Colorblind: Racial Ignorance in America | Teen Ink

Colorblind: Racial Ignorance in America

November 21, 2009
By silence21 GOLD, Terre Haute, Indiana
silence21 GOLD, Terre Haute, Indiana
11 articles 0 photos 58 comments

Favorite Quote:
I hope to change someones life one word at a time. Hopefully, it's a positive change and it's for the better, but any change at all is a step to an amazing new future.


Though she knew she was breaking the law, Rosa Parks, a simple, elderly, hard working,
housemaid, one day decided she would not give up her seat on the bus for a white man. And with that small act of defiance, she became, unintentionally, a Civil Rights icon.
Parks never intended to be a popular and respected leader of this movement. She only wanted to be comfortable after a day of being on her feet. Parks was arrested, and with the media outrage that followed, America’s eyes began to open.
Sadly, that is a lie. America’s eyes have yet to open. They have steadfastly remained in darkness.

Being the youngest child of an interracial marriage, I am often asked if this relationship has affected me in any way. To be honest, I am rather offended by people who question me about this.




I am simply a teenage girl who chooses to ignore her parents' heritage, racial stigmatism, or any of the myopic, stereotypical prejudices one wishes to impose. That's their problem, not mine.
To be frank, you could not pay me enough to care what slave ship brought my fathers family from Ethiopia. Nor can I feel a pang of sorrow when relatives tell me of my ancestors' hardships when they immigrated to America. I know it sounds harsh. And yes, in a way, it bothers me. But, it is the truth.

I did realize that my father was the same color crayon in my crayon box, brown. But it hadn't occurred to me that he was African- American until the age of seven when a classmate asked, “Why doesn’t your daddy look like your mommy?” My initial reaction was to shake my head and argue that my father looked just like anyone else's father.
How could it could be possible that he was different. He coached my biddy ball team, sat through my two hour Christmas concerts, cooked when mom was away. At that age, some children have yet to learn the difference between doing and being.
That night, at dinner, I saw my parents differently. With my recent discovery, I slowly began to understand that I was biracial, and supposedly different, just like my dad.

As I grew older and went through Catholic school, teachers asked if I celebrated Kwanza. Some classmates called me cookie dough, and parents asked me about Black History Month.
No, I do not celebrate Kwanza, nor does my dad. In my opinion, Kwanza is a recently created black Christmas to build more of a barricade, to separate, not for reasons of heritage, or being different in a positive way.

I did, at one time, let people nickname me because of my skin color. My own mother even took the
liberty of calling me peanut butter. But now, since I have been questioning and thinking, being called peanut butter, Reese cup, and mocha bear, offends me. Or when people say that I am mixed, I feel like yelling. I am not a beverage, so how can I be mixed?

I believe Black History Month, along with other months dedicated to a specific group, should be prohibited. There is no need to focus on a particular group for an entire month. Instead, parents, teachers, and media should discuss historical interests throughout the year.
Historian, Carter G. Woodson’s original Black Awareness Week ,was intended to help others envision a better future through an identity of their past. But now, his vision has become a pop culture phenomenon, which corporate America has been quick to exploit. During the last Super Bowl, for example, several corporate commercials specifically mentioned Black History Month, and how much they honored it.
Another injustice of our nation is affirmative action. On September 24, 1965, the executive order number 11246 required federal contractors, “Take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, or
national origin.” With affirmative action, employers are being asked to hire less qualified workers and in some instances for more money. Title II of the Act prohibited discrimination in privately owned businesses and facilities opened to the public. In Title VI of the Act, it prohibited discrimination in federally funded programs. Title VII prohibited discrimination by both private and public employers. During the Civil Rights Era, affirmative action was created to abolish racial imbalances in hiring policies. Affirmative action was later extended to include college admissions and governmental contracts.

Today, affirmative action is a controversial matter facing our equal rights status of individual rights. As I have just recently explained, the idea and hope that affirmative action implemented was that America would truly become equal. So far, this hope and dream of equality has lasted thirty years and has yet to resolve any of our current problems concerning equal rights-it has made things worse. This act was created with intention of using reverse discrimination to resolve discrimination. With this, minority groups are being chosen over qualifications of other workers.

Affirmative action is also influential in the educational system. In some college admissions, minority students who may have never been accepted into a decent college, are now getting accepted. With this, the American people believe that this will end all racism on school campuses, creating diversity among students. The United States constitution states that all Americans are created equal. Therefore, I believe if we are created equal, shouldn’t we all have the same opportunity as everyone else?

