Are You Colorblind?

Posted Jul 20 2011 by Chris Lahr with 20 Comments

    When it comes to talking about race, I hear a lot of white folks proudly mention that they are colorblind. Not in the since that they are vision impaired but that they do not notice the color of one’s skin, or at least that it does not matter. I’ve even heard some Christians quote some good ol’ Galatians…

    For we are all Children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. (3:26-28)

    What would it look like if we were to take this passage literally? I guess we could do away with all gender specific bathrooms. That’s right, there is no male or female, we are all the same, so let’s share bathrooms! There are probably some fellas in the house saying amen to that, but there is not a female in her right mind who would want to share a bathroom with guys who tend to either leave the seat up, or if they do put it down, they pee all over it. It seems to me that for the most part people are not gender blind. People are fine with seeing the difference between males and females and respecting the differences.

    For some, when they talk about being colorblind they are referring to the dream of Martin Luther King of a nation where people are not judged on the color of their skin but by the content of their character. It would be nice if this were the case of us white folks, but the reality in our society is that being colorblind simply means that we have no problem with people of color as long as they act like us.

    Recently I visited an overwhelmingly white campus and struck up a conversation with one of the few African American students about her time at the university. She told me that overall it was a good experience as long as she assimilated into the white culture! In other words as long as she ‘acted white,” tolerated white music (Lord help her), and didn’t talk about issues of race she was fine.

    I find it interesting in the Church that it is mostly white folks that talk about the need for a multicultural (or multiethnic) church. I do not know a lot of African American preachers trying to recruit white folks to their congregations so that they can reflect the multiethnic worship experience we find in Revelations 7. Why is that? After some reflection I think it comes back to the colorblind problem.

    Multiethnic churches started by white people are often very white in their power structure (white folks calling the shots), in the way they worship, etc. Being a diverse church or university does not mean that you simply add people of color into the mix, but that you carve out a space for them, in all of their gifts and inadequacies so that they can truly be a part of the larger community.

    Too often white folks are in a rush to “use their gifts” which often translates into being in charge. If you truly desire being a part of a multicultural church attend a predominantly African American or Hispanic congregation and just show up. Do not worry about using your gifts, but rather show up and just be. Learn the songs, get to know the people, and most importantly… eat the food. As you build relationships and earn the right to be heard allow them to invite you to use your gifts. This will take longer but taking the role of a learner and taking the time to really grow roots will set the stage for real reconciliation.

    Unity does not mean uniformity. The goal of reconciliation is not colorblindness, and sameness. Rather the goal of reconciliation is gaining an appreciation of that which is different and allowing those differences to speak life to us. We are all created in the image of God and we all have gifts and we all have inadequacies in and of ourselves. We are made for community but not just the homogeneous gathering of people we find every Sunday at 11am. We are made to be with and learn from people of every race and background.

    —-
    Chris Lahr is a Recruiter and the Academic Director for Mission Year. He is also a part of the Simple Way in Philadelphia. He is a writer and a speaker. For information about having Chris speak, email Jen Casselberry.

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      Chris Lahr

      Chris LahrChris Lahr is a Recruiter and the Academic Director for Mission Year. He is also a part of the Simple Way in Philadelphia. He is a writer and a speaker. For information about having Chris speak, email Jen Casselberry.View all posts by Chris Lahr →

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      • http://ihopetomorrowisbetter.blogspot.com/ Molly Bandit

        Loved this

      • Anonymous

        AMEN! 

      • Roland Van Deusen

        Far more important is the current miserable condition now of US race relations. This Great Recession hurt all of us, but it almost destroyed our black middle class, which so many fought for in the Civil Rights era. I worked back then for James Farmer, leader of the Freedom Rides. He & Dr. King would be sickened today by the minorities who constitute a huge part of our prison system. Even Obama’s race works against him. He rolls over for the ever Right leaning GOP, so as not to scare the voters away in ’12 by coming across as the “angry black man”, which would be justified by the way they demonize him to meet their goals. The closest he’s come is to say, “They talk about me like a dog.” 

        • Doug

          Roland, I believe your view of the current president is mistaken…he doesn’t roll over the GOP….they have bent over for him. He is the “angry black man” to use your words. Never seen a man his age get so upset when he doesn’t get his own way.  Maybe if his and the dem controlled congress hadn’t crushed this economy, there would still be a black middle class.  Ahh, but that’s just it – dems don’t want a black middle class, as they need the lower class blacks to support him so that he can get re-elected.

      • Roland Van Deusen

        Far more important is the current miserable condition now of US race relations. This Great Recession hurt all of us, but it almost destroyed our black middle class, which so many fought for in the Civil Rights era. I worked back then for James Farmer, leader of the Freedom Rides. He & Dr. King would be sickened today by the minorities who constitute a huge part of our prison system. Even Obama’s race works against him. He rolls over for the ever Right leaning GOP, so as not to scare the voters away in ’12 by coming across as the “angry black man”, which would be justified by the way they demonize him to meet their goals. The closest he’s come is to say, “They talk about me like a dog.” 

