Colorblindness and "All Live Matter"

 "Colorblindness is the New Racism" by Margalynne J. Armstrong and Stephanie M. Wildman

"Why You Should Stop Saying "All Lives Matter" explained in 9 different ways" by German Lopez

    In the article "Colorblindness is the new racism", the authors, Armstrong and Wildman, argue that colorblindness is racism and to not see race is to perpetuate white privilege. It could also be said that these authors believe that colorblindness can be combated with color insight and color insight is something we can start teaching people when they are still students. In this article, Armstrong and Wildman introduce several classroom activities that can be used to create color insight. 

    The way that I have interpreted the authors' argument is as such: to not address race is to give power to white privilege. In this world each and everyone one of us has a race. Our race has an affect of the way we are treated in this world, the way we view ourselves, and the way we view others. We simply cannot pretend that race doesn't exist. The authors explain that it is mainly white people who do not want to admit race. This is because they are advantaged and have the privilege in our society so they need to admit race. This connects back to a quote on the first page of the read; "White privilege includes the assumption that White people define a societal norm and that people of color are 'other' often considered inferior or dangerous". I use this quote to support the authors' argument that only white people don't see race. Due to their privilege, it is assumed that no on should see race but this puts those who are not white at a bigger disadvantage.

    In the section titled "colorblindness is a radicalized world" it is spoken about how racial neutrality and colorblindness is often used in the courts. a quote saying "U.S jurisprudence and politics currently valise colorblindness and race neutrality." This supports the authors argument that colorblindness is a mechanism for white privilege. Here is an article that examples that disproportionate amount of white people the hold office. Often times in government, colorblindness is sited because our government is predominately white people.

The authors argue that color insight is a way to breakaway from colorblindness so I decided to do one of the exercises that were example in the reading. This exercise was that of color insight for a 24 hour period. You would make observations and submit an entry. Here is the entry I would submit.

    As I was reading this article on my prep period at work, I decided to observe the hallways at my school. As I walk down the hallway the first person that stopped to talk to me was a fellow first grade teacher who is white. I mentioned to her my assignment and we reflected on the amount of white teachers that taught at our Providence school. Myself, her, and two other teachers of the 6 first grade teachers. As we talk to members or the lunch crew and one janitor walk by: all people of color. This conversation happened as our students were eating lunch where 94% of first grade is students of color. 

In the "All Lives Matter article" the author, German Lopez, is using a somewhat light-hearted way to address the misconceptions of the Black Lives Matter movement. It uses several examples that address the "invisible only" that many white people put in front of the statement "black lives matter". This article and the Black Lives Matter movement reminded me of the first article we read in class: Power, Privilege and Difference by Johnson. One of Johnson's main points, and something that was reiterated in class, is "say the words" and the Black Lives Matter movement is just that, saying the words. It is exposing the fact that black people are treated different in this country. They are saying that the words that the black community will not rest until black lives are valued the same as white lives. They are "tapping on the glass", (as said in class) to show that there is a problem with the discrimination, violence, and hate that black people face everyday in America. Not only this but at many protest across America they were saying the names of those who have been murdered by the police. The names that came and left the news faster than their crime scene could be cleaned up. The names that police and "All Lives Matter" delivers would rather bush under the carpet. Their names were chanted so that the ugly truth of their murders would be known to all. We talked about "tapping the glass" in class and the Black Lives Matter movement has not stopped tapping on it since 2014.