Colorblindness: Fifty years after MLK's dream

                       Are you Colorblind?

 

Today marks the 50^th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. King’s vision and hope was that America would be a nation where all people of all races would be treated equally. As a nation, we have definitely made progress and movement towards racial equality. We have an African American president, people of color now have advanced degrees, hold positions of power in both the public and private sectors, are well respected celebrities, and overall people of color have more opportunities to succeed now than ever before. However, we still have a lot of work to do to fully live out Dr. King’s vision for racial equality. One of the issues that stands in the way of racial equality and eliminating racial injustice is the color blind approach, an approach that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal recently promoted in his politico article. The color blind approach promotes ignoring or overlooking racial and ethnic differences in order to promote harmony in society. This approach (which was first promoted by former president Ronald Reagan to persuade our nation that all Americans were looked at as equal and race did not matter to one’s success or opportunities) is well intentioned and most people who take this approach do so typically out of the goodness of their hearts. When introducing the color blind approach to the American people, Reagan used Dr. King’s words to illustrate that we should judge people not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. 

The color blind approach promotes ignoring or overlooking racial and ethnic differences in order to promote harmony in society. The idea is that you can look at me - a brown skinned female with distinct Asian Indian characteristics and should not see my brown skin or my ethnicity. Instead, you will overlook those differences because they have the potential to divide rather than unite us as Americans. Unfortunately promoters of this thought process don’t realize that rather than promoting harmony and equality- the color blind approach is actually harmful to race relations and reverses the vision for racial equality that King worked so hard to put in place. Some scholars actually argue that the color blind approach is actually a form of racism and could promote further prejudice against people of color. 

Anyone who watches the news or pays attention to media- is probably aware that racial injustice is very much alive today. The idea that all Americans regardless of race are equal and have access to the same opportunities is nice idea, but clearly not true. An article published by the Pew Research center shows that the racial disparities between African Americans and Whites are similar as they were at the time of MLK’s speech 50 years ago. Additionally, there have been many current events such as the shooting of innocent Sikh worshipers in a suburb outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin that occurred last summer or the more recent death of Trayvon Martin that illustrate that people of color do not have the same experiences or privileges when compared with their White counterparts. These incidents show us that people of color are subject to stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination on a regular basis - most people of color do not have the option to hide or undermine their cultural differences, and asking them to do is quite ridiculous. However, colored folks are not the only ones who experience unfair treatment or discrimination due to their skin tone- Whites have increasingly becoming victims of unfair treatment and racially motivated crimes. Just last week, an Australian man lost his life in Oklahoma to three Black teenagers. One of the murderers had previously posted anti-White hate messages on his social media. Although it does not happen quite as often as it does for people of color, White people have also been stereotyped and subjected to oppressive violence due to their race. 

What all of this says to me is that race DOES matter. Whether you are White, Black, Brown, Yellow, or Green- our skin color represents who we are- our families, our cultures, and our history. To ignore this and downplay it would be to deny others their cultural histories and doing so is a dis-service to ALL of our ancestors who came to this country from distant lands and struggled so that we can be where we are today- one of the most diverse and culturally rich nations on the planet. When we refuse to see someone’s color or their race- then we refuse to acknowledge and embrace them for who they fully are. We also risk ignoring the cultural differences of Americans - our varying beliefs, values, rituals, religions, and cultural practices that make America the diverse and beautiful place that it is today.

Another problematic aspect of this approach is that it implies that we could and should be a homogenous nation. It re-centers the idea that Americans should emulate White Americans in order to really be “American.” In his Politico article, Jindal indicates that we would make more progress towards civil rights issues if people would just let go of their ethnic heritage and adhere to the melting pot ideology which encourages ethnic minorities to let go of their heritage and culture and “melt” into the American “pot.” Jindal stated that: “we still place far too much emphasis on our ‘separateness,’ our heritage, ethnic background, skin color, etc. We live in the age of hyphenated Americans: Asian-Americans, Italian-Americans, African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Cuban-Americans, Indian-Americans, and Native Americans, to name just a few. Here’s an idea: How about just 'Americans?' That has a nice ring to it, if you ask me. Placing undue emphasis on our 'separateness' is a step backward. Bring back the melting pot.”  By suggesting that immigrants let go of their traditions, values, beliefs, and do things such as Anglicize their ethnic names (he changed his from Piyush to Bobby), choose a more “American” religion (he converted from being a Hindu to a Christian) is highly problematic. I cannot and will not let go of the values, beliefs, customs, language, and cultural practices that define my Asian Indian- American identity. I cannot pretend to be something or someone that I am not. It is not fair to ask me or others who feel tied to their ethnicity, race, or culture to do so.  If we were all to adhere to Jindal’s advice- then America would be a homogenous and culture-less nation of people instead of the rich nation with a multifaceted identity that it has become. 

Instead of promoting and embracing a color-blind society, let’s attempt to be a society that has color consciousness. A color consciousness approach  stresses recognizing and celebrating racial and cultural differences. Instead of ignoring race, it embraces the difference and the diversity that these racial differences provide our society. Being color conscious diffuses ethnocentric thinking and forces you to acknowledge that there are other ways of life and that no one way of thinking, looking, or acting is better than another. Most importantly, this approach creates a mindset that allows us to see difference as just different as opposed to deficient. So, next time you are interacting with people who are different than yourself- don’t ignore their differences- acknowledge them and appreciate them. If we could all learn to embrace the differences among us, then we will be a much stronger and much more UNITED States of America than we have ever been. We may even be able to soon live out Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of racial equality for all.