To Kim Kardashian and Eve on raising biracial, colorblind kids: Stop kidding yourselves!
OPINION - Why on earth would they want their children or any other children with 20/20 vision not to notice that human beings have skin tones ranging from the lightest of beige to the richest shades of brown?
Can color-aware parents raise colorblind kids?
If these reports are true, one can only speculate as to whether a simple preference for lighter women, at best, or internalized racism/self-hate, at worst, influenced Kanye’s decision to date and procreate with Kim Kardashian.
Thus, these couples are most likely NOT colorblind themselves. Few people in American society are. How can these celebrities expect to teach their children a perspective that they themselves don’t seem to possess?
Sadly, Kanye is not alone in his preference for lighter skin, and children are not raised in bubbles. The media, popular culture, and the communities in which children are raised certainly influence them, and for better or worse, colorblindness is not the norm among many children.
The sad truth of colorism
In 2010, CNN recreated the doll test that was used in the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education case that led to school integration. In the study, both white and black children showed a bias towards whiteness by associating positive attributes with white dolls and negative characteristics with black dolls. Given the vast variety of homes that the tested children came from, it is clear that today’s prevailing culture is not one of colorblindness.
I personally believe that attaining this goal is neither possible, nor desirable. Although I share Kim and Eve’s interest in children’s color perceptions, I don’t want my black sons to be colorblind. I hope they will love, appreciate and celebrate all colors, including their own.
Making sure brown kids love themselves, and others
I also pray that they will notice and adore the stunning beauty of their own radiant dark skin and gravity-defying hair, despite society’s seeming preference for lighter hues and straighter hair textures. Towards this effort, my husband and I are working to set a good example with respect to our own racial/ethnic pride and acceptance. In loving their own unique physical attributes, I hope they will also come to appreciate the hues and hair textures of others, and the various geographies, cultures and histories often attached to different shades, hair types, and nose widths.
Finally, I hope that my sons’ appreciation of skin tone will not be laden with imposed racial hierarchies because no skin colors are inherently better than the others, nor are people. When it is time to choose a mate, my only wish is that they will be open to women of all colors, including their own.
You don’t have to be “colorblind” to equally appreciate all people.
Ama Yawson is a co-founder of Loveessence.com, a dating site for black women and men of all races. Ms. Yawson has earned a BA from Harvard University, an MBA from the Wharton School and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons.
