Oh, how we carry on a love-hate relationship with color. Color, in all its vibrant variety, is one of the spices of life. It excites and stimulates the imagination. Painters and photographers capture it on canvas. It is captured on the printed page in poetry and prose.
We marvel at the awesome beauty and bounty of nature’s parade of color – blossoms and flowers in spring and summer, the maple trees and evergreens in fall and winter.
And then, of course, we adorn our homes and bodies with colorful furnishings, fashions and works of art – yes, even body art.
We welcome the richness of color into every aspect of our lives, except when it comes to the color of other human beings – that is. When it comes to people, suddenly different colors and shades provoke closed-mindedness rather than openness, fear rather than friendliness, oppression rather than freedom, and the baseness within us rather than the beautiful.
Our schizophrenic relationship with color is age-old. We love color in things. We shun, even loathe, it in human beings.
History is replete with examples of humankind’s most unkind behavior toward others who do not look like us, dress like us, talk like us, worship like us, live like us, and are not the same color as us. Through the ages, many have fought and paid the ultimate sacrifice to resist and change this ugliness, and the injustice, discrimination and persecution perpetuated upon our fellow man because of the difference in color.
Imagine the possibilities if we could – if we would – appreciate the richness of different colors in people, just as we appreciate the richness of color in nature and in our own creations.
Imagine if we understood that every child, white, black, brown, or yellow, has the same needs: Caring parents, safe neighborhoods, good schools, and an opportunity to dream and become whatever they choose.
Imagine if it became natural – a matter of unconscious practice – that every human, no matter their color, is given the benefit of the doubt and treated equally when he or she applies for a job, submits an application for college, applies to buy a house or rent an apartment.
If people of different colors were regarded with the same reverence and respect as the colors in nature, there would be no need for affirmative action, equal rights, equal employment protection, fair housing, and other laws that continue to segregate us rather than create one nation of equal people. Imagine if we were not required by law to do the right thing toward each other because it just came naturally.
The economic, social and educational caste systems created around color and because of color have done as much to imprison and deprive the perpetrators as the perpetrated.
Great strides and gains can be made if we would only make the effort to understand our conflicting feelings around color, beginning with the simple acknowledgement of the common color that runs through our veins and binds us all with the gift of life.
Just imagine what could happen if we ceased to allow insignificant differences in skin color to confuse and compromise the quality of life we share as students, colleagues, neighbors, and fellow travelers on the world stage.
Just imagine.
Are there meaningful interactions and inclusiveness among students of different colors and cultures on your campus?
If so, why do you think that is? If not, why not?
Comments
Response
There are a lot of relationships between people of different races on my campus. They are very meaningful too. Our college has Franciscan beliefs. Franciscan is supposed to be very caring and showing love to everybody. I think that is a big reason why everybody on our campus gets along with each, and why there are no discriminations based on race (at least that I know about). All of our sports here have white and black people on them. There are also several different heritages that exist on campus. I like seeing all the people of different colors than me.
Well being on college for the
Well being on college for the first time in my life this is new. A thing that is new is that there is so much diversity, where back home in a small town there wasn’t very much. Back home is a small town in Upstate New York where all the kids besides like ten are white. Now here at a college campus I’m exposed to more people of a different race other than my own. Being here I think has broadened my eyes. Back home all my friends are white; here at school I have friends of every race. I’ve grown to like it, now I’m starting to like different music and all the different stuff I’ve never done. But being here at school really makes me more of a complete person and I’m thankful for that.
Color is good.
