Thoughts on Colorblind Ideology

The following reflections are in reference to the article Colorblind Ideology is a Form of Racism by Monnica Williams Ph.D., posted on the Psychology Today website.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/colorblind/201112/colorblind-ideology-is-form-racism
What are your views on Colorblind Ideology?
Views of Margo Isabel
Colorblindness is a very difficult concept to understand if you spend most of your day in a White majority community, and potentially live in a white majority neighborhood.  Accepting or rejecting colorblind ideology, I believe, depends on your experiences engaging with difference. The stance I take on colorblindness is a professional and personal one – one that reflects my view as an educator and as a white woman, who throughout her life, has been actively engaged with multiple ways of viewing and experiencing the world. The article above on colorblind ideology from Psychology Today defines Colorblindness as: “… 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.” In my view colorblindness is both disrespectful and unresponsive to the individual and collective needs of those who form a community. By being blind to ones color, culture, ethnicity, ability, disability, gender, or sexuality, we are ignoring an important part of a persons identity. By ignoring community members’ identities, those individuals may feel invisible, misunderstood, and sometimes rejected. This sense of exclusion, especially in adolescents, can be very damaging to their self-identity, which ultimately leads to an array of problems for the individuals as well as for the community. Many times these problems remain invisible, although they are fermenting under the surface. A true inclusive and culturally responsive community rejects colorblind ideology.  Those who support a colorblind mentality unintentionally alienate many members of the community. These individuals leave, rebel or silently suffer.We are a school family. We are not treated equally, nor should we be. We lead differently; we teach differently; and we learn differently. We are trained, guided, and supported as we explore and experiment with different pedagogical tools and methodologies. We are expected to differentiate and meet the needs of a vast range of intellectual and cognitive abilities.  However, are we trained, guided and expected to represent, lead, engage, and expose one another to multiple perspectives and worldviews? Some may say yes; some may say no; others are unsure – it remains a grey area. We are a diverse school family – we need to work together to ensure that all individuals feel like true members, and not as guests in our school home.  Our students will not enter a colorblind society – preparing them to enter a diverse society should be intentional; it should be part of our curriculum, program, traditions and professional preparation. Thoughts on Colorblind Ideology
Views of Barry L. Davis - friend and colleague 
“Can’t we just get over this race thing?” “Why do you guys always bring this up?” “I have friends who are (place the appropriate color here), and they don’t always talk about race, they’ve moved on, why don’t you?” These are all questions that I have heard recently, leading me to believe that the Pink Elephant in the room is still race.  When I hear these comments, or people say that they are colorblind, I feel invisible. The one aspect of who I am that has impacted my entire life is being dismissed. I was black first. If I were left on the street of Harlem when I was born, those who found me would say they had found a black male.

When I hear people say that they don’t see race or they have a colorblind ideology, I can only hope that they really mean something else. Perhaps they mean that they see and appreciate race, and don’t see it as a negative thing. However, in my heart I believe a colorblind viewpoint to be a copout, a way to say,  “move on, we’re over this?” I have never heard a person of color say that they do not see color. Color is such a large part of our daily existence, especially living in an environment where we are the minority. To ignore my color is hurtful. It shows me that you don’t understand, see, or appreciate part of who I am.
As is mentioned in the article, as long as blind means not being able to see something, colorblindness can only be seen in a negative light. In the article, multiculturalism is suggested as a remedy or alternative to colorblindness. I see this as just another way to minimize the importance of race and color, a way to peacefully include color into the diversity dialog. In the end, it still minimizes who we are, as well as our history and experience in society.