The learning resource that has resonated with me the most throughout this course and stimulated my learning related to critical social justice issues, is the Colorblind Racism presentation from Open Oregon State. This module made me think quite a bit differently about how I understand the impacts of colorblindness and resegregation in our society. Throughout working through the slides and in my own self-reflection afterwards, I realized more firmly how the social norms and constructs within my surroundings as a child conditioned my mind and perspective to view racism in a way that was ineffective and potentially more harmful to people of color. A specific portion of this module that broadened my perspective was in learning more about what Colorblind Racism is, how it can be seen in our society through behavioral examples, and why it is a common ideology for people of privilege to lean on and use as an excuse for their inability to recognize folks of color.
I especially enjoyed the resources that were provided in the interactive video including evidence for many of the significant points that were suggested by the producers. In reflecting about my own experiences, and how I have noticed resegregation and explicit racism occur I recognized the events following Colin Kaepernick’s Kneeling and the Donald Trump Presidency as highlights. Hearing the initial statements from the announcers in this video regarding famous quotes from Dr. MLK Jr., the awareness that I had for the construction of race as a social construct was strengthened, by his emphasis on creating a world where one is judged based on traits of character, rather than the color of their skin. Furthermore, this would reflect that race or skin color would not serve as components that could depict more complex features of an individual. The Racial Disparities included, “Household Income, Net Wealth, Imprisonment, Unemployment, Higher Education, and Health” are all racially inequitable components that are measured and supported by data. While some folks may think that the “progress” is good enough for us to create more social, political, and economic equity, there is clear reasoning of why further action is needed. I have seen how White folks lean on the idea of being colorblind in an effort of being politically correct, or avoiding conflict or confrontation which in turn hurts folks of color. It is not enough to have this lack of awareness, and needs to be understood by the dominant culture to deter further harm of resegregation.
The four racial frames of Colorblind Racism as listed, “Abstract Liberalism, Naturalization, Cultural Racism, and Minimization of Racism” show how each category uniquely contributes to overall phenomena of our society being “The new Jim Crow.” The lack of assertiveness, effort and urgency to create an equitable future encourages privileged folks to stay comfortable in their current circumstances and preach the rhetoric of progress being made as it relates to social justice, which has no supporting evidence. The Alternatives to Colorblindness as listed, “Color Consciousness and Multiculturalism” are realistic and applicable to how folks can more accurately support and speak about people of color, rather than ignoring their differences. I appreciated this perspective and aim to incorporate it into my dialogue to create more awareness of how colorblind racism plays out in our communities.
