people.

It shows up in statements like “I don’t see color. I only see people,” “I don’t even see you as Black!,” “They are a Person of Color” (because saying Black makes the speaker uncomfortable), “Talking about races causes racism/racial division,” “I don’t know, I don’t think that happened because you’re Black. I’ve experienced something like that before, and I’m white” (after a Black person shares their lived experience of racism), and “Affirmative action is racist.” Color blindness is an act of minimization and erasure, an act of gaslighting, or a way of making BIPOC believe that they are imaging the way they are being treated because of the color of their skin, and a way to avoid looking not just at other people’s races, but looking at your own. Often white people see themselves as “raceless” or “normal” with everyone else being a race or being other which protects them from having to reflect on what it means to be white in a white supremacist society. Accepting color blindness means you refuse to acknowledge your white privilege

Reflective Journaling: What messages were you taught about color blindness and seeing color growing up? How do you feel when BIPOC talk about race and racism? What is the first instinctual feeling that comes up when you hear the words white people or when you have to say Black people?

I was definitely taught not to see any differences in race growing up, and how racism is only an explicit act by an individual (individual racism). I was taught to be kind to everyone, and although this is a good thing in general, when paired with the idea that everyone in the country is treated the same (or has access to the same opportunities), it definitely strengthens the idea of color-blindness. And growing up, I was never in a situation where these ideas were challenged (and really through college too), so I never really had an opportunity to become defensive or felt the need to defend my color blindness (also because I didn’t even know that is what was happening.

My first wake-up call was like my 2nd or 3rd day working for City Year Seattle-King County where we did a privilege walk. I knew that I had privilege based on the socio-economic class I grew up in, but I had never been challenged by the idea that I had privilege based on my race. I remember at the end of the walk first feeling relieved that I was solidly in the middle and not the front of the line, but I was also impacted by realizing how this same activity was triggering for many Black corps members and recognizing for the first time how privilege was also influenced by race was eye-opening. Looking back, I know now that this recognition and awareness (for the first time really) was at the expense of some of the people who became my community that year, which doesn’t feel great. Although many of our racial equity trainings that year were problematic, it still was a catalyst for me to gain awareness of racial inequities, and I feel pretty confident that I would be much further back on this journey without my experience in City Year.

I feel very grateful to have started (and continued) racial equity work in supportive, tight-knit communities, and I think because I knew my actions were impacting students, from the start I have felt invested in learning and growing (and seeing it as an area for me to learn and grow in my actions and behaviors rather than a place of attack on who I am as a person). I know growing up, I thought it was bad to call someone “Black,” and I don’t even remember ever calling myself or anyone else white. I’m not sure where I took the turn to be able to say white or Black people without any emotional response, but I can say it now without detrimental emotions.

Another point brought up in this chapter that I have recently recognized is white people often viewing themselves are “raceless” or “normal.” This is definitely the way I saw myself before learning about racial inequities, and it is so hard to recognize until your (a white person’s) awareness is brought to it. I have a race and a culture, and so does everyone else. It makes me uncomfortable that I did not see race (and the impacts of racism) for so long, but as an educator, I am glad that it is something I am aware of and working on now.