Death by Colorblindness
It's against our color-blind Constitution to have affirmative action.
That’s what Justice Clarence Thomas said, if not directly, then in messaging. The United States Supreme Court repealed affirmative action in June of 2023. This is interesting because in the last five years, we've seen the most intense racial riots due to social inequalities or the way we're being treated by the color of our skin in the judicial and correctional systems. If you have a name that is an ethnic name that originated with darker skin people you are less likely to get a call back for a job interview. Ever heard of stop-and-frisk? That guidance did not say “harass people of color.” It was done in a color-blind way. But guess what happened? Artificial intelligence has shown bias against people of color.
And this color-blind society (that frankly, seems to see color when it comes to negative consequences) can’t seem to fathom that black and brown people exist in other situations. For example, in health care, generally, people of color can expect worse outcomes.
In America, we pick and choose how colorblind we are in any given situation, and always, it seems, to the detriment of people of color. So what does a colorblind education system look like? In California, which most would hardly call a Republican stronghold, it looks like less diversity. They’ve already been through what the rest of the nation is about to experience, and it’s not going well.
Saying “I don’t see color” is just another way of being passive in the face of racism. And, as we all should know by now:
We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe.
-Elie Wiessel
So tell us again how colorblind America is going to undo racism…we’ll wait.
No we won’t. We’ll act. And you should to.
