The Dangers of the Colorblind Mentality

When we were interview for our adoption and the question was asked, “How do you plan to raise your daughter in light of the fact that she’s biracial?” we flat-out stated, “Well, we are teaching our kids to be colorblind and to love all people the same.”

That wasn’t very long ago and I know that my heart was in the right place when I held that belief, but now that I know how it sounds to people of color, I totally understand why it’s not a good goal. Check out Danielle Cook’s iconographic below for a few of the main reasons we shouldn’t aim for colorblindness:

{If you’re new to the conversation “POC” stands for People of Color and represents anyone who isn’t white. That’s a lot to unpack, so feel free to dig into that terminology on your own.}

Think about the rich traditions that we have the chance to participate in because of the diversity of our nation. I’d rather not call America a melting pot where all cultures blend in and become the same… I’d prefer to consider America a pot of stew where all the ‘ingredients’ retain their individuality, joining together to create a delightful dish. If we shoot for colorblindness we’re intentionally ignoring the beautiful textures each culture brings to America while simultaneously ignoring the challenges each of those cultures has when trying to live and thrive.

I want this series to be spring board for you to take your own journey of learning more about Americans who aren’t the same as you. If you are white, google both words. “colorblind and racism” and read a few articles about this topic. Don’t read to respond. Just read to learn. Set a personal goal to read 4-5 articles about the topic. If one resonate with you, share it on social media and help spread the ideas that our goal as nation isn’t to be color blind… I’ll share a different post a better idea.

Resources:
Danielle Coke – a black young-adult with an eye for the artistic. She has made a number of iconographics like the one I posted above – her work is floating around social media platforms, sometimes without giving her credit. I’m thrilled to highlight her talent and I hope you’ll go check her out: Instagram – @ohhappydani