Don’t See Color?

I’ve heard this phrase so much lately, “I don’t see color.” But isn’t that the problem!

You need to see color in order to see what is going on is wrong! Police brutality against those of color is wrong, and to be honest if you don’t see color how can you honestly say you are against it or not? Just by reading the news you see the numbers are astounding when it comes to how many people are killed by the men and women that are there to protect us.

It’s scary really! And you don’t see color?!

To me that statement is like saying you are turning a blind eye to what’s going on. It makes me think you think everything is fine therefore nothing needs to be fixed. To me, it means you are blind to the racial issues the world faces on a regular basis.

You must see color! You must see the differences in our skins in order to truly understand individuality and to understand the experiences of all colors! Open your eyes! Each of us are special! All races are special! All cultures are special! And we all need to be noticed! We all matter! And right now the black lives are not mattering to the police officers that are sent to protect us!

Now don’t get me wrong, I know not all officers are bad! I know if you looked at the percentages it’s probably a small percentage of officers that are bad, but when you turn a blind eye to the issue, when you say “I don’t see color” then you are saying you don’t care because it doesn’t affect you personally!

But what if it did!? What if the tables were turned and it was the black cops killing the white men and women? What if it was your son or daughter that was getting killed in their own beds because of a “no-knock warrant” or you son dying on the street because a cop didn’t listen when he said he couldn’t breathe. What if it was your son gunned down in the street because he looked threatening. Or what if it was your grandchild that lost his or her life before even given a chance because your pregnant daughter got slammed onto her pregnant stomach by a police officer who was arresting her? What would you see then? Would you see color then?

Every day I have no choice but to see color, because I married a beautiful African man who is darker than me. And he has given me a beautiful blended son! I knew when the doctor told me I was having a boy that one day I’d have to have the “Trevon Martin” talk to him. Meaning I’d have to tell him what he can do and what he can’t do as a black boy! I also knew that if I had a daughter, I’d have to tell her some things too, but not as much. Because she wouldn’t be seen as a threat because of her size or stature.

Every day I have no choice but to see color because when I go anywhere with my husband or kids, I get stares. I get whispers, I get attitude. And I knew what I was getting myself into when I met my beautiful African man, and I didn’t think twice about falling in love with him. And no one should! No one should have to determine who they will marry by the color of their skin.

So, I ask everyone who says you don’t see color, to start seeing color. Please start seeing what is going on around you, start seeing the wrong that is going on around the country, start seeing every race and culture for what they are, beautiful. And I ask for the sake of my boys and all the little black and brown boys in the world today, see color, see that hate and racism is all around us. And please start speaking up when you see something. We need to put a stop to it. We need to see that everyone is unique and the United States wouldn’t be the country we all love if we keep going the way we are going. We need to fix what is currently broken, and that starts with changing our view of our neighbors. All our neighbors.