For the most part I can say with pride that my campus is very diverse and although I commute and do not really have the full college experience, it looks as if we all get along. Two days a week I walk the campus and can see women and men of all colors, shapes, sizes, and beliefs laughing together, hugging, showing affection, and respecting others. Personally I have made three really great guys that I hang with while I am on campus. All three different ethnic backgrounds. One is Armenian, one Asian, and the other Caucasion. This is a great example of how diverse our campus really is. Although there was incident last year that changed the mood of our campus. In one of the girls bathroom there was a hate note written on the wall. This hate note was displayed for the students to look at, and the months that followed this hate note resulted in writings, and quotes posted around campus to help stop the hatered towards a certain demographic on campus. Wherever hall you were located on campus you could find these papers spreading awareness about the incident, and spreading more positive vibes throughout campus. I have not heard of anything like this since, so maybe it worked. I feel that every month students should keep posting random positive quotes up around campus, education on the issue will help us all come to terms in the future.
Race no big deal?
Currently the school that im attending is really diverse. Before attending college i would segregate myself at high school with people of my kind, latinos. Now i feel like i engage and interact more with whites. This doesnt mean that racism or stereotypes dont take place in my school. Recently i attended a seminar about racism in my school and it was frightening to see what they had to say. Apparently someone had written a extremely racist remark in the guys bathroom, almost like a threat which got the schools attention. But for the most part, when i walk around campus i dont feel out of place, instead i feel very comfortable. Inorder for people to understand were people come from, they should take the liberty to educate themselves instead of discriminating. I think its sad that laws like fair housing, equal employment and affirmative action even exist. But the only way these laws are going to vanish is when racism and discrimination vanished with it.
The Different Colors on Campus
It is very interesting to think that the colors that are seen in nature or on a screen or in a photograph are portrayed as beautiful and breathtaking, and yet people of color are seen as different, unequal, and not worth recognition. Furthermore, I find it humorous that there are so many girls and boys alike that would rather be tan than be white. We need to look past the color of one's skin and embrace one another's culture so that racism is better understood.
School of a different COLOR
I go to a little school in west Texas known as Abilene Christian University and i feel that have a very good variety of different people there. Our school is very into getting international students so obviously we have students coming in from all over the world on top of all the different Americans coming in. As with any other school we're not perfect but as far as color and race go there hasn't been a major issue with it as long as i have been here. Everyone gets along really well for the most part. As i said earlier no one is perfect so i'm sure that there are some little confrontations every now and then but it never gets out of hand. Through out the year we also do different activities around campus to celebrate all the different countries and races that are represented.
Conscious efforts toward change within the college atmosphere:
Color should be celebrated in all areas of life. As stated in this article, we seem to naturally value the beauty of color in nature and all aspects of life, yet we’ve drawn a definitive line that prohibits us from cherishing color in the form of people. While reading the thoughts expressed above, by both the author and commentators, I couldn’t help but be reminded of an in-class discussion last week. The focus of the conversation was on hermeneutic thought and how crucial it is for us to regard other human beings as highly exquisite, unique forms of art. Just as we would wander through a museum and marvel at our favorite pieces of art, we should come to understand those around us as capable of taking our breath away. This comes down to respecting “other” in the highest regard, and noting differences found in each other as awe inspiring, not something to fear or deem unknowable.
Just this past summer, our college campus initiated a Civility Campaign, which aimed at reestablishing a civil atmosphere. The program was set into place to promote courtesy, empathy, understanding and inclusiveness. The campaign came about shortly after our campus experienced hostile behavior, with racial slurs and gay bashing in the form of graffiti on bathroom stalls. Our campus was actually mirroring the incivility that is deeply embedded within our culture and perpetuated through the media with politics and celebrities. For some reason, we enjoy watching reality TV shows that glorify lashing out with hateful words, aggressive conduct, and other disrespectful behavior. These rude attitudes are promoted through forms of media and popular culture. In addressing the problems on our campus, our Associate Dean of Students hopes to establish a “camaraderie [of] mutual respect and trust for all members” and by doing this, create an example that is carried outside of the classroom. It is true that a school community is often just as civil as the world around it, but this being the case; it’s evident that seeds can be planted at a collegiate level. If our culture must be taught through universities, then so be it.
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