The color of one’s skin can tell a story, like a resume. At least in the eyes of a stranger. Assumptions, fears and prejudices can run rampant through the mind of a person who has never heard you speak a word. Like a tattoo, your past, present, and future are embedded into how you look. Every failure or success is somehow linked to your race instead of your actions. You are found guilty by association, a connection based solely on the color of your skin. This will lead to the notion that you have nothing in common with a person whom does not share your ethnic background. It is time to see past color to understand what makes the person.
What You See Is What You Get
When I open a box of Honey Nut Cheerios, I know what to expect; little small circles of goodness. There will be no stands outs, no overachievers and no members of this population with a purpose other than satisfying my late night desires. But people are not cereal.
We are complex. We are layered. Our values help structure how we live and work. We cannot be defined by the actions of others so why should it be possible to be characterized by pigmentation?
It is impossible for one to determine anything by race. A minority report cannot predict the future established by race. However many will make assumptions based on what they know or how they feel. How many people have made judgements on a group of people based off of the news, movies, or a TV series? There is a danger that can manifest into fear when we generalize people before getting to know them.
Failure, Success and Privilege
Inaction or action can result into failure or success. Race does not forecast these actions. Yet you will find some that will predetermine your accomplishments by this factor. What is even more troubling is the notion or personal belief of a person that their race will limit their ability to achieve their dreams.
“Your actions, not your race, determine your level of success”
Our daily decisions will contribute to our success. We either forget, or are unaware, that one of the most important pieces of the equation for victory starts with ourselves. Now this may not stop someone from having a negative view of you. This opinion, or any opinion, does not define you.
Race + Privilege = ?
When race and privilege are used in the same sentence, it is often used to describe a behavior, economic status or result of an incident. The problem with combining the two is the assumption that one group of people exclusively behave in a certain manner. Maybe one group of people share the same economic status. Perhaps only certain races experience special treatment. We have a tendency to group situations or freedoms by color but find it racist, or at least prejudice, when our own race is characterized by something we disagree with.
What we have in common
Have you ever tried using race as an ice breaker? Let’s dive into this question. There are ten people in the room, with three different ethnic backgrounds. If all ten people went around the room stating their race, it is unlikely that anyone from the group would learn anything new.
“Our race does not define us” Tyra Ruffin
Understanding what we have in common starts with a conversation. But first, we must be willing to start the conversation. There will be those who have decided to live in a world where they will only communicate and deal with people who look like them. For the rest of us, we need to have an open mind.
Sports and politics are two areas that bring people together or tear them apart. There are multiple topics that can be used to determine common ground. The key is stepping away from what we think we know, to understand the person we know nothing about.
“Humanity is what we have in common”
We are the greatest species on this earth because of humanity. We are not perfect. Each of us brings an experience, a perspective that reflects how we see the world. This is very valuable as each of our values form our communities. Now we may not agree with everyone’s perspective, which is to be expected but we can respect our differences. If we close ourselves off to someone that does not look like us, we have failed. You do not want to miss an opportunity to connect with someone because you could not get past the color of their skin.