The Regressiveness of Color Blindness

The purposeful disregard of race, otherwise known as color blindness, is neither effective nor progressive. As TED Talk speaker and chairwoman Mellody Hobson succinctly put it, “Color blindness doesn’t mean there’s no discrimination...it means we’re ignoring the problem.” The censorship of race signifies the end of the active acknowledgment of racial discrimination, but not the erasure of institutionalized racial prejudices. These prejudices, as well as perceptions of race, are rooted in history, and will continue to exist in the societal worldview due to the acumulative nature of perception vs. history. Color blindness promotes apologist beliefs on racially motivated atrocities throughout history ranging from slavery and genocide, to more contemporary concerns such as racial profiling and violent hate crimes. As Hobson stated, racism is often treated as the “conversational equivalent of touching the third rail.” Although discussions over race can be uncomfortable, it bears repeating unawareness of racial differences is not an enterprising solution to racism, and that acceptance of its existence is crucial for equality to someday be realistically attained.