Multiculturalism or Colorblindness
In your Rethinking the Color Line text, read:
- Article 12, “Color-Blind Privilege: The Social and Political Functions of Erasing the Color Line in Post-Race American,” pages 92–100. Use the questions below to guide your reading.
- How does colorblindness function to negate or ignore the privilege of some groups?
- How has the notion of colorblindness affected white perceptions of race and equality?
- According to Gallagher, what role has the media played in creating or upholding this ideology? Acts of shared consumption?
- How does the ideology of colorblindness support shared cultural beliefs of an American meritocracy? What is the result of this?
- How is race or color a choice in the colorblind society, according to the author? How does this create a perception of reverse discrimination for dominant groups (whites in this society)?
- Do Census and other data support the notion that we are a colorblind nation?
- Article 11, “Beyond Black and White: Remaking Race in America,” pages 86–91. Use the questions below to guide your reading.
- Why does listing multiple races matter?
- How does this issue with the census demonstrate race as a social construct?
- Which group appears least likely to choose multi-race categories? Why?
- How will intermarriage affect the definitions of race in the future?
- Why is it important to examine subgroups in instances of intermarriage rather than broad trends?
Media
Review the following media piece to prepare you for this unit’s discussion questions:
- “We the People of More Than One Race.” Click “Launch Presentation” to begin.