Racial color blindness

Racial color blindness refers to the belief that a person's race or ethnicity should not influence their legal or social treatment in society.

Racial color blindness can meet formal equality of opportunity but violates substantive equality. The multicultural psychology field generates four beliefs that constitute the racial color-blindness approach. The four beliefs are as follows: (1) skin color is superficial and irrelevant to the quality of a person's character, ability or worthiness, (2) in a merit-based society, skin color is irrelevant to merit judgments and calculation of fairness, (3) as a corollary, in a merit-based society, merit and fairness are flawed if skin color is taken into the calculation, (4) ignoring skin color when interacting with people is the best way to avoid racial discrimination.^[1]

The term metaphorically references the medical phenomenon of color blindness. Psychologists and sociologists also study racial color blindness. This is further divided into two dimensions, color evasion and power evasion. Color evasion is the belief that people should not be treated differently on the basis of their color. Power evasion posits that systemic advantage based on color should have no influence on what people can accomplish, and accomplishments are instead based solely on one's own work performance.^[2]

At various times in Western history, this term has been used to signal a desired or allegedly achieved state of freedom from racial prejudice or a desire that policies and laws should not consider race. Proponents of racial color blindness often assert that policies that differentiate by racial classification could tend to create, perpetuate or exacerbate racial divisiveness. Critics often believe it fails to address systemic discrimination.^[3]^[4]^[5]

It has been used by justices of the United States Supreme Court in several opinions relating to racial equality and social equity, particularly in public education.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]

^ Jackson, Matthew C.; Wilde, Vera Katelyn; Goff, Phillip Atiba (2016), "Seeing color blindness: Color-blind racial ideology research methods in social psychology.", The myth of racial color blindness: Manifestations, dynamics, and impact., Washington: American Psychological Association, pp. 125–140, doi:10.1037/14754-008, ISBN 978-1-4338-2073-1, retrieved April 24, 2023
^ Mio, Jeffery Scott; Barker, Lori A.; Domenech Rodriguez, Melanie M.; Gonzalez, John (2020). Multicultural Psychology (5th ed.). New York, New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 213–214. ISBN 978-0190854959.
^ Holmes, David G. (2007) Affirmative Reaction: Kennedy, Nixon, King, and the Evolution of Color-Blind Rhetoric, Rhetoric Review, 26:1, 25–41, DOI:
^ Ansell, Amy E. (2008). "Color Blindness". In Schaefer, Richard T. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society. SAGE Publications. pp. 320–322. ISBN 978-1-45-226586-5.
^ Sears, David O.; et al. (2000). Racialized politics: the debate about racism in America. University of Chicago Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-22-674405-6.
^ "U.S. Reports: Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. 1896. p. 559 – via Library of Congress.
^ "U.S. Reports: Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. 1978 – via Library of Congress.
^ "U.S. Reports: Gratz et al. v. Bollinger et al., 539 U.S. 234" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. 2003 – via Library of Congress.
^ Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/06pdf/05-908.pdf

[1] Jackson, Matthew C.; Wilde, Vera Katelyn; Goff, Phillip Atiba (2016), "Seeing color blindness: Color-blind racial ideology research methods in social psychology.", The myth of racial color blindness: Manifestations, dynamics, and impact., Washington: American Psychological Association, pp. 125–140, doi:10.1037/14754-008, ISBN 978-1-4338-2073-1, retrieved April 24, 2023

[2] Mio, Jeffery Scott; Barker, Lori A.; Domenech Rodriguez, Melanie M.; Gonzalez, John (2020). Multicultural Psychology (5th ed.). New York, New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 213–214. ISBN 978-0190854959.

[3] Holmes, David G. (2007) Affirmative Reaction: Kennedy, Nixon, King, and the Evolution of Color-Blind Rhetoric, Rhetoric Review, 26:1, 25–41, DOI:

[Ansell_2008-4] Ansell, Amy E. (2008). "Color Blindness". In Schaefer, Richard T. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society. SAGE Publications. pp. 320–322. ISBN 978-1-45-226586-5.

[Sears_2000-5] Sears, David O.; et al. (2000). Racialized politics: the debate about racism in America. University of Chicago Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-22-674405-6.

[Plessy-6] "U.S. Reports: Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. 1896. p. 559 – via Library of Congress.

[Bakke-7] "U.S. Reports: Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. 1978 – via Library of Congress.

[Gratz-8] "U.S. Reports: Gratz et al. v. Bollinger et al., 539 U.S. 234" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. 2003 – via Library of Congress.

[PICS-9] Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/06pdf/05-908.pdf

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