Page 273 - Microaggressions in Everyday Live Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

Racial Dialogues in the Classroom 247

Color Blindness
As we have indicated earlier, the issue of color blindness is a double - edged
sword (Purdie - Vaughns, Davis, Steele, & Ditlmann, 2008; Thomas & Plant,
2008). In an attempt to appear unbiased, many Whites have adopted the
stance that the color of one ’ s skin is unimportant in American society. To see
and acknowledge race or color is to potentially appear prejudiced and
bigoted. Yet, many people of color find such a philosophy not only disingenu-

ous, but an indicator of bias on the part of the person making such a claim.
In classroom situations, White students may fi nd topics on race diffi cult and
uncomfortable because it may run counter to their beliefs that “ we are all

God ’ s children, ” “ we are all the same under the skin, ” and “ we are all human
beings or Americans. ” Professing color blindness has several perceived
advantages for White students. First, it allows them not to acknowledge race
and racial differences in classroom dialogues. Second, they can maintain the
illusion that they are unbiased and do not discriminate against others. Third,
if race is unimportant, then everyone has equal access and opportunity.

No Right to Dialogue on Race
Many students felt they had not experienced racism as students of color did,
and thus had no right or credibility to talk about race matters. When asked
about their reluctance to engage in racial conversations, many indicated that
speaking to racism requires having been a victim. Others indicated they had
limited contact with people of color, their knowledge was limited, and they
felt uncomfortable speaking on such a topic. They indicated they did not
possess a “ valid voice ” on the topic and were reluctant to participate: “ . . . if you
haven ’ t experienced racism, you know, as a victim, then you don ’ t necessarily have
a right to talk about race. ” Again, this rationale seemed to be protective rather

than real. It allows students to avoid exploring their own thoughts and reac-
tions related to race issues, and to deceive themselves into believing that they
play no role in the creation and maintenance of racism.

These four barriers to difficult dialogues on race were often accompanied
by intense and extreme debilitating emotions that interfered with students ’
ability to attend, participate, and be open about their thoughts and feelings.
An overwhelming number reported feeling anxious and intimidated about
classroom conversations on race. They described fear and dread when racial

topics were raised: “ I tried hard to say something thoughtful and it ’ s hard for me

to say, and my heart was pounding when I said it. ” Another reaction was that
of helplessness. This feeling very much related to an inability to understand

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