On one hand, there are those of all chromatic persuasions who state that they don’t see color, which is immediately denounced as an impossibility; one cannot NOT see color. And there are those who will also argue that the statement, “I don’t see color”, is a repudiation of the injustices suffered through the years by minority communities. It is a deliberate attempt to deny the implicit bias they assume that all people - particularly those of the majority “race” - MUST have.
On the other hand, there are those who truly use this statement as a way to deny that minorities have suffered as a result of their ethnicity.
Then there is a third group who say they don’t see color; I am one of these. No, I’m not blind or colorblind, nor am I ignorant of history, so what do I mean when I say this?
It means, very simply, that I - and many like me - have made a conscious decision not to let color play a role in how I treat people. I am fully aware of the injustices suffered by minorities, and I make every effort to ensure that I treat all people with respect. When my minority customers come to my store, they receive the same high level of service with which I provide my non-minority customers. A black male in a hoodie doesn’t elicit any more attention or concern from me than a white or hispanic male in a hoodie; frankly, with the desire to hide their identity, they all concern me equally.
I disagree with the notion that ALL people, particularly non-minorities, suffer from implicit bias against ethnic minorities, and it is too easy a conclusion to which to jump to automatically assume that everyone who makes this statement is denying an implicit bias of which they are either unaware or deliberately trying to cover up.
It is sad that those who assume non-minorities MUST be biased against them nonetheless allow themselves to indulge in the same biases of which they accuse others.
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