Does a Colorbind Society Make for a Better America?

...

What those who endorse a colorblind society hope to achieve is a society where opportunities are not limited due to the color of skin. This is not always the case however. Many Americans view colorblindness as helpful to people of color by asserting that race does not matter. But in America, most underrepresented minorities will explain that race does matter, as it affects opportunities, perceptions, income, and so much more. Colorblindness undermines minority groups by being seemingly advantageous when really those advantages are tied to hidden agendas. It is an insult to the intelligence of a human being to degrade or deny someone simply because of the color of their skin. For America to even begin to function properly as a truly colorblind society, two conditions would be required. First, all Americans— regardless of socioeconomic status or racial/ethnic background— would need to have equal opportunity to educate themselves, to pursue their professional goals, and to take care of themselves and their families. Second, all Americans would need to rise above the kinds of color-consciousness that perpetuate inequality. Neither of those conditions have been met thus far considering that today, a white family’s net worth is eight times that of a black family and that America will still judge the majority of a race on stereotypes alone inhibiting equal opportunity.

Colorblindness doesn’t undo stereotypes, a major issue with the idea. A white person will accept one race unlike theirs while rejecting another or even one stratosphere of a single race while rejecting another faction of that same race. This completely contradicts what colorblindness is supposed to stand for. If one is going to implement it, then it should be done so evenly without missing or excluding any group of people. And this cannot happen without white people acknowledging the privilege that they possess based off the history of this country alone. They walk in it each and every day and are still pretending it does not exist. Still white people are exhibiting superior attitudes or upholding the idea that people of color are subjective to the white race. Those very actions are what hinder true equal opportunity while fueling racial injustice and such. Sadly enough, even a name that is seemingly ethnic could be a disadvantage.

Racial minorities have been denied access to jobs, capital, housing and educational resources throughout U.S. history and, of equal importance, are regularly denied access to this day. Institutions - both public and private - have played a critical role in determining which groups have benefited most in U.S. society, often giving whites an advantage at the expense of minorities. And those institutions continue to underhandedly play this role, despite laws that forbid discrimination.

America is not living in a colorblind society currently and all know it never has. And it will not live in a colorblind society unless each and every aspect that inhibits seamless equality is examined and rectified. The first step is fully acknowledging the issues at hand rather than sugar-coating, watering-down, or blatantly ignoring them.