What is Meant by the Phrase, "How We Are Teaching Our Children to See Color"

What is meant when people talk about teaching our children to see color? Are we talking about teaching kids about the colors the rainbow? Or are we talking about the racism? Perhaps part of our response to these questions may yield an answer about us and how children are taught to see the world.

In a self admission, upon seeing the title, "How we are teaching our children to see color" on the Helium website, it became an instant must read for me. Disappointment struck a cord when instead of reading an article on how the eye functions, the brain's interpretation of color, art and how we are teaching this subject the article revealed itself to be about racism. Longing to learn of art and reading on racism, a subject that often brings thoughts of man's inhumanity to mind, seem to be worlds apart. Then a revelation dawned. Could it be that the subject of the brain's interpretation of color and how it is being taught be interconnected? Can lessons from the world of art be transformed into valuable lessons on such a topic as racism?

Children are born as a blank slate, so to speak, and require teaching about various subjects. Early on we teach children the names of the primary colors (i.e. red, yellow, and blue), pointing out their differences. Seldom, do we teach children about the similarities of colors. Too often we skim over the fact that each specific color in the crayon box belongs to the color family. Each specific color is unique and equally as important when painting or drawing. Instead of an emphasis on differentness the lens would shift and focus on sameness whether teaching about primary colors or racism.

On the practical level what do you do when your child notices that their classmate's skin color is different than theirs? Children are often very young when they tend to ask questions about color. What then is the answer to their question when discussions of pigmentation and melanin beyond their comprehension. The answer need not prove difficult, especially when children remember object lessons well. Additionally, this will teach them an artist's way of viewing colors. Grab or shop for several pieces of fruit with similar skin colors (ruby red grapefruit, white grapefruit and pink grapefruit work well). Teach the child that the fruit in front of them all belongs to the fruit family. Point out the sameness of the fruit. The cut the fruit open to expose the beauty of the different colors of the flesh inside. Point out that their friend has a different color of skin just as this fruit has different colors of flesh. Identify the color of their skin for them as well as that of their classmates.

If you need to explain the different races to an older child, build on the "fruit lesson". Talk about how the different colors, called races originally lived in different areas of the earth. Those living in the tropics have darker skin to help protect them from the strong sun, as sun screen protects their skin when the go outside. Tell them as people lived further north, as in the subtropics, the skin didn't need to be as dark for they didn't need as much protection from the weather. Pull out the crayons and discuss the different shades in a color like, green for example. Tell them that just like different colors are needed the world needs different races to make for a less boring and more colorful world.

Hopefully, if you do your job right as a parent your child will be colored-blind when it comes to racism. You'll know you succeeded teaching your child well if something like the following happens to you. At age two seeing a person of a different color than myself and belting at the top of my lungs, waving singing my own version of, "Jesus loves the little children of the world". As the story goes the rendition went something like this: "There are red people. There are yellow people. There are brown or white, Jesus likes them in His sight. Jesus loves you and me too". Upon ending the song, the cheerful store employee smiled back and waved back.

How should we teach children to see color, by which meaning other races? We should teach them to be colored-blind.