Finally, Black Entertainment Television, commonly known as BET, creates a stereotypical outlook on the African American culture. Founded by Robert L. Johnson in 1980, the network showed movies, television series, and music to target an African American audience. BET justifies racism by pressing personal and broad generalizations about African Americans, affecting how many young viewers see the African American culture. Many generalizations include being womanizers, promiscuous, nuisances to society, and opposing integration.

This network contributes to the stereotypical diet of African Americans: fried chicken, cherry Kool-Aid, and soul food. BET also neglects the fact that most African Americans do not find people of Caucasian heritage as the bad guys or the nerds. Also, BET would like to portray the ‘injustices’ of being an American citizen who happens to be of African descent. For example, if one were to create a new television franchise called White Entertainment Television, or more commonly known as WET, people would assume it would be promoting white supremacy. BET exploits and manipulates the depiction of an African American’s daily life, which is why the network should be renamed or taken out of your basic cable lineup.

Why do Americans feel that they have conquered racism and prejudice? Granted, from that spark that Rosa Parks lit, to the election of Barrack Obama, is one giant leap for mankind. However, we are not even in spitting distance of erasing racial bigotry.

I notice it among my peers when they say, “I would never date a black guy.” Or, “They only like your dad because he’s the only black man they know.” Even, “I’m going through a black guy phase. I have to date one.”

When people mention things like these, intuition tells me it starts in the home. Where else would one learn behavior and comments of that nature? Social prejudice is not innate. It has to be predisposed. If one truly wishes to stop the idea of seeing race, it must start within themselves.


The author's comments:
Growing up I've realized the world is colder than it used to be. People still hate people for their race and religion, so how can we say we've come so far?

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This article has 142 comments.


silence21 GOLD said...
on Dec. 4 2009 at 8:42 pm
silence21 GOLD, Terre Haute, Indiana
11 articles 0 photos 58 comments

Favorite Quote:
I hope to change someones life one word at a time. Hopefully, it's a positive change and it's for the better, but any change at all is a step to an amazing new future.

Well, thank you. I'll try to clean up the errors when I get the chance. Thanks again.

silence21 GOLD said...
on Dec. 4 2009 at 8:40 pm
silence21 GOLD, Terre Haute, Indiana
11 articles 0 photos 58 comments

Favorite Quote:
I hope to change someones life one word at a time. Hopefully, it's a positive change and it's for the better, but any change at all is a step to an amazing new future.

Well, its been bothering me for quite sometime now and I thought I could share how I feel with others

silence21 GOLD said...
on Dec. 4 2009 at 8:39 pm
silence21 GOLD, Terre Haute, Indiana
11 articles 0 photos 58 comments

Favorite Quote:
I hope to change someones life one word at a time. Hopefully, it's a positive change and it's for the better, but any change at all is a step to an amazing new future.

Ebony And Ivory Live Together In Perfect Harmony

Side By Side On My Piano Keyboard, Oh Lord, Why Don't We?

We All Know That People Are The Same Where Ever We Go

There Is Good And Bad In Ev'ryone,

We Learn To Live, We Learn To Give

Each Other What We Need To Survive Together Alive.

Ebony And Ivory Live Together In Perfect Harmony

Side By Side On My Piano Keyboard, Oh Lord Why Don't We?

Ebony, Ivory Living In Perfect Harmony

Ebony, Ivory, Ooh

We All Know That People Are The Same Where Ever We Go

There Is Good And Bad In Ev'ryone,

We Learn To Live, We Learn To Give

Each Other What We Need To Survive Together Alive.

Ebony And Ivory Live Together In Perfect Harmony

Side By Side On My Piano Keyboard, Oh Lord Why Don't We?

Ebony, Ivory Living In Perfect Harmony (Repeat And Fade)

-Paul McCartney

silence21 GOLD said...
on Dec. 4 2009 at 8:36 pm
silence21 GOLD, Terre Haute, Indiana
11 articles 0 photos 58 comments

Favorite Quote:
I hope to change someones life one word at a time. Hopefully, it's a positive change and it's for the better, but any change at all is a step to an amazing new future.

