Former President Trump has made some bizarre claims about Vice President Kamala Harris. Recently identified as blackI thought it might be interesting to discuss the concept of white blindness.
You have to ask yourself: Do white people not see racism? Think about it. A white colleague and I once had a mock race between Boston (where he lived) and New York. I said, “I’m never going to say New York is perfect, but at least it’s less racist than Boston.” He countered, “I don’t agree with you. I’ve never seen racism in Boston.” I was shocked. “You do realize that white people can’t “see” racism?”
If you’re the type of person who lashes out against wokeness, this may not be an issue for you, but even if you’re a white ally of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other people of color), you might consider reading further; you may have blind spots.
My goal is to strengthen relationships between white people and people of color and to empower white people to better address racism in society. Especially in these divisive times, we need more people to engage in these difficult and sometimes challenging conversations.
So is racism invisible to white people? The short answer is yes, because racism is not directed at white people. Racist acts are essentially “invisible” for this reason, but there are exceptions. One exception is overt acts like public meetings of groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. Another is when white people are in close proximity to people of color and something racist happens that cannot be attributed to something else.
The racism and discrimination that people of color experience and go through on a daily basis goes largely unnoticed by white people.
I have come to use the term “white blindness” to describe this phenomenon. It is an aspect of “white privilege,” a concept that many of my white friends have difficulty accepting. The main misconception is that white privilege is about personal attitudes. In fact, white privilege has nothing to do with any particular individual, but rather is the result of society’s actions and assumptions. For example, white anti-racism supporters who march on the front lines of Black Lives Matter have the same white privilege as the white supremacists who took part in the infamous rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Another aspect of white blindness is our reluctance to label someone as racist for the words they use. For example, Trump He is known for calling COVID-19 “Kung Fu Flu.” and, Mexican immigrants are “rapists” sent from MexicoAnd yet, many white people around me shook their heads and condoned Trump’s obviously racist comments, calling him instead crazy, outlandish, and shocking.
When asked why he didn’t use the word “racist,” which more clearly indicates inappropriate language, his response was that he didn’t know who he was. Really Think about it. It was as if we needed more evidence of his vile intent rather than judging him for the words he insisted on using over and over again.
Why do so many people ignore their own white blindness? Because there is no disadvantage to white ignorance. On the other hand, it takes effort to step outside of yourself, to be critical enough to recognize your own lack of knowledge, and to embrace the discomfort of learning.
I am reminded of some moving stories in which the white blindness of many white people has been shattered during the pandemic, such as one white woman who told a newspaper interviewer that she had never asked a close black friend of 20 years if she had ever experienced racism.
If you want to build authentic relationships with people of color, you have to be open to the issues you deal with, consciously or unconsciously, every day. When your friends of color see that you are empathetic and curious, even in the smallest of ways, they are more likely to open up and share their real-life experiences. This is the education you need to be a true ally.
Such conversations can increase our understanding of the lives of people of color in our society, increase our impact on others in our diverse society, and allow us to have these difficult conversations. Unfortunately, few seem willing to wade into this minefield, and it’s not always your friends of color who are the ones to broach the topic. Consider taking the first step.
Chris Min is an MD/PhD physician-scientist, board-certified in Neurology, and serves as the Chief Medical Officer and Interim CEO of a small, publicly traded biotechnology company.
