My wife used to complain she did not like looking out in the backyard because there was too much brown. I said the wood chips I get from the dump and place in the walkway and around the deck were brown but in the summer there was much green and other colors. However, the green, kale, tomato plants, mint and eggplant grew but brown was the dominate color. One day I saw that red cedar wood chips were on sale at the store. I brought three bags and placed them on the walkways. Then I asked her to look at the view of the backyard and she liked it.

When I was young my goal was to be color blind in seeing black, brown and white persons. As I grew up I realized those who said they were color blind were reinforcing barriers that discriminate against black and brown persons. I started to make a point of noticing the color of a person around me. In South America I found countries that persons intermixed. Persons were a rainbow of beautiful colors ranging from black to white. As I grew older I noticed that the environment I was in dictated the predominate color of the persons. Check out a special event at the zoo, a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game or Disney world in Florida. People there are mostly white with some Asians and Hispanics but few blacks.

In Milwaukee and elsewhere segregation of people who say they are color blind and treat all races the same has brought on deep poverty, poor housing and education, high rates of incarceration and homicides in the predominately black neighborhoods. The Mayor and white officials deny racism in Milwaukee but blacks know it is there and experience it.

Be Not Color Blind. Be aware of your environment and look around you for the color of people.

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