Color blindness and segregation

Like we said in class, race is a social fact in that even though we did not create it, we still participate in it.  In The Central Frames of Color-Blind Racism, Bonilla-Silva states that although Jim Crow laws no longer exist, racism still exists in the form of color-blind racism.  In this chapter, he discusses four central frames: abstract liberalism, naturalization, cultural racism, and minimization of racism.  However, for the purpose of this blog post, I will only be discussing naturalization.

Bonilla-Silva states that naturalization is a frame that “allows whites to explain away racial phenomena by suggesting they are natural occurrences.”  An excellent example is the segregation of neighborhoods.  Whites would justify this segregation by claiming that people naturally want to live with those who are similar to them.  However, because whites have been given the upper hand throughout history, they tend to be more privileged.  Therefore, minorities often times cannot afford to live in the nicer areas.

This ties in perfectly with The Possessive Investment in Whiteness by Lipsitz.  In the article, he states that race causes consequences for others other than whites.  In other words, since segregation is seen as “natural,” we do not connect segregation to racism.  Instead, we have whites living in nice safe areas and minorities in bad areas “just because.”  It is and will continue to be the norm until it is discussed and most importantly until it is challenged.