Can ‘racism’ be a sustainable good?

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com

Recently, Kristine Hadeed published a piece on Medium titled:”I’m tired of being antiracist“. Kristine favors working toward “liberation” as a more emotionally sustainable position than constantly fighting racism. I agree with her clear and cogent argument. And, perhaps we can go even farther.

Paradoxical as it may seem, I think we need to reclaim race as a positive concept. We may all be equal under the law but we are not all the same. Sometimes we need to surround ourselves with people who share similar cultural values, look like we do, move the same muscle groups, are vulnerable to similar diseases. Except for cultural values, these are genetic characteristics we often collectively refer to as ‘race’. There are occasions when segregating ourselves or viewing others along racial lines can be useful. For example, children need to see people who look like themselves in successful careers and participants in family gatherings are very likely to have visual and cultural features in common. This is not an excuse for racially-based social or economic exclusion. It is an acknowledgment that all mammals exhibit an affinity for their own kind under some circumstances. So what could be an alternative to ‘antiracism’?

How about ‘celebracism‘ and ’embracism‘? What changes might occur if we, as individuals and as a society, acknowledged, accepted and celebrated our racial differences? We can be proud of our various complexions, round or almond eyes, kinky or straight hair. You wouldn’t refuse to have tea with your next-door neighbor because she had free-swinging earlobes while yours are attached. Liberation includes the freedom to notice, explore, even exploit our genetic (I mean racial) variations. We’ve spent 200 years trying to overcome the American legacy of racially-based slavery. Instead of demonizing racism or trying to ignore it, maybe celebrating it can move us into a more socially and economically equal future.

photo by Liza Loop

In order to celebrate, we first have to embrace, acknowledge, accept, love and support. My grandchildren have a light skinned, freckled-faced, redheaded, round-eyed father. Their mother, from Japan, has clear olive skin, straight black hair and eyes with the epicanthal fold typical of many Asian peoples. There’s no way I could fail to notice that their children are of ‘mixed race’. Why would I want to? These kids are proud of their looks, their cultural heritages and the wonderful variety of friends and neighbors from around the globe. I embrace them, the rest of their family embraces them and so does much of the world.

I’m tired of ‘antiracism’ too. It’s time we stop kidding ourselves that race (genetic variation accentuated by acquired cultural behaviors) doesn’t exist. It’s time to acknowledge that sometimes gathering with people we feel an affinity to is a positive, self-affirming behavior not based on hate or a desire to oppress. Let’s try a little more celebracism and embracism and see whether that brings us well down the road to liberation.