COUNCIL FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Chair ’ s
COLUMN
For Black History Month , Kick Your Colorblindness
“ I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character ”
- Martin Luther King , Jr .
Like many of you , I imagine , this line has resonated with me since I was a kid . I still think in awe of MLK ’ s courage to stand up to injustice with such dignity and commitment to peace . I realized recently that I misunderstood the message of this timeless speech , however . You see , I thought MLK was asking us to be colorblind . I thought it took being colorblind in order to be a person of good moral character , fair to all regardless of background . It made all the sense in the world to me . How can someone exhibit bias if they are colorblind ?
I understood my mistake after hearing someone explain that they were “ colorblind ” when justifying a decision without the perspective to recognize the full impact of their decision on those of color . After all , it was the same credo I liked to cite when justifying my own desire to be impartial and promote equity . Again , how can someone exhibit bias if they are colorblind ?
I began to question if being colorblind was a good thing . I realized quickly that I had wandered off the path I intended to walk , as well-intentioned as I was . It didn ’ t take long to see that I was not alone in misinterpreting MLK ’ s message . MLK did not ask us to be colorblind . He asked us to be color conscious . I realized I had only looked at the surface of what MLK said . I failed to look deeper . I judged that line of his speech by the color of its skin .
Colorblindness dismisses the lack of equity faced by those of color . It assumes the existence of an equal playing field . In doing so , it perpetuates the lack of equity that has always existed , and still exists . It promulgates implicit bias .
For interesting reading on this topic , I recommend Ronald Turner ,
The Dangers of Misappropriation : Misusing Martin Luther King , Jr ’ s Legacy to Prove The Colorblind Thesis , 2 Mich . J . Race & L . 101 ( 1996 ). As Mr . Turner states , “[ C ] olor-awareness best describes and most accurately captures the historical , contemporary , contextual , and nuanced dimensions of this nation ’ s history and color line . As stated in Palmore v . Sidoti , 466 U . S . 429 , 433 ( 1984 ), it ‘ would ignore reality to suggest that racial and ethnic prejudices to not exist or that all manifestations of those prejudices have been eliminated .’” Id . at 115 . E . J . R . David , PhD , says “ we need to be racially conscious and become aware of our biases and privileges in order for us to control - or keep in check - how our biases influence our attitudes and behaviors . In other words , we need to become conscious of race in order to be racially neutral -- to be fair and just -- in our behaviors .”[ 1 ] This approach is critical if we are to deal with implicit bias , the blind spot in colorblindness .
14 | THE DOCKET - FEBRUARY 2022