Growing up, I was very blessed to live in one of the most diverse cities in America, Sugar Land, TX. But even with diversity and being surrounded by people from different backgrounds and heritages, or "races", I noticed that there was a case of colorblindness within my community. We were taught as we were growing up that we should ignore race and that to openly discuss race could be rude or was to simply break social norm. My peers and I simply silently acknowledged each other's race, but never discussed the social ramifications that our differences may create.
Therefore, when I read Peggy MacIntosh's article about white privilege, the large disparity between the white majority and other racial minorities became much more clear to me after years of me accepting it as simply "the norm". As an Asian American, and therefore a minority, many of the her ideas, such as being underrepresented in everyday life, rang true for me. However, there are far reaching consequences to being oblivious of how one's skin color can both affect how they are treated and alter the paths open to them. Racism in America, although no longer including "individual acts of meanness," is still alive if not merely hidden in our unconscious.
But race is only one dimension of one's identity. Beverly Tatum brings forward many other aspects that define "Who Am I?" including religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and ablebodyness. In short, it is a complex question. My main takeaway was how the dominant identity can stretch itself to become the standard against which minority identities stand out. It is with this that I am often aware of my Asian heritage and youth while in line at the voting poll, my youth when volunteering with business professionals, and even my height when I am with many of my Asian female friends (I am often a head taller than them).
However, as PBS.org states, "Colorblindness will not end racism." I believe that we as a society need to embrace each other's differences and celebrate them. Then we must be active to tilt the scale of "dominant" versus "subordinate" in terms of race. It is that component of changing policy "at the expense of the of others" to right this scale that will be the most challenging to overcome.
Amanda, I too was taught to ignore race, and somehow I learned to feel guilty about the color of my skin. Just like stereotypes are placed on minorities, they can also be placed on whites as well: like how terribly selfish and power hungry 'we' are. I love how you mentioned the need to "embrace each others' differences and celebrate them." We should be proud of who we are and should not be afraid to openly discuss race. Like you said, our identities should be celebrated!
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