
          Seeing Beyond Race
          Reviewed by Jackson, ShirleyShirley Jackson
          Vol. 20, No. 1, 1998 pp. 29-30
          
          Ellis Cose, Color-Blind: Seeing Beyond Race in a
Race-Obsessed World, New York: HarperCollins, 1997
          Ellis Cose, a contributing editor for Newsweek, and
author of The Rage of a Privileged Class, The
Press, A Man's World, A Nation of Strangers, and The Rebirth of Community Power,
focuses primarily on race. In his latest book, Color-Blind:
Seeing Beyond Race in a Race-Obsessed World, Cose examines the
belief that equality in American society will come with
color-blindness. He points out the problems associated with this view
and the relationship between a color-blind society and affirmative
action.
          Cose explores the discourse on race in South Africa, Brazil, and
Puerto Rico. He then compares the experiences and approaches to the
race problem of the countries with those of the United States. Cose
shows that even in those countries in which it is claimed race does
not matter, race nonetheless manages to play an important role in how
individuals are treated and greatly impacts their life chances. He
notes, "Even before the civil rights movement erupted and Jim Crow
died, racial definitions in the United States were somewhat different
from those in South Africa (and Latin America), and specific policies
varied as well." This is an important point which Cose pursues
throughout Color-Blind. Race is viewed in very
different ways depending on the weight a particular society places on
it.
          Cose's book is compelling by his insertion of discussions with
individuals from Puerto Rico, South Africa, and Brazil, on topics
relevant to an in-depth comparative analysis to the race problem in
the United States. The discussions on race and color-blindness in
these countries show the complexity of race in various parts of the
world. Cose goes on to explore the multiracial debate and its
significance to the United States. He then moves on to discuss the
fascination Americans have with debates on genetics and
intelligence. Next, he addresses education and affirmative action and
the debate on the future of affirmative action. He ends with
discussions on color blindness, and finally, race neutrality.
          Color-Blind's discussion of multiracialism is an
interesting one. Cose employs interviews with multiracialists in the
United States and South Africa to show that while the debate may have
valid meaning given the racial history of the United States, the same
debate is the source of conflict in South Africa. In the United
States, there is a desire on the part of multiracial individuals to
show their support for a category which defines them as a separate
group. In the United States, the multiracial movement is struggling
for acknowledgment of individuals of multiple races and
ethnicities. Proponents of the multiracial category feel they do not
neatly fit into the race and ethnicity categories as they presently
appear on the census forms.
          In South Africa, however, attempts to maintain a distinction
between blacks and coloreds has resulted in continued distrust and
conflict. This seems to have its basis in the tense race situation
between Coloreds, Indians, Black South Africans, and White South
Africans prior to the dismantling of the apartheid system. The
attempt to distinguish between individuals who are colored and black
in South Africa has also been perceived by some observers as a way to
continue polarizing an already bifurcated society. One interesting
similarity exists between South African and the U.S. with regard to
the multiracial racial designation. Individuals, whether proclaiming
to be colored in South African or multiracial in the United States,
are mistrusted by Blacks in both countries.
          Cose shows the complications involved in the debate surrounding
the multiracial category. Even among advocates and opponents of a
multiracial category, the rationale for their positions may be quite
varied. Additionally, the debate continues to take on different
meanings depending on where the debate takes place.
          
          One of the other issues Cose briefly touches upon is genetics and
intelligence. In particular, he takes to task journalists who gave
merit and credit to Herrnstein and Murray's, The Bell
Curve. The tiresome debate surrounding the degree of
intelligence displayed by individuals of different racial groups
continues, but for what reason? Cose opines the belief that these
debates serve no real purpose but are ever present because there is an
agenda. This agenda comes in the form of psuedo-scientists who want
to prove that equality can never be achieved by some groups because
they are simply unfit based on their gene pool. Cose argues that if
we, as a society, believe the rhetoric spewed by psuedo-scientists, we
too can simply throw up our hands and accept inequality as a given;
simply the result of genetic inadequacies, rather than finding ways to
make society more equal by making its people successful.
          This debate is closely linked with a lengthy discussion engaged in
by Cose, that of education and affirmative action. Cose asks, "How do
we achieve educational parity?" Cose posits early action to ensure
equal education and to prepare minority children for the college
experience. He suggests that we spend more time working to level the
playing field by using a variety of different college preparation
programs in high school as well as those programs which have been shown
to be successful at several colleges and universities. According to
Cose, we need to teach minority children to strive, rather than
settle, when it comes to their education. He further suggests we teach
minority students the value of an education and encourage them early
and continuously.
          In discussing education and the debate on affirmative action, Cose
gives a thorough overview of important cases and evens from Bakke to Hopwood. He
examines the desire by some to continue basing affirmative action on
a group's disadvantaged status and the desire by others to include
class so that those individuals who may not be historically
disadvantaged may benefit from affirmative action. Cose then
discusses yet another option--the possible dismantling of
affirmative action in college admissions altogether. He points out the
risks that may occur, namely, the notion that color-blindness will
make affirmative action unnecessary, and thus its use in college
admissions will become a moot point. He also notes the risk inherent
in throwing out the old without truly understanding that what may
take its place could be worse.
          The link between color and class is also discussed, especially in
the book's early chapters. Cose brings into the scope of the
discussion William Julius Wilson's work on race and class as it
pertains to African Americans in the contemporary era. The salient
issue of colorism in Latin America is discussed quite well in Chapter
7. In this chapter, claims of color-blindness are well scrutinized
and challenged. This is an especially relevant issue given recent
accusations of racism alleged in some Latin American commercials and
advertisements viewed by satellite in the New York City area. Some
individuals claim there is no race problem in Latin America because
they say Latin Americans do not see race in the same way as
individuals in the United States. An individual in blackface, with
thick lips, and a propensity to pick pockets may be viewed by some
Latin Americans as simply a part of the comic scene. For Cose,
however, the reality is a society which wants to ignore its divisions
based on color and class.
          In the last chapter, Cose outlines the twelve necessary steps to
move us toward "racial sanity" in the United States. Some of these
steps appear relatively simple, while others require a concerted group
effort. "We must stop expecting time to solve the problem for us," Cose
writes. He appears to be directly addressing those who feel that the
problems associated with a race-obsessed society will simply
disappear if we stop talking about it and if we rid ourselves of
affirmative action programs and policies. Unfortunately, the chapter's
twelve steps are rather unbalanced in accordance with the rest of the
book. The steps, while admirable, read like a "To Do" list on race
relations. This, unfortunately, is what many readers may focus upon,
rather than the more important weightier issues discussed in the
earlier chapters. It is perhaps because of their simplicity that the
complexity of dealing with race matters may appear trivial.
          Cose's use of interviews, discussions of early court cases, and his
attack on the narrow views of individuals who posit a color-blind
philosophy in the U.S. is quite an undertaking. The early chapters in
the book are especially interesting and provide a rich source
information for anyone struggling to make headway in the debate on
color-blindness. The book presents a compelling analysis of race and
color-blindness, offering an in-depth discussion of the intricacies
involved when we speak of a color-blind society. It also provides
astute answers to some very important
questions. Color-Blind is an important source at which
to either begin or continue to engage in a fruitful dialogue on matters
which may be uncomfortable to talk about, but which, nonetheless,
deserve out attention.
          
            Shirley A. Jackson is a professor in the Department of
Ethnic Studies at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
          
        