Colorblindness and Racial Essentialism Are Both Wrong
My race is meaningful but does not define me
Race
COLORBLINDNESS AND RACIAL ESSENTIALISM ARE BOTH WRONG
My race is meaningful but does not define me
Philip Clay
“Well, I don’t see color; I don’t care if you’re black, white, yellow, red, or purple.” Sound familiar? What about this one? “I don’t know if they can help it; it’s because they were raised (insert racial identity here).” If you’ve said or heard something like the first statement, that was racial colorblindness, and if you’ve said or heard something like the second statement, that was racial essentialism. Is it possible to see a person and avoid making assumptions based on their appearance? Colorblindness pretends you can. Racial essentialism embraces the proposition that you cannot and should not. Both perspectives may come from a place of good intentions, but both are ultimately driven by ignorance.
I have had this conversation frequently: “How do we get more diversity and engagement from more people of color?” I can assure you the answer is neither colorblindness nor essentialism. Neither belief respects the true diversity individuals can bring to the table.
Older white people often tell me they don’t see color, sometimes before I even bring up race. This defense mechanism is triggered by the idea that if they don’t care about color, they can’t be racist. Conversely, those who make generalized assumptions do so based on the information they happen to have on hand. If my one black friend does it, black people, in general, probably do it, too.
This is 2023. We must respect and honor older generations, with their closer ties to slavery and other atrocities, and all their struggles and sacrifices. However, we cannot continue to fool ourselves by saying that we fully understand their struggles or are in the same situation. In many cases, because of those struggles of our forebears, we are included today. Yet despite these strides in inclusion, there is a widespread belief that many black people want to be seen for their color first, which is not true.
My identity is not tied to my race alone. I’m proudly both white and black. These are two fantastic (and intertwined) American cultural traditions that have given me the very fiber of which I am composed. Because I can easily connect and reason with white people and black people, seeing both their similarities and differences, as well as their uniqueness as individuals, I do not practice either colorblindness or essentialism. Although I’m proud of my double racial background, that does not define me.
I am the product of rape. I have been called a bastard child. Instead of leaving me with a victim mentality, the circumstances of my birth have fueled my every ambition. I decided to make something of myself, no matter how I came into the world.
I was raised in a predominantly white community. From the day of my birth, my mostly white community has given me every opportunity and ounce of care they could. I am fortunate enough to say that I continue to have a strong community support system.
Though I am a product of the community I come from and inhabit, my community alone does not define me. I’m also a college dropout. Because I am “merely” a high school graduate, I should make less than I do, statistically, and I should have fewer opportunities than I do. Yet having only a high school diploma has not defined me.
If you say, “I don’t see color,” you fail to credit the sacrifices of every black person who has come before me. But I now stand on the shoulders of giants, and these giants have made it possible for me to be a giant in my own right. Conversely, if essentialism is the approach, I should be defined by my skin color. But skin color no more represents me than the origin of my existence or my high school diploma. Should “mixed bastard college dropout” be written on my tombstone? Both the colorblind and the essentialists fail to see the real me. What I ask is for you to see the color of my skin but not to let it be the anchor and end of your perception.
My question to you who read this: What is the term for being neither colorblind nor essentialist?
Philip Clay is the co-founder and CEO of Arthur Clay, a new organization that focuses on consulting, refinement, and service. Clay also serves as an ambassador for Project 21. He is civically engaged and works with his community in aspects of redevelopment, as well as doing political consulting. Philip currently resides in Indiana with his wife and son. He tweets here.
I always feel that, "I don't see color" is simply shorthand for, "I don't care one way or the other what the color of your skin is and try not to make assumptions about people based on things they can't control." It's a strange thing to say, but I am understanding of where it comes from. Of course people notice our defining features. Nobody is "blind" to the fact that I'm 6'8". My size is one of my defining characteristics. People usually don't care one way or the other how tall I am (however, I know my height does intimidate or cause some to feel uncomfortable). It's consistently a central point of how I experience the world. Even hugs from old friends are sometimes strange. I can't buy pants at 99% of stores. I don't fit into most cars. I have to fly Delta Comfort or better to be at all pain-free while flying. Couches that I find comfortable are uncomfortable to most everyone else who I would share one with, and are harder to find than pants. I'd say, you should see me try to shower in many places in Japan, but that would be awkward. The list goes on. It's just my experience. Just as your experience is yours. Like many people with skin that is darker than mine, my ancestors were enslaved and murdered by racist people from other lands. But because I have fair skin and blue eyes, that part of "who I am" doesn't ever come up. At the end of the day, we're all individuals who are contending with the hands we were dealt for one reason or another.
You are an individual. Enough said.