I see it as an admission.. They think they are saying “it would… | by Catherine Pugh, Esq. | Medium

You might resort to something like a colorblindness retort (“I don’t see color!” or “Isn’t it racist to focus so much on race?”). But see, that right there invalidates the suffering of people of color by saying ‘we’re all the same’ or ‘I don’t see color’. It says, “your pain is not so special or different than my own to warrant my attention.” So colorblindness is merely a mechanism to prevent compassion toward people of color.
Why White People Contribute to Cruelty Instead of Compassion
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Justin D. Henderson, PhD
Catherine Pugh, Esq.
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1 min read·
Jun 26, 2020
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I see it as an admission.
They think they are saying “it would diminish you were I to say ‘here is a great black person’ so I’ll remove the ‘black’ part, and you’ll just be a great person!”
What they are actually admitting is that diminishment isn’t the problem. Race is.
One could just as easily solve the diminishment problem without race-neutering me: “you’re a great person who is black.” But he doesn’t.
Why? Because that still leaves him with the black problem: I see your color and that causes me to erase your color so that I don’t judge you for your color. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
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Written by Catherine Pugh, Esq.3.5K Followers
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Private Counsel. Former DOJ-CRT, Special Litigation Section, Public Defender; Adjunct Professor (law & undergrad). Developed Race & Law course.
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