Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
A person of color. That’s what the hygienist called me as she worked on my teeth. It took me a while to understand that she was referring to me! And I don’t remember anything else of the conversation.
I left the doctor’s office in a daze. My mind kept buzzing with those four words — I couldn’t shake it off.
Although I‘ve been called many names, no one had ever called me a person of color. And neither did I ever think of myself that way.
I was left wondering don’t we all have a color? Then why are only some people referenced as ‘people of color?’
I have never understood the obsession with fair skin or the fact that in many cultures beauty equals fair skin. It seems to be the remnants of colonization or to have stemmed from the perceived superiority of the aristocrats.
But what are we doing when we categorize people based on the color of their skin?
Creating Divisions
If you look at the color wheel, there is a clear black line that divides each of the colors.
Similarly, when we categorize people based on the color of their skin, we invariably create separation and an invisible yet palpable line between them.
Splitting the Sections
In the color wheel, each shade of a color is further divided with a white line. The shades are derived by either adding black, grey or white to the dominant color.
However, each section of color has people that belong to a same or similar hue. Even among brown people, for example, there are golden, yellow, olive, pink or peach tones that are subtle yet set them apart.
Now that we have created broad color categories of human beings, are we going to create further divisions based on the shades, tones and tints of a color? And how many more divisions can we create?
I often wonder if this is how we have reached a point where the citizens of one nation are often referred to as Asian-American, African-American, British Indian, Asian- Australians, and the many more hyphenated sections? Also, why is it necessary to segregate citizens of a nation based on their cultures?
It’s Derogatory and Hurtful
Even to this day, when I think about being referred to as a person of color, it feels weird. Because I never think of myself in terms of a color. And I’m sure neither do you.
Unless, someone mentions it explicitly or treats you in a way that reminds you of the color of your skin.
The truth is that it doesn’t matter how you word it, any reference to a human being as a color is offensive. You are so much more than the color of your hair, skin or eyes. You cannot be defined by any color or a single word.
Conclusion
Human beings are like a bouquet of flowers, each tender and unique in itself and yet adding to the beauty of the entire bouquet.
Most of us want to live in a world where there is fairness and equality irrespective of our inherent differences.
But if we want to create a better world, we have to do differently than we always have.
Replacing one word with another doesn’t change the deep seated biases within us. If we want real change and a better tomorrow, we have to create circumstances that are better and fairer.
Look at your own thought processes and reactions, watch your language, the assumptions you make and the terms you use to describe another. Most of all, learn from the past, and resolve to do differently. Not just by changing a word, but by eliminating the very need of it.