A Colorblind Society?
By Brother Rogers
Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream that one day America would be a colorblind society. He defined his dream as a place where people will be “judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Our nation, our state and our community have made great progress toward achieving Dr. King’s dream, as anyone who remembers the status of race relations prior to the Civil Rights Movement can attest.
Yet, most people would agree that America is not a colorblind society. It is not a place where people are defined only by their talents, abilities and character. The dream has not been fulfilled. We live in an America where race still is an issue, as the recent downfall of Senator Trent Lott reminds us.
If we agree that the ideal society is colorblind, then how do we achieve this objective? Ironically, the first step toward reaching a colorblind society is to acknowledge racial problems. Justice John M. Harlan noted in his dissent in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision, in order to be “colorblind,” one must first be “color-conscious” – aware that a problem exists.
When I hear someone say that he is colorblind, I assume that he is emphasizing the word “color” to show that he does not discriminate on the basis of race. He does not notice a person’s skin color and is unaffected by it.
However, the emphasis could be placed on the word “blind.” Those who claim to be colorblind must be blind to the fact that racial problems still exist. My own personal experience and observation has led me to this conclusion. To claim that race is not an issue is the equivalent of the ostrich who sticks his head in the sand. To claim that race does not matter is to deny a fundamental reality of American society in the 21st century.
The question is not whether race should matter, but instead, whether race does actually matter. Race affects our everyday life in a variety of ways, some of which we do not even consciously realize. Race affects where we send our children to school, where we go to church and in which neighborhood we live. It affects with whom we socialize on a regular basis.
When most people choose a school for their children, a place to worship and a place to live, race impacts that choice. Race is not necessarily the primary factor, but it plays a role. Therefore, our society is not colorblind; it is not even close. Race, whether we are aware of it or not, plays a part in the most fundamental decisions we make about how we live our lives.
The first step in the direction of an ideal, colorblind society must begin by recognizing the important role that race plays in our world today. For example, last week, a study by professors at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported that identical resumes with white-sounding first names elicited 50 percent more responses than ones with black-sounding names.
All other things being equal, we should not take race into account. In a perfect world, we would all be colorblind and skin color would not matter at all. But in the real world, all other things are not equal. Just look at the difference in the quality of education between our county and city schools.
The wide variety of opinions surrounding Senator Lott’s remarks demonstrates the depth of emotion that people feel about race. It also shows that as a society, we are definitely not colorblind. We still have much work to do to achieve Dr. King’s dream.
Brother Rogers is assistant director of the Stennis Center and a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News.
Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream that one day America would be a colorblind society. He defined his dream as a place where people will be “judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Our nation, our state and our community have made great progress toward achieving Dr. King’s dream, as anyone who remembers the status of race relations prior to the Civil Rights Movement can attest.
Yet, most people would agree that America is not a colorblind society. It is not a place where people are defined only by their talents, abilities and character. The dream has not been fulfilled. We live in an America where race still is an issue, as the recent downfall of Senator Trent Lott reminds us.
If we agree that the ideal society is colorblind, then how do we achieve this objective? Ironically, the first step toward reaching a colorblind society is to acknowledge racial problems. Justice John M. Harlan noted in his dissent in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision, in order to be “colorblind,” one must first be “color-conscious” – aware that a problem exists.
When I hear someone say that he is colorblind, I assume that he is emphasizing the word “color” to show that he does not discriminate on the basis of race. He does not notice a person’s skin color and is unaffected by it.
However, the emphasis could be placed on the word “blind.” Those who claim to be colorblind must be blind to the fact that racial problems still exist. My own personal experience and observation has led me to this conclusion. To claim that race is not an issue is the equivalent of the ostrich who sticks his head in the sand. To claim that race does not matter is to deny a fundamental reality of American society in the 21st century.
The question is not whether race should matter, but instead, whether race does actually matter. Race affects our everyday life in a variety of ways, some of which we do not even consciously realize. Race affects where we send our children to school, where we go to church and in which neighborhood we live. It affects with whom we socialize on a regular basis.
When most people choose a school for their children, a place to worship and a place to live, race impacts that choice. Race is not necessarily the primary factor, but it plays a role. Therefore, our society is not colorblind; it is not even close. Race, whether we are aware of it or not, plays a part in the most fundamental decisions we make about how we live our lives.
The first step in the direction of an ideal, colorblind society must begin by recognizing the important role that race plays in our world today. For example, last week, a study by professors at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported that identical resumes with white-sounding first names elicited 50 percent more responses than ones with black-sounding names.
All other things being equal, we should not take race into account. In a perfect world, we would all be colorblind and skin color would not matter at all. But in the real world, all other things are not equal. Just look at the difference in the quality of education between our county and city schools.
The wide variety of opinions surrounding Senator Lott’s remarks demonstrates the depth of emotion that people feel about race. It also shows that as a society, we are definitely not colorblind. We still have much work to do to achieve Dr. King’s dream.
Brother Rogers is assistant director of the Stennis Center and a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News.