LETTER: COLOR BLINDNESS IGNORES THE VALUE OF DIVERSITY

To the editor:

This is a response to the Aug. 22 editorial, "Disparate views on racial equality based on perceptions."

I will applaud the writer on the manner in which the first part of the editorial dealt with the role played by personal demographics in helping to influence our perceptions regarding various issues. However, I must take exception to the final paragraph. First, the core of the civil rights movement never has been to "attain color blindness." Under such a paradigm we would accept the notion that all people are basically alike and that what is appropriate for one is appropriate for all. To practice color blindness is to ignore the value of diversity. To practice color blindness would prevent us from learning and benefiting from people who are different from us. Let me cite an example regarding a way in which color blindness ignored the needs of black Americans living in Cape Girardeau. Until recently blacks in Cape had a difficult time finding hair products made to be used on black hair as there were only a few stores which carried such products. Now that an increased number of retailers are carrying such products not only are they improving their efforts at meeting the needs of more of our city's citizens but they are also likely to benefit themselves by attracting more business from blacks. I just recently discovered a pharmacy, for example, that now has a wide range of black hair products. Consequently, when I have need for aspirin or cough medicine I will shop at this pharmacy. Although the pharmacy had to make a little extra effort to order these items, those efforts are likely to be proven to be well worth its efforts.

In assessing the last two sentences in your editorial in which the writer uses the following quote from the 1971 Moynihan Report, "issue of race could benefit from a period of benign neglect." I strongly suggest that thought be given to the taking of such a head-in-the-sand approach. Would we be satisfied if our Public Works Department took such an approach to dealing with a large pothole? If it did the supervisor might say when informed that there's a 3-foot pothole on Broadway, "We'll just ignore it for a while and it will repair itself." How much sense does that make? Not much in my estimation.

I would suggest that instead of taking a color-blind approach in dealing with race and cultural issues, that we take an approach which focuses on the development of cultural proficiency. This approach would be characterized by the development of attitudes and behaviors which demonstrate that cultural differences and diversity are held in high esteem and the promotion of improved cultural relations among diverse groups in society.

WILLIAM I. THOMPSON

Cape Girardeau