We can't be "colorblind", as so many of us would like to believe we are. To ignore a person's race is as much a disservice as ignoring their sex or religion. I'm a white, formerly Catholic, female. All of those things have shaped my life and my person. My friends and family of color are not going to understand any uniquely white facets. My male friends and family aren't going to understand being a girl. My friends and family of other faiths... well, you get the idea.
Every day brings us situations we see differently based on our race. (Other factors, too, but we are focusing on the race thing today.) A clerk in the store is rude, I assume it's because of my Food Stamp card, but the black man behind me is likely to assume that clerk is a racist. Probably the clerk is having a bad day, or is just a big jerk, but that doesn't change our perceptions and we have valid reasons for our perceptions.
Saying "get to work, slaves" to your co-workers is not a good idea if any of them are black. Calling an adult male "boy" as a simple synonym for male? Again, not a good idea with blacks involved. Putting a Barbie head on your car antenna as a "here's the car" signal? Make sure she has the same skin color you do... All of these are things I did back in my Colorblind days. I was hurt by the reactions. In the case of the Barbie head, the hurt would have been physical if not for a nearby security guy!
For my fellow white folks who want to be not-a-racist, I suggest doing what I did. Find someone of color, someone you have mutual respect with, and talk to them. Both parties should do his or her best to remain calm, keep in mind the end goal, and take breaks if needed. This is not an easy project.
Avoid those who are too angry to reason with.
Try to put yourself in the other person's shoes. How would I feel if women (since I'm one of those) were routinely killed for resisting arrest? How would I feel if I couldn't walk down the street without someone screaming "Go back to Europe" at me? This little game can work for other marginalized groups as well... how would it be if straights were called perverts for holding hands in the supermarket?
Anyway, being "colorblind" is not a good thing. Color should be noted, right along with any other applicable demographics. I'm going to overstep a bit here and suggest that all of us, no matter what color we are, should make it policy to avoid letting color anger us. We all need to focus on the things we have in common, and on seeing our fellow humans as the individuals they are.
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