The idea of the Black White Binary

The reality of being multiracial in a Black and White binary society often leads to confustion and exculsion related to idenity. Article by Nora Miller. Impacts of the Black/White bianary (2021).

Image of classroom learning about CRT and other implactions of racism, before these disccussions were banned during Donald Trumps presidency. Article by Janel George of American Bar Association (2021).

A photograph of a doctor protesting during covid due to the enhancement of health disparties that Black people were already facing in the health care system. One slogan of the protest was, "white coats for Black Lives." Photograph by Micheal B. Thomas from the webstie Stat (2020). 

The idea of the Black and White binary is harmful to many communities because it encourages exclusion and puts people into racial boxes. The image on the left is a cartoon drawing that represents the unity that comes when people accept biracial people as well as minorities coming together and accepting one another. The issue with separating people into racial boxes is that it makes people uncomfortable when they must choose certain facets of themselves and put a label on their identity when people are supposed to be multifaceted. While labels can be helpful, they also can promote stereotypes which usually influence more harm than good. As a society, we must allow people to be their most authentic selves and embrace all the different sides of ourselves.  

Critical Race Theory (CRT) is the idea that race has affected everything but specifically the societal hierarchy of races. It cannot be defined as one aspect of life but how we teach racial ideas and how racial concepts came to be. When Trump was elected to office, he began to ban race inclusivity training because he argued that it would do further harm than good to educate kids in schools and create further negative awareness of racial separation, which is not true. One example of this concept is in the picture on the left where a teacher is explaining race to a group of young kids. CRT dissects how race has been treated in the United States and makes it so that minorities are treated differently than White people.  

In this third image, a Black doctor is sporting a white coat holding a sign in protest to the disparities within the health-care system concerning Black people during the height of COVID-19. It’s no secret that our first responders and medical workers were on the front lines fighting for their lives, but some people were at a higher risk than others. The reason for these protests is that despite the knowledge that “people of color” and specifically the Black community are not served as well and denied the same resources, there has not been much done to remedy those disparities. Because of racism, Black communities are more likely to not have access to the medical institutions which leads to further medical disparities. Even without suffering from sickness, many may not have the luxury of healthier lifestyles due to where they live and work and whether or not they are part of affluent communities.  

Overall, these examples support the disparities within the health-care system because they highlight how racial concepts such as the Black and White binary cause harmful separation. While ideas like CRT can help highlight these differences, the results can vary and do not guarantee leveling the playing field. As a community we must continue to protest and fight for equal treatment regardless of class and racial status.