Can't we all just get along?: Part 2 - Our head in the Sand

Okay. One of the most popular ways to deal with racism is to pretend that it does not exists. Yeah, I am not joking. Basically, some people say something like this: Racism is bad. But it is a thing of the past. Oh there may be a few wayward racist but generally people are not punished because of there race anymore. So let's just treat everyone equally right now and just forget about racism.
This is often called a colorblind approach to racism. Part of me wish that we could do just that. But it is an approach akin to putting our head in the sand. Problems tend to endure. They do not just go away because we choose to ignore them.
The consequences of our centuries of racism linger even in an environment where overt racism is stigmatized. For example, it is well documented that the wealth of blacks is far less than the wealth of whites. Wealth is the property and assets we own. Even when we look at blacks and whites making the same income, the wealth of whites is much higher. This wealth is due to the history of asset accumulation whites have enjoyed over the past few centuries. White parents and grandparents had financial advantages over people of color that allowed them to pass on wealth in the forms of houses and financial accounts to their children and grandchildren? Of course this is not true for all whites, but clearly whites are more likely to enjoy financial advantages from the accumulation of family financial assets than people of color.
Beyond financial assets whites have also gained cultural assets that work to their advantage. It is still within the white community that we are more likely to find the social networks that help us get jobs, appointments etc. The cultural expectations that are valued when we hire somebody or consider them for our educational programs are generally Eurocentric in nature. The white advantage in our society did not disappear during the Civil Rights movement. It merely took different forms.
Space does not allow me to be a bit more nuanced in my description of our current racial reality and this is not mean to be "white bashing." I am merely pointing out that we can not ignore our enduring racial effects. Racial problems, like any serious social problem, requires intentional and sustained efforts to overcome. This is why the colorblind approach simply will not work. It can bring temporary racial peace but at the cost of achieving true racial equality. Because that equality is not achieved, eventually people of color will revolt and enduring racial harmony will be lost.
We have to reject this colorblind approach. If we are going to find lasting racial harmony then we have to proactively engage in efforts to overcome our racial past. But we have to be wise in the actions we take. In the next couple of blogs I will explore some of the efforts that I think are sincere but misguided.



Sincerely,



Trouble-Maker