Don’t be Blind to the Beauty of Color
I grew up in a middle-class white home with the understanding that we are all to be colorblind. I understood that we shouldn’t see race, color, or ethnicity but that we should treat all people the same. Since my childhood, I have adopted three black, African children. They are African, not African American, or Black American and this has been a challenge for them and me to navigate. As a family we have seen racism affect us in many ways. In fact, one of the more prominent racist incidents happened at a Christian church in Berkley, CA of all places. Along with having children with dark brown skin, I have lived for five years as the only white family in an African village, on the coast of Kenya. My Whiteness was evident anywhere I went and though it came with privileges, it also came with significant racial perceptions. I now live in Minnesota: Center-stage of the BLM riots surrounding George Floyd in 2020. One branch of my NPO is focused on working with Somali people and racial misunderstandings of white Christians in our city.
I have dug deep on the issue of race in America. I have read all the significant voices across the spectrum from Voddie Bauchman to Ibram X. Kendi. My understanding of race is based on my understanding of scripture, specifically Rev. 7:9 “After this I looked and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.”[1] I believe that our identities matter and have value. I believe that we are all created in the image of God and that we each, uniquely, offer a different aspect of that image. I do not think that we should simply be colorblind, but instead believe that our colors are there to portray God’s glory. Our colors, our cultures and our ethnicity should be celebrated. However, in Rev. 7:9 these unique attributes highlight the God-given differences among a group of people that are unified in their identities as worshipers of the Lamb in the kingdom of heaven. In a commentary on the book of Romans, the author writes of the idea of colorblindness. “What people often mean today by colorblind is not that we should refrain from making racist judgments of people because of the color of their skin. Rather, they mean that we do not or should not see skin color when we see people, that we should ignore ethnic difference, or that ethnic difference or racialization does not play a role in how we perceive others.”[2]
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I loved the first half of Coleman Hughes book, The End of Race Politics and concurred with much of what was written. However, when I hit the second half of the book, I began arguing with the author via notes on the margins throughout. I found much of the working out weak and painted with a broad brush. In the beginning of his book, he defines terms: such as neoracists,[3] anti-racists, color blindness, and common humanity.[4] I appreciated his thesis that states, “In this book, I will argue that color blindness is the wisest principle by which to govern our fragile experiment in multi ethnic democracy.”[5] I agree with Hughes, that woke ideologists, whom he labels as neoracists, have overtaken agendas and have pushed for policies that are unsustainable or unrealistic. Yet, to minimize the role of race in our society, he downplays historic and current trends.
Hughes argues that there’s an overall decline of white supremacy and white supremacist organizations, and I do not think that he is accurate. While he may offer numerically factual statements they are also misleading. There has been a rise in racial incidents and hate crimes over the last decade or so. There is increased racial tension. For a few decades, it was unacceptable to be openly racist. Now, with a president who will make racial remarks from behind the resolute desk, it not only is permissible to be racist but a badge of honor for some. Historian Jemar Tisby addresses this counterargument at length in his book, The Color of Compromise.[6]
Again, Hughes writes, “Neoracists continue depicting white supremacy as a powerful movement that threatens our democracy.”[7] Though this book is very recently published, the recent political shift with President Trump taking office has demonstrated a very strong bent towards elevating Whites in our culture. He has done this through the work of immigration control, closing all refugee and immigration pathways, and implementing travel bans for certain nations.
I concur with the idea of Hughes that we should strive towards a society that judges people by their character rather than their skin color. I also concur, that for the sake of common humanity, we should seek for reconciliation. True reconciliation must occur through honest and transparent conversations at the national and local levels. There are many churches that are complicit in the rise of Christian nationalism in our country right now just as historically there were many churches that were complicit during Jim Crow and slavery.
The beauty of the gospel is that it is for all nations, ethnicities, and languages. This must be demonstrated. Being completely colorblind is not the answer for our culture. Maybe it is the answer for the courts and the laws of this nation. But when we simply strive to be colorblind, we will miss the beauty of all the layers of creation that God has built into our humanity.
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[1] Zondervan, NRSV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Hardcover, Comfort Print: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture, ed. Craig S. Keener and John H. Walton, Illustrated edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2019).
[2] Jarvis Williams, “Letter to the Romans,” in The New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Bible Commentary, ed. Esau McCaulley et al., 1st ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2024), 308.
[3] Coleman Hughes, The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America (New York: Thesis, 2024), 17.
[4] Hughes, 61.
[5] Hughes, xvii.
[6] Jemar Tisby, The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Reflective, 2019).
[7] Hughes, The End of Race Politics, 129.
About the Author
Adam Cheney
I grew up in California, spent five years living along the beautiful coast of Kenya and now find myself working with refugees in the snow crusted tundra of Minnesota. My wife and I have seven children, four of whom have been adopted. I spend my time drinking lots of coffee, working in my garden, and baking sourdough bread.5 responses to “Don’t be Blind to the Beauty of Color”
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Adam, I have heard similar stories from other adoptive families as they navigate having children that look different than them. What are practical ways the Church can support and appreciate the different colors of your family and others as they walk this journey?
Kari,
Great question. I think that simply understanding that adopted kids are different is helpful. We can’t lump them into monolithic groups. My kids are seen as Black by the community. Yet, they are certainly not Black. They do not understand Black culture or history. This is also one of the challenges that many Somali people have here in the US also. One thing that we are trying to get our church to establish is an adoption support group. So many of us keep saying we want to have one and establish one and yet for those in the trenches of adoption it is not something that any of us can really take on at the moment. We need a person to drive this ministry that is not just trying to stay afloat in the adoption world.
Adam, kudos to you and your family for the very real differences you are making. With that said, you reference the political climate and its impact on race relations. How do you see the role of faith communities in addressing the rise of racial tensions and promoting reconciliation in such a politically charged environment?
Debbie,
My answer to this is, “Ugh.” There was a bit of discussion around race relations when George Floyd was killed but it quickly dissipated and the white evangelical churches that I am connected to around here do not seem like this is a topic they want to get into. Many people here want to simply say that racism is not really an issue in this city. A derogatory slang hung from an overpass a few months back would say otherwise….
Hi Adam, I had to chuckle when you mentioned that your kids are not African American or Black American—they are African. It reminded me of a Jamaican friend in the U.S. who was constantly labeled as African American simply because people didn’t know what else to call her. And of course, Africa is not a country.
As always, I resonate with your experiences in Africa—especially the reality of being the only white family in your village. After four years in North Africa, I’ve grown accustomed to the stares, but I still haven’t fully adjusted to being called patronne.
I especially loved one of your closing sentences: “The beauty of the gospel is that it is for all nations, ethnicities, and languages. This must be demonstrated.” What do you think churches are so afraid of?