      • Mark

        Dicey article.  No-one needs to earn the right to be heard;  everyone needs to be willing to listen.

        If the lord helps blacks who listen to white music, lord help whites who listen to black music too.  And while we’re at it, lord help anyone who eats the food of a different culture.  You speak of a mutual respect for one another’s cultures, but can’t get through 10 paragraphs without making a self-righteous stab about how poor another culture’s traditions are (in this case, white music).  And it doesn’t matter if you, the writer, are white or black.

        Unfortunately, this article gets it wrong.

        Reconciliation is not about an appreciation of differences.  Reconciliation is about finding deep-seated truths that resonate among all mankind, then living those truths TOGETHER with (faultless?) commitment.  Only within such a framework will the true value of diversity be found.

        • http://www.facebook.com/wmonn Whitney Monn

          While I think recognizing our similarities is one component of reconciliation, I think this stopping there is incomplete.
          Instead it seems reconciliation comes also through
          understanding each other’s differences, appreciating those differences,
          creating a safe place for all people to live in unity and ensuring that these do not become points of division.  The MA in Urban Studies program
          at Eastern provides a great atmosphere
          for frank conversations about reconciliation to take place with a group
          of people that is truly diverse and completely respectful of one
          another; this is one example of a safe place. 

          The danger in only focusing upon the similarities we share is that
          there is less freedom to be completely open with others.  With similarities as the only focus, we are continuing to define people within the lens of our
          own experience, which can been defined as being ethnocentric. 
          Reconciling has to do with healing between a division, so by necessity
          to bring healing, we have to recognize our differences.    

      • Pingback: The World Wide (Religious) Web for Wednesday, July 20, 2011 « GeorgePWood.com

      • Doug

        Chris, your words, “It would be nice if this were the case of us white folks, but the reality in our society is that being colorblind simply means that we have no problem with people of color as long as they act like us” reflect your bias…like many who claim to be “anti-racist” and to “empathize with minorities” you hold, either blatantly or subtly, that whites are the bad guys, the “wrong” ones, the root problem/cause for racial problems.  It’s a sad view, as it’s uninformed and shows your personal agenda.  But I’m sure it eases your conscience to make your self think your are more “race sensitive” than other whites…fine, but keep your self-righteousness to yourself. Thank you. 

      • Jim Fisher

        My nephew (my sister’s kid) considers himself black. My sister considers herself white. His kids, my grand-niece and grand-nephews are a lovely mixture of various skin colors. If you ask them if they are black or white, they’ll probably look at you funny and say “both”. For to force them to choose from a false skin-color dichotomy causes them to have to choose between their mother and their father. How many more generations is it going to take before the whole idea of “race” seems archaic and meaningless? My sister and I are 10th generation Americans. My nephew’s kids are 12th generation Americans. Isn’t that good enough to call ourselves ethnically American? And if Dr. Leaky, et. al. are right concerning the origins of our species, we are all African at our roots anyway. My ancient ancestor was black and so was everyone else’s. I am fine with that. I am not color-blind. I notice the color of your skin and find beauty in it. I notice of color of your eyes and find beauty in it. I just can’t imagine using the color of your skin to make assumptions about you anymore than I would assume anything about you based on your hair color. Why can’t it be that simple?

        • Lara

          because it isn’t…that is the reality of the society we live in. racism is a societal issue that if you are no actively fighting against, then you are passively allowing.

      • Anonymous

        a penis and a vagina are more solid evidence of difference than some vague human construct like race which usually only really works as a perceived reality on an extremely localized level (like a college campus).  just interested, how DO white people act?  the purest answer to that question comes in a room of one.  

      • Lara

        I was just talking to my canadian friends recently who talked about how people’s
        view of America is as a melting pot, but canada prides themself in diversity and
        valuing the differences of one another. this discussion is so interesting to me,
        i even had my friend read this post and he shared a story that i think
        highlights a lot of what is being said. he met a man who was an indigenous
        indian working for a white organization, a white boss. i believe he was a
        custodian. my friend was talking to the boss and the indian and the boss was
        making comments about how he doesn’t see him as an indian. he is just “one of
        them.” later my friend asked the custodian if people said that a lot. he said it
        was very common and he asked him how he responded. he said he would always say
        thank you. my friend then asked how he wanted to respond and he said, :“well
        actually i would love to tell them that i am an indian!!” the point being is
        that people of different ethnicities, skin colors and cultures actually are
        usually proud of who they are so why would we ignore it or say they are just one
        of us!! i have been going to an all puerto rican church for 11 years and i am
        white and speak hardly any spanish. but guess what, the folks in my church are
        my closest friends, my family, my neighbors. we vacation together, celebrate
        together, share life together, and support each other. i appreciate their
        differences and they appreciate mine. i have never felt like i have been asked
        to change. i am trying to learn spanish for obvious reasons, but that does not
        change who i am. why did i choose a church where there were no other people
        “like me”….well, becasue in the kingdom of God, there is such richness in
        diversity. i personally find it boring to be in a church when everyone looks the
        same. one of my daughters even made a comment to me when we were visiting my
        in-laws church…“why is everyone here white?”“ i was surprised becasue i had
        never even heard her make a comment about the color of someone elses skin. but
        just like a fish doesn’t know they are in water until they are pulled out of the
        water my daughter didn’t even know whe was immersed in diversity until she was
        pulled out. my girls do appreciate the differences of their black friends,
        hispanic friends and asian friends. for them, they mostly talk about the
        difference in hair…but that is just the stage they are at. they love hearing
        other languages, they love our style of worship in our church, they love that
        they get invited to parties like chinese new years and quinceaneras, and they
        love puerto rican food, chinese food, soul food, indian food, vietnamese food,
        or just about anything they have tried. to me, that is the beginning of making a
        stand against racism. raise your kids to appreciate all people!