I do plan on teaching my kids our heritage, but I'd like them to know that they are the same as everyone else and should be treated equally.

on Dec. 3 2009 at 8:51 pm
When you're older do you are you going to teach your childrren about their heritage? Or are you going to pretend that its not something important? I think you should beccause it'd only be fair to them

WOWplayer said...
on Dec. 3 2009 at 6:08 am
i see where ppl would thnk that youre being racist in this, it sounds like youre hating on african americans but youre not youre just making a statement

Sk8rbabe said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 10:01 pm
And I told about equality

An it's true

Either you're wrong

Or you're right

But, if

You're thinkin'

About my baby

It don't matter if you're

Black or white

-from the late Michael Jackson

on Dec. 2 2009 at 9:42 pm
I like your word choice, it's nice enough to understand but I don't feel like someone dumbed it down for us. You really spoke from the heart.

silence21 GOLD said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 9:31 pm
silence21 GOLD, Terre Haute, Indiana
11 articles 0 photos 58 comments

Favorite Quote:
I hope to change someones life one word at a time. Hopefully, it's a positive change and it's for the better, but any change at all is a step to an amazing new future.

I'm sorry, but get to college on your grades and hard work, not your race.

Will said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 9:29 pm
I think we should have affirmative action, it gives me the chance to go to college and make something of myself.

Mary said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 9:20 pm
My daughter told me to read this. Wow. Really, wow.

I have a hard time believing that a 15-year-old wrote that brilliant piece... sure, there are a few minor technical goofs and glitches there, but overall, it's a well-thought-out personal essay that dares to tell the truth about what most whites and blacks don't want to admit...



you're a bright, gutsy, race-neutral human

jamesk said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 9:12 pm
minority groups should not be picked over more qualified students in colleges its not fair youre usin reverse racism to block peeple

J_Dawg said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 8:56 pm
Have you ever read/listened to MLK speeches? Were inspired by those? Does your dad have ppl in his who marched, took a stand. Thats what I think you're doing now, taking a stand. You're taking Kings motivation and trying to change things

silence21 GOLD said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 8:48 pm
silence21 GOLD, Terre Haute, Indiana
11 articles 0 photos 58 comments

Favorite Quote:
I hope to change someones life one word at a time. Hopefully, it's a positive change and it's for the better, but any change at all is a step to an amazing new future.

I do have black friends and I do have white friends and have Asian friends, and I love them all. Each one of them make our world what it is.I don't look at them go 'I have four Asian friends, 14 white friends and 8 black friends', because to me I can't see it. They are people. And I know I will have people one day come up to me a go 'You say everyone is all the same deep inside, but how can you say that we're all unique?'. Race does not make you unique. I'm sorry it doesn't. What you are, your personality, strengths and weaknesses make unique. Maybe it's the way you smile that makes you stand out.

And, by all means, I'm saying that everone is the same, because we're not. I'm just saying we don't look at people and how they are on the inside, we look at them and see the ourside and judge.

FergieFerg said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 8:23 pm
Do you have more black friends or white friends or is it like a mix? Because I really just like staying with people in my own race not to be mean or anything.

littlebear said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 8:18 pm
People are seriously messed up in the head! A black guy phase? So what are they saying?You can't really love a black guy, he's just an experiment? Just a little joke to laugh about with your friends? Come of it whoever said that!

Manders! said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 8:14 pm
Have you ever thought about a biracial support group? I mean, I know you choose not see race, but maybe it would help others who go through what you do.

Lyssa said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 8:07 pm
The feeling towards others of different races does start in the home. I get what you're saying.

BlackSheep said...
on Dec. 1 2009 at 10:14 pm
Tell me, being a child of a mixed marriage, is it hard? I know you just said its all the same, but did your parents grow up differently since they are two different races?

I think it'd have an effect. I mean does your father have a lax outlook on things or is it really strict? Or is your mom little susy homemaker or is she a working woman? I mean wen you look at the role of men and woman plus their race throughout history, they give you this image. Does this make you half and half? A halfrican American?

How do you feel about immigrants? Should they have the same rights? I think thye should because its crucial to accpet people of nationality. Were we not all immigrants at once? Did our ancestors not come over here to seek freedom and justice and wealth? Do not diss the immigrants, they are just like us. Learn a foreign language. At once, out ancestors did speak the same language and peole had to adapt!

So, yes, I agree with this, your work. We are still racist and maybe jus mabye this article can fix that. I hope it does because we as humans are mean hateful people.

on Dec. 1 2009 at 9:55 pm
Bri just sent this to me and being in a minority group makes me really, like happy people feel so....passionate? about this petty stuff that keeps coming back. I mean I see it school. not like we serperate ourselves but we stay true to our race. maybe its bad or maybe its good IDK.