Choosing to Be Color Blind

Written by: Ali Curry & Edited by: Blair Bryant

In my previous article I talked about the common phrase “But I’m Not Racist” and, how because of the explicit and implicit bias that everyone has, that phrase is never true. In this article I’ll be talking about another common phrase I’ve heard, mostly from parents and coaches, of “I don’t see color.” As with my last article I’ll be using some of my own personal experiences to bring light to this topic and I will be choosing to omit names of skaters, coaches, parents, and teams out of respect for them.

How It’s Used

The first time I heard this phrase was when I was first starting out in synchro. A parent was watching our team practice and came up to my father talking about how she “doesn’t see color” and hadn’t even noticed I was on the ice because I “blend in so well.” Now, anyone who has seen what I look like knows I am a dark-skinned Black woman. Considering this information it is hard to believe that on a white ice surface and surrounded by White figures I “blended in” as well as she had claimed. 

I have also heard this phrase used in different forms by coaches. Phrases such as “you’re just another skater to me,” or “I treat you just like everyone else.” Without context, these may seem fine, but often once context is often added (which we will go into later in the article) you begin to see the issue.

What this Really Means

When a person says “I don’t see color”, or any variation of that, what they are essentially saying is “I see that we have two different experiences, but in order to make myself more comfortable I’m choosing to ignore that.” This then defers the responsibilities of acknowledging others’ racial experiences in order to make yourself more comfortable and distance yourself from those issues at hand. 

Going back to the statements from coaches, if you choose to “not see color” or to treat Black skaters and skaters of color just like “every other skater” you run into certain problems. To provide an analogy, say there are three children, one has a peanut allergy when the rest do not. If you give them all PB&J sandwiches, yes, it is equal and fair, but the child with the peanut allergy is going to suffer while the other kids don’t. In synchro, this can be seen in one way through darker skinned skaters not being provided with, or given the opportunity to wear tights and mesh of their natural skin tone. While ordering the same color may be “treating everyone equally” on paper, in practice you are singling out skaters who don’t naturally match that color. The same thing goes for makeup and hair. For me personally the number of seasons I’ve had parents comment on how brown eyeshadow “doesn’t show up on my skin” is honestly comical.

How You Can Improve

Black skaters and other skaters of color should still be treated equally and fairly, but it’s also important for coaches and parents to recognize how they differ from White skaters. The best way to know how you can improve is to talk to skaters of color in your organization and alumni about their first-hand experiences. But, in case you need a starting off point, here are a few things I would recommend:

1. Give skaters the option to choose the color tights/mesh they wear 

By doing this you are not only ensuring their legs match the rest of their body, but often skaters skate better when they are more confident in what they are wearing. Just that little bit of effort of asking them what shade they prefer will mean a lot to the skaters of color on your team. A company I recommend is Aurora Tights who offers tights in a diverse shade and size range. 

2. Test your team makeup on skaters of all skin tones

A problem I commonly ran into with parents and coaches was how the same makeup look would appear completely different on my skin tone versus my White teammates. By testing the desired look on a variety of skin tones you can find colors that either work for everyone or substitute colors for skaters with different skin tones.

3. Allow Black skaters to wear their natural hair for practices

One thing that was heavily enforced by both organizations I skated for was appearing at practice “competition ready.” One aspect of this was a competition ready bun. For those who don’t know I have naturally 4C hair so what this meant for me is constantly applying heat to keep my hair straight from October-April, therefore damaging it over several seasons. Just combing my natural hair and putting that in an afro-puff bun wasn’t deemed acceptable and was seen as unprofessional. Part of seeing color is recognizing that not everyone has the same hair type and that might mean limitations on what can/should be done with it.

4. Allow Black skaters to decide if they want glitter in their hair

Going off my last point, for me personally, getting my hair professionally straightened for it to be “acceptable” for competition is pricey and time consuming. Paying that much to get it straightened (usually a day or two before competition) just to have glitter put in it and having to wash it, which undoes the straightening, doesn’t really make sense. That would be the same as if you paid $50 for acrylic nails just before competition for them to be removed two days later. As I stated earlier, coaches need to be more aware and mindful of a skater’s hair and its limitations.

5. Be mindful of where you choose to hold events or have team dinners

Being a person of color in this country I know there are certain cities I would not be welcomed. Cities and towns that if I step in I could be harassed, assaulted, and in extreme cases being there could cost me my life. When scheduling activities for your team or organization, make sure to ask families of color (not just Black families) if they feel comfortable in a given area and research yourself to learn if there have been any recent hate crimes there. No skater or family should be left out of team bonding because they fear for their safety.

What You Should Take Out of This

Many White people view seeing and acknowledging color and race as a bad thing, and that by acknowledging someone’s race they are being racist. In most cases that isn’t necessarily the case. By choosing to be color blind, you are choosing to ignore differences between your skaters which results in greater harm than good. As a coach, parent, or teammate it’s important to recognize differences between skaters to accommodate their needs better and create a safer environment for them. Seeing color is essential to promoting greater diversity and inclusion in this sport, and ignoring color does the opposite.

At the end of the day. . .

Parents can do better. 

Skaters can do better.

Coaches can do better.

Teams can do better.

Our sport can do better.