Colorblinders Off, Asset-Based Perspectives On

The Black Lives Matter movement has momentum, and as art educators in privileged positions to influence future generations of the United States, we have the power and responsibility to carry that energy forward. To accomplish this, two of the first crucial things we could do as educators is reflect (1) on how we are complicit in perpetuating systemic racism with colorblind deficit-oriented perspectives and (2) on how we could shift from deficit-based to asset-based perspectives about our BIPOC students to guide all our students to higher levels of accomplishment. Without these reflections, many art teachers remain colorblind, ignoring race as an influential factor in people's lives. Colorblind assertions of "I do not see color, I only see children" reveal an underlying belief that racism is a matter of individual prejudice. There is an implied rationalization of "I am not racist, so I do not need to change my practices." However, racism is more than individual prejudice. It is systemic, deeply embedded in our educational system -- so deeply embedded that colorblind teachers are often unaware of how they participate in forwarding racism as agents of a system in which a deficit lens is normalized. This article aims to raise this awareness, beginning with a focused reflection on the above two areas. Once they are aware, I hope that teachers will be motivated to deepen their understanding of how racism functions and impacts students, as well as actively invest in reshaping their practices by utilizing the resources suggested.