In the midst of the racial tension going on today, many people try to play off race by acting like it doesn’t matter. If someone ever says, “I don’t see color,” they are lying. When you first look at someone, their skin color is going to be the first thing you notice because it is such a prominent feature on the body. I can appreciate someone saying that their race is not the most important factor in determining a person’s quality of character. However, erasing someone’s race does not solve the issue of racism.
Even if racism was completely eradicated in America, there would still be other forms of discrimination. Racism is problem because people are negatively treated because people think that white skin is better than black. Of course, this is the most primitive and elementary way to look at racism, but the important concept is that it’s the connotation of skin color that drives racism. Black skin is not bad! It is not something someone should ignore, but it should not be used to judge a person.
By ignoring race, it becomes easy to ignore racial issues and see that many problems are race related. An easy example is police brutality. Police have overused the tired excuse of killing victims because they “felt threatened.” We all know that is straight poop, but where did that idea originate from? Black men and women are seen as more violent and aggressive, mostly because areas that are predominantly black tend to have higher rates of violence. This is not going to happen in a predominantly white area. Not going into the must larger and complex conversation on why predominately black areas are associated with crimes, this shows why police are more likely to attack black civilians than white.
Embedded in one’s skin is the history of the culture behind it. Erasing someone’s skin color is erasing part of their identity. Being black is something to be proud of, not something to ignore. It doesn’t have to be at the forefront of everything you say and do, but it is essential to who you are. Same thing goes for being white. Take pride in your race and the history of it. Your race does not have to be the only important thing about you. When developing your character, each trait comes from experiences. Skin color is not experience, but if definitely contributes to each life journey. Race is not the problem here, it’s the regard to race. Don’t be color blind. Actively fight the stigmas against race.
