Can I confess something I don’t love about my story? I have lived most of my life not being anti-racist. It’s possible I held some implicitly racist views, even against myself. I would hate to sound flippant, but I did – after all – grow up in the same society as my majority-White compatriots. This means I was exposed to the same education system, inherently-biased texts, and the systemic, invisible yet all-pervasive views that ‘White is right’ and ‘west is best’. The only person in my sphere of influence who was aware enough to talk about racism was my Ghanaian dad. Sadly, the gulf in our experiences meant I refused to entertain the possibility that we lived in a fundamentally racist society, never mind world. In my younger years, ‘discrimination’ had more to do with your religion amidst the Troubles than anything to do with skin colour.
Fortunately, life and experience have taught me greater awareness and helped me decolonise my thinking and self-perception.
My point is we are all ignorant before we learn. This doesn’t mean we aren’t accountable for our ignorance, but it does mean we all have the potential to grow.
I now regularly find myself asked questions about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice (DEIJ). This isn’t because I am an expert, but because I raise the topic whenever I see the need…which is often.
Sometimes allies overhear these questions and react with outrage or disbelief at the ignorance of the questioner. I understand why. It can seem inconceivable that almost anyone who lived through the northern hemisphere’s summer protests around Black Lives Matter could not have developed a functional level of critical literacy.
That doesn’t change the fact that they didn’t.
And who knows why? Maybe they were dealing with a sick relative, the stress of the pandemic was overwhelming, or they were taking a break from the sensationalised and problem-focused press in their countries.
Call Them In, Not Out
Whatever the reason, rather than calling out such people, let’s call them in. We need all the support and understanding we can get; people who are genuinely open to learning (rather than trying to prove a point) are worth bringing on board. Whether you are such a person, or know one, this series of posts aims to provide answers to questions that may be obvious to some, but clearly not all.
Why 'Innocent' Questions?
Why is the series called Innocent Questions? This is because we will assume the questions are being asked from a place of genuine curiosity. This is in contrast to people who use questions to open a conversation to declare their own views and prove they are right. I’m not writing for the haters; I’m writing to those who want to learn and grow, as I had to do.
What's Wrong With Colour-Blindness?
If you’ve ever said, “I’m colour-blind. I see people, not races Isn’t that better than labelling everyone by their skin?” then this post is for you.
The latest time I was asked this, my unpolished response was that colour-blindness is certainly an ideal we want to reach. Imagine a world where skin colour stood out as much as shoe size – in other words, pretty much never.
Unfortunately, saying ‘race doesn’t matter’ does nothing to promote equality for People of Colour (PoC) who know it very much matters. Claiming colour-blindness is like granting yourself a free pass to remain comfortably unengaged with matters of prejudice and discrimination.
Let me share some personal experiences. I have worked with kind-hearted people who claimed (or appeared to have) colour-blindness. Here I share some typical statements I’ve heard, along with my thoughts in brackets:
Teens can’t be racist because they’re too young to be any kind of ‘ist’. [This denies that racist behaviours equal racism, and allows the speaker to avoid confronting racism explicitly.]
I don’t see race. I just see people. [This often accompanies behaviours that trivialise – and are unsupportive of – DEIJ initiatives.]
We can’t change the curriculum for a couple of students just to be politically-correct. [This disregards the need for every student to feel a sense of belonging and safety.]
Being culturally-responsive doesn’t mean we have to throw the baby out with the bathwater; we can still teach what we’ve always taught…as long as we add on some culturally-diverse texts. [This indicates the speaker doesn’t acknowledge discrimination as a systemic problem, and that supplementing an inherently discriminatory approach is enough.]
It’s easy to see how ignoring skin tones sits comfortably alongside any of these statements; those saying them don’t acknowledge the implications of not being White. To PoC, this can come across as wilful ignorance – and being able to ignore issues of discrimination is a privilege.
In a Nutshell
If you think the work toward equity for all is someone else’s problem, claiming colour-blindness is absolutely the way to go. But make the claim without illusion: you are presenting yourself to those who are doing the work as at best ignorant, and at worst as protective of your privilege. Neither is likely to earn you a pat on the back for your egalitarian views.
If you’re ready to educate yourself for the good of all – including you and yours – do some googling, or even better join our Facebook group. I invite you to dive into the discussion, step out of your comfort zone, and commit to this learning journey together. You will likely be confronted with uncomfortable truths but, like all of us (including me), you will grow.
