Antiracist reforms repackaged white supremacy as color blindness

Evidence

This move toward advancing a post-race ideology is linked to a co-optation of movements for racial equality. The civil rights movement led to a shift in U.S. government approaches to race and racism, from institutionalized white supremacy to recognition of racial inequality as a problem and to institutionalizing antiracist policies. Howard Winant argues that while on the surface institutions implemented policies that advocated racial equality, in practice a repackaged version of white supremacy in the guise of color blindness was produced. — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 91

Categorization

• XREF: Aligns with Eduardo Bonilla-Silva’s ‘color-blind racism’ framework and critiques of co-optation of racial justice movements. — connects to: The Civil Rights Act empowered white resistance by legitimizing anti-government conservatism. — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of…, 467; 1990s suburbans rebranded desegregation opposition as color-blind neighborhood protection — Matthew D. Lassiter, The Suburban Origins of “Color-Blind”…, 109; A losing busing fight still reshaped national politics toward color-blindness. — Matthew D. Lassiter, The Suburban Origins of “Color-Blind”…, 113 (+5 more)