Blinded by the White

Abstract

The poem started with me describing how I was raised and what I grew up around. I was taught from a very young age I should not see color because that would help end racism - you can’t talk about something that doesn’t exist. This was the philosophy of my surrounding community. As I have grown and learned from this class, I no longer know this to be a true solution. By not accepting that races exist, we are not accepting and learning from the hurt and pain that racism has caused. The beginning of the poem reflects how I was expected to be color blind because my European American community taught me “it (racism) is not our fault.” As I continued to develop the poem, I tried to show how through opening our eyes and accepting our blindness, we can grow. If we accept what we have done, we can work to move forward in society to become actual equals and to make reparations for the damage that has been done. I think being held accountable for our actions is such an important concept in our current society. When you consider our current political climate, you see many in our society deny racism is still very much alive. We need to open our eyes and realize color is real, and people are still facing discrimination because of it. My poem is an example of how people’s mindsets can change given the right community. By changing my community and utilizing the power of education, I am no longer living blinded by white.