Color Insight not Colorblindness & Black Lives Matter (too)

In Armstrong and Wildman’s 2013 article Colorblindness is the New Racism,the authors argue that colorblindness is an ineffective way to view the issues of race in the United States.  The term colorblindness works for Whites because their race is the assumptive norm.  I understand how the term colorblindness on the surface might seem to some Whites like a positive thing; that they are colorblind meaning they don’t see race and they see everyone as humans and believe that everyone should be treated equally. However, saying you are ‘colorblind’ just enforces the privilege that Whites have, not having to think about race. “The failure to acknowledge racial reality in the United States reinforces and solidifies existing racial inequality and white privilege. So seeing race for Whites must mean more than merely noticing whiteness; Whites need to learn about its accompanying privilege” (Armstrong & Wildman, 2013, p. 67).

Armstrong and Wildman (2013) propose an alternative to colorblindness: color insight.  Color insight is becoming more aware of race and racial power lines and where one falls either above or below the line.  In American Culture, categories that sit above the power line are heterosexual, white, educated, males, middle or upper class, Christian, non-disabled, and fluent English speaker (with no accent). The authors choose to say “native English speaker,” but in my TESOL class, I learned that being a “native” speaker just reinforces the perception that someone’s English has to sound “right” to the listener.  They may speak English fluently, but if it is not their “home language” or first language they may have an accent, which can be picked up by the ear and then perceived as someone not “native” or from here, even if their English is fluent.

“Color insight recognizes that a racial status quo exists in which society attributes race to each member. Whereas colorblindness urges us not to notice race, color insight 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’” (Armstrong & Wildman, 2013, p. 68).

The authors give some exercises for educators to introduce to their students in order for them to begin thinking about their privilege and the privilege of others.  Even though I feel as though I am an educated person that understands that privilege exists and that others experience things differently based on their privilege, the racial observation exercise the authors present in this article is something that I personally want to do for myself; just notice the racial composition of my environment for a 24 hour period and note different interactions that occur between different people, and the privileges that some people have or don’t have in those interactions.  The other exercise the authors give has to do with recognizing White as the norm through hypothetical situations, such as the example the authors give about the medical malpractice case of a physician.  Many students, as I did before continuing to read on, pictured the physician as a white, male.  I unconsciously associate a physician with being white and being male as being the norm. The authors argue that, “by exploding that default assumption, teachers help students make privilege visible and deepen their understanding of its operation” (Armstrong & Wildman, 2013, p. 73).

 

There is a movie that I watched that this article made me think about called The Hate You Give.  It is based on a book (that I did not read) about a black girl that lives in a low SES neighborhood that is almost all black or Latino.  She attends a private school where she is one of the only black students and it’s about her life and how she feels like she is living two lives, one where she is at home in her neighborhood, and one where she is at her private school.  In the movie I just remember in the beginning the dad trained his children, yes TRAINED, from 5 or 6 years old what to do if they are even in a car and are stopped by a police officer.  He drilled in in their heads to put their hands on the dashboard and not take them off and to listen to the police officer and do as they were told.  This is a conversation that many black parents have with their children in order to make sure they are safe from the police. It made me incredibly sad and horrified and realize that this is the country we live in where people that are not white, do have to worry about being stopped by the police in a different manner than someone that is white. They actually have to train their children how to make sure to stay safe in those situations.  This is also connected to the Black Lives Matter reading.  It enrages me when white people get offended when they hear Black Lives Matterand say All Lives Matter.  They do not realize that like the author of the article says, there is an implicit “too” that follows, not “only”.  It is their white privilege that there are invoking when they say All Lives Matter.  White lives matter always, but blacks cannot always say the same about themselves and that is the sentiment for this movement. 

Here is a link to an article that encompasses both the idea of colorblindness and the Black Lives Matter sentiment.  The article is free to download and provides more information on this topic!