Racism + Culture

I See Black People, And I’m Not Racist

Here’s why the myth of colorblindness perpetuates racism

A BeautiFULL Black family | Alyssa Sieb via nappy

I’m writing this piece from the vantage point of an ordained Christian minister who is also a tenured professor teaching at a liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). My comments regarding racism and colorblindness reflect a specific critique of Christianity in general and the ELCA in particular. My critique, however, is not limited to Christianity and the ELCA.

There’s nothing wrong with seeing Black people

In the 1999 movie “The Sixth Sense,” an 11-year-old boy seeks the help of a child psychologist. The boy communicates with spirits that do not know they’re dead. When the boy reveals to the psychologist that he’s able to communicate with spirits, he tells the psychologist, “I want to tell you my secret now…I see dead people.”

The boy had kept this secret for years because he lives in a world where it is only…