Colorblindness is the New Racism 2/6

In this chapter, “Colorblindness is the New Racism”, authors Armstrong and Wildman argue that this idea of colorblindness is not as progressive as it appears. Not acknowledging the racial realities in our world and society is causing more harm than good. In order to have a more equal society, people need to start addressing, discussing, and learning about other’s experiences. 

“Identifying and understanding whiteness should be an essential component of education in the United States” (65). The text then goes on to raise the question “why do many educators fail to address this normative role played by whiteness?” I understand the idea of wanting to end discrimination, and wanting to address white privilege and power, but when in education would this come up? Is it all grades? Elementary? Collegiate level? What would this look like? I know this chapter provides practices and examples to implement these ideas such as the power line chart, the 24 hour experience, and seeing the “me” to foster safe spaces and learn from one another and see both differences and commonalities beyond just race- but overall I struggled with seeing how this is transferable. These seemed to work really well for law classes, and at the collegiate level, but how would this work for 9th grade biology? 

Tied to the argument statement, if people want more racial equity and justice, we need to start talking about things. “Both whites and people of color need to recognize their own and one another’s individual privileges” (71). How can anything progress if not everyone is taking part? This is an everyone thing, not an individual thing. There needs to be what almost feels like an adoption of a collective mindset around this topic and the conversations surrounding race, making it less “taboo”. 

This text continued to highlight for me this idea that it really is all people, not just yourself. “The emphasis on the personal, the “me” underlines the different perspectives that racialization in society causes. Thus, the exercises help students to see that their own racial perspective is not the only one” (76). I alone can not change everything. I need to acknowledge and take into consideration my own perspectives and privilege, who I am, who I am not, and what my story is while simultaneously learning from everyone around me to do the same. 

As I was reading, there were some connections to class discussions, and Alan Johnson’s  Privilege, Power, and Difference. In my past blog post I highlighted this quote from Johnson, "Privilege is always at someone else's expense and always exacts a cost. Everything that's done to receive or maintain it-however passive and unconscious- results in suffering and deprivation for someone" (10). Why this quote came back to me was because on page 63 in “Colorblindness is the New Racism” Armstrong and Wildman state “white privilege is pervasive, structural, and generally invisible operating on both personal and systemic levels”. Both of these texts are highlighting that white privilege for the most part has become invisible and unconscious. It is ingrained in our society as the “norm”. We as a society need to challenge that norm, we need to change it. 

During class we discussed this idea of cultural relativism where things have to be looked at in a unique context, both space and time. What was the culture like? What is the story? Page 69 highlights this, “race has had different meanings over time and its significance continues to fluctuate. Even word usage has evolved and keeps changing. Thus, color insight begins by considering the different contexts that participants in a discussion of race bring to the table”. 

The bottom line for me is when discussing race and equity, there is no right or wrong, we can not be afraid to share our thoughts and feelings in fear of offending other people. We need to talk about the things we know, and especially the things we do not know for us to learn and grow. If there is no conversation, there is no progression and we are back at square one, where we allow color blindness to take over. 

One last connection I made was around the education system in America. “The law prohibits segregation in public schools yet inequality in opportunity and caliber of education remains rampant” (64). Ken Williams covers this idea in chapter one of “Ruthless Equity”  when he discusses academic tracking. Research has shown this practice is ineffective for all students, but especially for those on lower tracks. “This practice inevitably devolves into a system of exclusion along racial lines, within which “so called minority” students, especially students of color, are more likely to end up in lower level tracks… and in a tracking system, access is denied, and the cycle continues” (7). According to the text, when tracking was removed and students were in heterogeneous classes, everyone benefitted, and racial gaps in challenging courses were reduced. Everyone should have the same opportunities at education.

Williams makes a powerful statement “you are up against a system that promotes and supports inequity by design. These are cultural norms that are sustained, nourished, promoted, and supported. Fixing inequality isn’t neuroscience, and not fixing it is a deliberate choice”(8). To me this was a different way to synthesize and summarize Armstrong and Wildman.