Author: Margalynne J. Armstrong and Stephanie M. Wildman | Mellody Hobson
Title: "Colorblindness is the New Racism" | "Color Blind or Color Brave"
(1) The authors explain, "Color insight contrasts with colorblindness by offering an alternative that better serves the purported goals of colorblindness: racial equality and justice. Color insight requires its practitioners to observe, discuss, and analyze the operation of race and privilege in contemporary society"(pg.68). There's an interview that repeatedly kept playing in my head as I was reading from Trevor Noah where he says "there's nothing wrong with seeing color, it's how you treat color that's more important." after the white, blonde haired woman says she doesn't "see" color and claiming to also go after a white woman politician. Noah offers to explain how negative colorblindness is and despite his efforts to educate, she immediately attacks by saying "when you start to loot, burn and riot". She is becoming more enraged and defensive than when she mentioned another white woman politician. Earlier on page 66 it states, "Whites often do not think about race and racial justice except when they notice people of color present" and that interview is a clear example of why it needs to be spoken more and not ignored.
Argument Statement: The authors Armstrong, Wildman and presenter Hobson all argue that society needs to embrace the conversation of color to enhance success in the workplace, the community, and schools rather than ignoring color and race, brushing it under the rug.
Connections: One connection I found in the article was on page 65, "...white plaintiffs sued to end programs that had sought to promote the inclusion of people of color in education and employment opportunities that previously had been foreclosed to them" In my sector, I've seen countless complaints from people asking where the 'white scholarships are', 'why does race need to matter?' 'everyone should have the same opportunity', their attempts at colorblindness completely ignoring the exact reason why the scholarships exist in creating equity. Also, last year TRIO was being severely attacked by the administration to be cut, mentioning that college is now accessible for those who want to go and in result there have been over 100 divisions canceled. Although anyone who is eligible to participate, a majority are students of color across all different TRIO programs in the country. Their implicit bias is screwing over thousands of white students especially in rural areas as well but to them it's a small cost to pay. If our programs were majority white populated there would be no head turning. We are now forced to rewrite our next Grant Proposal carefully not to include any mention of culture or inclusion.
Reflection: I'm privileged to work in a very diverse office of individuals who proudly display their backgrounds; sharing stories, ideas, knowledge. Being able to work in the environment allows me to easily take part in color brave/color insight conversation as an observer, analyst and to sympathize in conversations. We all have different parts of our background that helps our work tremendously in a possible comparison if all the "Fortune 500 employees" were in the room. If a team had 10 different individuals who had knowledge and background to speak on, they'd be greater than the same person copied over 9 times with the same background and ideas. If colorblindness existed all of our students from Upward Bound to McNair scholars wouldn't be able to proudly display who they are and what they're capable of. We are successful because we are embracing the diversity in the work place of colleagues and in the education of students.
Kristy, this post is really strong, especially in how you bridge theory, media, and your professional reality. Your use of Armstrong and Wildman’s idea of “color insight” from Colorblindness Is the New Racism makes it clear why colorblindness is not neutral. It actively erases the conditions that create inequality in the first place. I appreciated how you grounded that concept in the interview with Trevor Noah, because it shows how quickly colorblind language turns into defensiveness and coded racial fear when race is actually named.
ReplyDeleteYour reflection on the race-neutral hypotheticals was especially compelling. The fact that you immediately imagined a Black woman or a red-haired patient highlights exactly what Armstrong and Wildman are pushing readers to notice. Our assumptions are shaped by patterns of neglect and harm that are already well documented, especially in medicine. Making those assumptions visible is not bias. It is awareness. That connection to teaching and helping students recognize how privilege operates felt very aligned with the authors’ goals.
I also appreciated how you connected Hobson’s call to color bravery in TED Talk to real-world outcomes like the Olympics and higher education programs. Your discussion of TRIO was powerful and honestly unsettling. The demand to rewrite grants to avoid words like culture or inclusion perfectly illustrates how colorblindness becomes policy, not just rhetoric, and how that policy ends up harming the very students it claims to treat “equally.”
Your final reflection really ties it together. Diversity is not symbolic. It is functional. The point you made about ten people with different backgrounds being stronger than one idea copied ten times gets right to the heart of why color bravery is not just morally right, but necessary for progress. This was a thoughtful, grounded, and very real post.
Hi Kristy,
ReplyDeleteThe connections you made in this post were insightful and extremely reflective on the reading and TED Talk. I particularly appreciated the connection between color insight and the interview with Trevor Noah. It made me think of the woman's defensiveness, which tends to occur when someone is uncomfortable. However, if race was not something that was ignored, maybe she would be less defensive about it and actually listen and want to be educated. She is privileged enough to not have to think about race unless there are people of color present, just as Armstrong and Wildman discussed.
I also resonated with your idea of having tough conversations with students about color insight. These conversations give students the chance to recognize their own racial identity while also becoming aware of the diverse identities around them. I think that if this happened more in schools, it could spread awareness and increase overall understanding and self awareness.
This is so powerful, Kristy. And it made me want to go pull Trevor Noah's book off my shelf and finally read it! I very much appreciate how this all connects to work in TRIO etc.
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