During an interview on his thoughts regarding the use of the N-word in the movie Django Unchained, Marlon Wayans shared that his children don’t see color. Marlon noted that his children have friends that are Asian, white, black, and Latino. “It’s a beautiful thing to see, so they don’t see race anymore,” he stated.
The notion of raising children color blind is not farfetched. Most of us can say that we have met an adult who, according to them, was “color blind.” While some believe strongly in a society in which color has no merit, others might argue that to say you are color blind is to dismiss the importance of acknowledging a person’s background.
Oftentimes our “color” and our culture play a significant role in the person we are or with regards to how we identify ourselves. One of the greatest things about our country is that it is made up of men and women from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds. For those of us who identify with our race or ethnicity we have often learned that sometimes our differences are what divide us instead of what brings us closer to one another. Even so, acknowledging them (our differences) is also a chance for us to celebrate being who we are and to teach our children that their beautiful brown skin (or whatever color skin they have) is beautiful because, while it should not define them, it is very much a part of who they are.
Regardless of what anyone says when they look at them, whether they want to or not, they do see color. We all see color. Perhaps the goal shouldn’t be to be color blind, but to come from a place in which color is viewed as simply being a portion of the various parts that come together to make one whole person. For more on Marlon’s thoughts as well as his take on the use of the N-word visit Black Celebrity Kids.
BMWK – What are your thoughts on this? Do you believe that we should raise our children to be color blind? Are you color blind?
We teach our children that most of the people in America will see color when they look at them. Media sends messages about people of color as well whether we like it or not. Studies indicate that by the age of 3 most children of color recognize that there is a distinct difference in how people of color are perceived.
So for these reasons we tell our children that diversity is preferred but it is not yet always practiced. In this way we feel that they are better prepared to deal with any random, racial issues.
http://www.parentingthroughschoolyears.com
I agree that color is a part of a person’s make up and that its an important factor to be considered… I raise my children to be accepting of all people… and not to accept racisim as the norm…
OK
Here are my thoughts…
I understand what people mean when they say “I don’t see color”– they mean that they are trying to look beyond superficial appearances (skin color, hair, ethnic features, clothing style) and see the heart or just accept the person as a human since we are all part of the human family. The only problem with that is when you look past the outward fixings, you’re creating a viewpoint where everybody is exactly the same without regards to culture, ethnicity, skin color, hair type and clothing style and herein lies the problem– all of those external features are part of the fabric that makes the human a unique individual.
God created us ALL and He loves us ALL and most importantly GOD treats us ALL the SAME regardless of culture, language, color or background! But here’s the interesting point– God is NOT COLORBLIND! He CREATED our different shades skin, our many different eye colors and hair textures and vocal chord sounds etc. etc. and to say that you’re color blind is to say in some way that none of that matters and the problem is it does! Now I can see how saying your color blind is the politically correct way of approaching life but it’s kind of like saying a taxi cab is the same thing as a Mercedes! EXACTLY! They are NOT but they’re both cars and they both get you to where you need to go but they look different and can be beautiful in their own way…
Sharla, Denise and Anne thank you all for weighing in on this topic. Sounds like you are instilling some great lessons in your children!
Alfresco LX2 ALX242SZ the features of this great grill are a flip-down control
panel and a protective air curtain which keep components and knobs cool to the touch
even when the hood is closed for awhile. I will begin by saying that I
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