One who expresses they are colorblind only allows them to keep their own ego intact, by helping them ignore the issues that do in fact plague people of color--something they'd rather ignore and do nothing about. Our brown and black skin does not simply vanish due to one acting as if it does not exist. Don't ignore something that allows me to wake up every day wondering if an encounter with a stranger may go wary due to their disgust at the pigment of my skin, and the stereotypes that Hollywood embedded into their minds. I refuse to let someone ignore something that I can't go a day without ignoring. It doesn't take a scientist to know we do in fact bleed the same color of blood-- that we are all one from the same species within the animal kingdom. It's OK to accept we do have differences, and those shouldn't be erased because someone feels uncomfortable acknowledging them.
As the presidential candidate Donald Trump seemingly encourages people to speak up and say what they've been wanting to say for the longest, racists are fleeing from the trashy shadows of the sewers and becoming ever so bold with expressing what's been accumulating in the deep trenches of their ignorant and fearful hearts. "We don't want immigrants--build the wall and tell Pedro to take his ass back to Mexico. Black Lives Matter seems to threaten my privilege of being in the spotlight. They call it gentrification, but we call it refining the neighborhood." Being colorblind does nothing but allow one to sit back and turn their heads, while giving permission to those who continue to underestimate our knowledge and skills, and diminish us from the status of in fact being equal in all sense of a human being.
In order for real change to occur, I want those to stand by me and fight with me--to take my black hand into theirs and understand that one does not have to be colorblind to appreciate who I am as a person. I'm sure the majority of us would like an ideal world where skin color and appearances do not garner as much attention when in comparison to one's unique personality, but sadly this is yet to be our reality. But do not allow this to steer you away from embracing someone's differences, and those of your own. The color of my skin is an attribute that will forever be attached to me, something that took many, including myself, a while to finally love. Don't wash away something that still gets me labeled by society as the angry black woman up to no good. If you do in fact believe us to be equal then stand with me instead of choosing to ignore my struggles. Now is not the time to become "blind" when there's so much to see that needs to be changed.
