I was raised to see all people as equal. The person next door that moved here from Mexico is supposed to be my equal. The person that I’m in class with that doesn’t speak much English is supposed to be my equal. This is what my mom taught me as a kid. So, as an adult, I’ve tried to continue that belief. At 18, I moved to a university and experienced being the only white person in a class for the first time ever. I tried my hardest to convey that I saw everybody as equal. I wanted people to know that I wasn’t racist or prejudiced towards a person because of the color of their skin. Often times, the way I conveyed this was by saying, “I don’t see color.” However, this statement is wrong. I do see color.
It’s true. I see it. Saying I don’t see color is a lie. Saying I don’t see color is saying I don’t see how anybody is different in any way whatsoever. Saying I don’t see color would be me saying that white privilege doesn’t exist and there isn’t a cultural history attached to racism. Saying I don’t see color only perpetuates racist and prejudiced acts and beliefs.
If I were to tell an African American person that I don’t see their black skin, I’m not telling them I see them as an equal. I’m telling them I don’t see their experiences as a person when in reality, I do. I see that struggles the black community goes through each and every day. I see that a history of repression and slavery has turned into trying to drive down the road and dying due to police brutality. I see the backwards beliefs that every single member of the black community is uneducated, a drug dealer, poor, a mooch and just simply thug. To say I don’t to see color, is to say I don’t recognize my own privilege of being able to walk down the street, dressed however I so please, without the fear of being approached by police for suspicious activity.
Seeing color isn’t actually about the color itself; it is about the understanding of daily life. I understand that I could pray in a school library, whilst holding a bible, without someone thinking I’m holding a gun and am a terrorist. This wasn’t the case for a Muslim student at the University of Central Florida. The color of her skin determined how people would respond to her. I recognize that. I see that. I see my privilege and I see your struggles.
Seeing color and recognizing privilege is the only way to actually view people as people. Sadly, we are not equal and I don’t foresee that happening in the near future, but not recognizing the privilege you have is not going to help that progress to equality. My friend that was born in Mexico is not equal to me in society. I can go into a store with my family without the employees assuming we don’t speak English and are here illegally. These are problems I don’t experience myself but are experiences I recognize.
Seeing people as your equal is exactly what we should all do but it’s also important to understand that according to societal beliefs and how lawmakers treat people differently from themselves, we are not all equal. There’s a major difference in seeing someone as an equal when they are not actually equal in society. The Muslim woman walking down the street in a hijab is someone I wish I could say is equal but someone that I do see as my equal.
Recognizing privilege is the first step in making all people equal to each other. Privilege is what separates us from each other and a lack of understanding of that privilege does so even more. Saying I see color is me saying I recognize that I have privilege in society no matter how wrong or unfair I think it is. To say color isn’t seen isn’t saying that you see someone as your equal, it’s saying you don’t see them as a person and their struggles they go through each and every day. It’s important to understand the way each person experiences their life in regards to other people. It’s time to go past the simple understanding of what it means to not see color. “Not seeing color” is the kindergarten understanding of racial strife in society. It’s what people say in order to not seem racist without having to actually talk about racism. In order to make a difference, we have to see color, we have to recognize privilege, and we have to fight those working to keep everyone down. It’s time we start seeing color.
