Color Blind Educators

They block family engagement in schools.

Many people in our society proudly declare that they are color blind. They wear this declaration like a badge of honor to celebrate their reality that they do not see the color of others. To them, it is honorable to fail to see racial differences by categorizing all people the same way. My conclusion is that these people who ignore what people look like consider this to be their unique brand of equality. Here is the harsh reality. Those who are color blind fail to accept and respect the biological differences that make each person a unique being.

Some of the people who display their pride in being color blind are educators. This produces devastating consequences for black and brown students. For such teachers and school leaders who fail to see the melanin rich skin tones, unique straight, wavy, curly, and kinky hair textures, and other racial characteristics of their students, the ability to provide them with individualized and differentiated instructional supports becomes diminished. This is because these educators view all learners as being the same.

Unfortunately, black and brown learners who are educated by those who lack cultural sensitivity and cultural knowledge are forced to navigate systems of learning filled with

prejudice, bigotry, racism, discrimination, low performance expectations, hatred, inequities, lack of opportunity and academic rigor, injustice, bias, harsh disciplinary consequences, and segregation.

This reality is true for black and brown parents who encounter color blind school personnel that they endeavor to partner with for the benefit of their child’s growth and development.

The Impact On Parent and School Partnerships

Family engagement is a critical component of the educational process that does not receive the attention that it should. As I have defined in several articles that I have published on Medium as well as in the publications Teachers On Fire Magazine, Afro Scribe, and Age of Awareness, family engagement “refers to the mutual dedication, cooperation, and support that educators, parents, and other caregivers share as students are being educated.”

I promote the belief that a parent is their child’s first teacher. Therefore, parents along with the family members that provide custodial care to infants must assume the responsibility of engaging their children in continuous learning experiences from birth. Furthermore, I believe that it is wrong for parents to wait until their child enrolls in school so that educators accept the total obligation of educating them.

As a family engagement influencer, my professional mission is to

Ignite Family Engagement In Education.

More specifically, I work to strengthen the capacity for educators to take the lead in building authentic relationships with parents. In doing so, educators must accept, respect, and affirm the parents unconditionally. Increased levels of family engagement results when this happens.

Unfortunately, just as negative outcomes result when color blind educators fail to see the racial differences in their students, derogatory consequences erupt for black and brown parents when educators are blind to their diversity.

It is impossible for culturally insensitive teachers and school leaders to willfully approve of black and brown parents through

acceptance;

to honor, admire, value, and have a high opinion of racially diverse parents through

respect;

and to encourage, support, have compassion on, and empathy for parents with biological differences through

affirmation.

The unfortunate reality is that these parents will never develop genuine relationships with color blind educators nor will they be empowered to be member of any school team that supports their children. This exclusion is due to the following three factors.

Invisibility: A Subtle Form of Racism

Racism has historically existed in the United States due to power and oppression. White privilege has resulted in diverse populations continuously fighting and advocating for equality and equity while white individuals reap benefits within society merely based on their race.

The blatant refusal of educators to see differences among black and brown parents is a form of racism known as invisibility. Such parents are marginalized as they are made to feel unimportant through avoidance. In the context of schools, it is a form of institutional racism because of the capacity for this social ill to remain pervasive within educational environments. Because of this, racially diverse parents will either fight to have their voices heard or they will remain defeated and will not try to use their voice for the betterment of their child’s education.

Educators who are color blind exercise their power and dominance of black and brown parents by considering them as nonexistent. Authentic relationships cannot develop between these educator and parents. This means that there is no chance for a collaborative partnership to develop and grow.

The Singular Perspective

A monocultural perspective simply means that a person only focuses on their individual viewpoint. Color blind people only accentuate their culture, their life experiences, their values, and their beliefs during their interactions with others.

Simply stated, educators who do not embrace the racial differences of the parents and families of their students devalue them because they are not like them. These educators will resist any opportunity to grow the capacity for mutual engagement. Interactions between such educators and diverse parents will remain superficial. The benefits of family engagement will never manifest for students, educators, and parents.

Tolerance

Tolerance has been falsely characterized as a form of social justice that eliminates racial tension. As I have previously published in the article entitled “Tolerance Is Not What You Think: Remove This Barrier From Your Life Because It Blocks Healthy Relationships Instead of Building Them”, tolerance

“means to put up with something. It accentuates a level of discomfort in the process of getting to know, working with, and accepting as well as respecting others individually or within a specified group of people. Those who tolerate others or distastefully accept them, including all of the diverse qualities that makes them uniquely individual, actually breed negativity.”

Color blind educators endure racially diverse parents and family members. Such teachers and school leaders may make insincere and fake attempts to collaborate with parents. However, black and brown parents intrinsically know when they are simply tolerated by school staff. These parents are likely to retreat before any relationship with educators who refuse to see racial difference is formed.

The Real Solution: Educators Must Open Their Eyes

The solution is simple. Color blind educators must open their eyes and acknowledge the reality of the racial differences of the parents and families that they serve. They must also open their hearts to accept black and brown parents and respect them. Preconceived ideas including stereotypical perspectives that they may have about racially diverse parents, including but not limited to the belief that they do not care about their child’s education, must be removed from their heart and mind forever.

School officials who proclaim their color blindness must also make sincere efforts to get to know the families that they serve. Some of the strategies that I recommend follow.

First of all, the Home Visit represents one way to make this possible. This strategy removes cultural barriers as a pair of educators make scheduled visits to the home of students, at mutually agreed upon community locations, or virtually with the use of technology to begin the process of forming connections with families.

Next, open lines of communications also empowers parents to use their voice maintain a partnership with educators. Whether it is through the use of social media, traditional means like newsletters, letters, parent bulletin boards, special meetings, and telephone calls, the relationship bond becomes strengthened through two way communications.

Finally, school leaders must organize a variety school and community based as well as online parent training programs. Workshops, Parent University experiences, Resource Fairs, and so many other activities provide parents with a chance to grow to become stronger parents as they also learn what the components of engagement are automatically opens the door for genuine parent and teacher relationships to be sustained.

What are your thoughts about educators who celebrate their color blindness and the relationship building process with racially diverse parents?

Here’s my golden ticket that helps me accomplish my mission.

Dr. Deborah M. Vereen is a retired family and consumer sciences teacher, school principal, director of pupil personnel services, assistant to the superintendent for family and community engagement, and professor of multicultural education. Her website is www.Drdeborahmvereen.com and her YouTube Channel is “Ignite Family Engagement”.