      • https://compassiondave.wordpress.com Dwells

        Biblically speaking, the ‘flesh’ cannot be restored — so lets stop praying for that.  Instead, let’s do what the Bible says and ‘crucify’ the flesh daily.  In this way, all the issues you speak of will be resolved.  In contrast, it is when we do not die to self their is conflict ad nauseam. 

      • Jay

        I like your comment, “Do not worry about using your gifts, but rather show up and just be.
        Learn the songs, get to know the people, and most importantly… eat the
        food. As you build relationships and earn the right to be heard allow
        them to invite you to use your gifts. This will take longer but taking
        the role of a learner and taking the time to really grow roots will
        set the stage for real reconciliation.” 

        But I think this approach really has little to do with race at all and is generally the way we should be in any new Church situation.  Of course, there are limitations and I don’t completely agree that we shouldn’t care about using our gifts simply because the Bible says whatever gift people have they should be able to use. 

        I am also not sure what racial reconciliation means in this day and age as a person who grew up under the same plights as many minorities.  Most of my friends are something other than white.  We never even talk about what I did wrong to them as a white person, or vice versa.  I think because we see each other as individuals, not groups.  I don’t think I’m colorblind and I am honestly suspect of people who talk like that because it’s impossible to be perfectly colorblind in this world.  I stereotype, I overgeneralize, and I’m guilty of saying about anything I could be accused of saying about anyone else’s race… then again I’m the same way with my own.  I think to be truly colorblind you first have to admit that you’re not and that you never will be completely.  You have to be honest with yourself in your own self-assessment.

      • http://www.facebook.com/wmonn Whitney Monn

        Great blog on a hard to talk about problem. In looking at multi-ethnic
        churches, you reminded me of Spencer Perkins and Chris Rice’s book, More
        than equals: Racial Healing for the Sake of the Gospel. Church
        leadership should reflect the congregation! Also, churches can have the
        problem of suburban churches starting church plants in inner city
        neighborhoods without raising up local leadership. Thanks for starting
        the conversation! I know students in our MA in Urban Studies program at Eastern University appreciate having
        conversations such as these in our classes to really understand the core
        of issues such as racism and how to bring about racial reconciliation.

      • http://lessmemoreyou.blogspot.com Kris

        I stumbled upon this site very recently…and then made my way here after seeing a story today by you about racism. I’m a white mom to three Haitian-born brown babes (big kids, actually). I also love on unlikely neighbors through a Haitian bible study and an ESL class I head after having all doors open to it. No joke, we have up to 70 students and 8 volunteer teachers every Saturday and I’m a nobody and not a teacher by trade. I came to this by suffering a very difficult personal crisis that made me question God but after a very real rescue, I searched red letters to know the real Jesus. I also read Shane Claiborne, Kent Annan and a few other regulars here. Anyway, that was a long-winded thanks for this. I’ll read your other posts now. And, I go to a large church that wants to be multi-ethnic but I see that means my friends need to conform to “our” way to fit in. So I go to Haitian and Indonesian churches (while understanding very little) but to love my friends by accepting “their” way as best I can. Finally, I eat amazing food from around the world thanks to my friends. God be glorified. I’m just a sinner saved by grace to love God and all my neighbors.

        • http://www.missionyear.org/blog/chrislahr/ chris lahr

          Glad the red letter site has been meaningful for you.  god is with us through the crisis.  Take care.  

      • http://www.doorblindsworld.com/door-blinds/why-blind-quotes-arent-a-good-idea/ blind quotes

        This is
        the great blog, I’m reading them for a while, thanks for the new posts!

      • Chris Lahr

        Check out the new article about the mission trip my guys from philly did in Huntington… part of the “what white people can do about racism” series.
        http://www.redletterchristians.org/the-reverse-mission-what-white-people-can-do-about-racism/

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