The Urgency and Beauty of Seeing Colorby April Dinwoodie
Westerly Sun June 15, 2023 They were jubilant. Their wish to adopt a baby girl would soon become a reality. The agency casually mentioned that a geneticist had concluded it was “possible the child would be mixed-race” (Black/bi-racial). Open and loving, my prospective adoptive parents leaned into their well-intended, albeit naïve, “color-blind” philosophy. Racial difference was not an issue. Their preference was gender; their daughter had been angling for a sister; adding a girl to the family created even sibling sets — two girls and two boys. Over the years, I have learned that many things can be true simultaneously. In this case, my adoptive family eagerly welcomed and loved me, though that love could not always meet my unique needs as a transracial adoptee. I am both blessed that my family and the community of Westerly adopted me; at the same time, there have been, and continue to be, challenges. If I have heard it once, I have heard it thousands of times — “I/we just don’t see color.” Intellectually, I know that for many, this is an attempt not to be racist, especially within the context of brutal centuries of skin-color bias. But emotionally, for a person of color today, the phrase can trigger a constellation of feelings. Whether from a teacher, a participant in one of my adoptive parent training sessions, a colleague, or a family member, hearing these words at different ages and stages of my life has conjured a mix of hurt, confusion, skepticism, and anger. Hurt, because if you don’t see color, you don’t see beautiful aspects of my identity and my culture of origin — from my brown skin, hair, and eyes to many foundational elements of music, art, and innovation created and gifted to the world by my Black ancestors. Not seeing color overlooks us and our achievements. Confusion, because who would choose not to see, celebrate, and appreciate individual differences as gateways to understanding our human complexity and building more inclusive and diverse communities that see, value, and respect everyone? Skepticism because children often see and innocently comment upon others of a different race they encounter in public. Do we believe that childhood curiosity, wonder, and recognition of the differences in others disappear with age? Anger, because color-evasive ways of moving around people of color can leave them unprotected and harmed as they navigate majority white spaces that claim not to see color. It is as simple as comparing a summer beach tan to my arm and claiming we are “getting closer.” Worse is a teacher, while introducing the one unit I remember about enslaved persons in our high school history curriculum, directing a class comment to me, “We’re going to talk about slavery, now. I’m sure that’s something YOU know about, April.” Color blindness suggests that we treat everyone the same regardless of race. The reality is that people of different racial backgrounds often face other challenges and experiences. Black Americans are more likely than White Americans to experience police brutality, health care gaps, barriers in housing, employment, and financial services, limited educational opportunities, and more. Black American children are disproportionately represented in the child welfare and foster care system, as I was. All result from systemic racism, which color blindness refuses to see. Treating everyone the same without acknowledging differences perpetuates inequity and discrimination. Not seeing color leaves us sightless of realities and history like Juneteenth. This newly recognized Federal holiday commemorates the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, first learned of their freedom, which the Emancipation Proclamation had granted in 1863, almost three years prior. The day, dedicated to freedom and justice, honors the journey of enslaved persons in the United States. It reminds us that skin color meant freedom or enslavement for hundreds of years. I have learned that the beauty of racial differences is an urgency that cannot be denied or resisted. Despite any good-hearted intention, believing that our corner of the world is somehow free of racism and claiming not to see color holds us back from the beauty of color and culture. It implies the harmful and destructive idea (intended or not) that “no color” means “white.” When we create intentionally safe spaces, as we do every Sunday in our ARC gatherings at the post office, we build a community that begins to see one another more fully. We build individual and collective capacity for seeing color as a gateway to cherish and protect racial minorities. We shift “I don’t see color” to “I do see you” meaning both “I cherish you as a part of our collective diverse humanity” and “I cherish you as a worthy, glorious individual.” When we do that and dedicate ourselves to protecting that difference, we have done crucial relational work for ourselves and our community. Embracing and celebrating our growing diversity is possible and ensuring equity and inclusion are as urgent as saving the earth’s biodiversity or our planet from the ravages of climate change. Our very health and survival depend upon it. This column is written by members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, which embraces multiculturalism to address racism. Geoff Serra is a contributing editor. ARC meets on the steps of the Westerly Post Office each Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome. Learn more and subscribe to ARC’s newsletter at westerlyarc.weebly.com. Contact them at [email protected]. Comments are closed.
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This website is a publication of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition. ARC is a community coalition unaffiliated with any state, national, or international organization. ARC embraces multiculturalism to address racism.
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