This! I've often heard people who look like me claim to be "color-blind" when the topic of race comes up. So I tell them, I've often heard Black folks say that they don't appreciate people saying that they don't see color because that feels like "they don't see me." Then they call me racist for amplifying what I hear Black people say about how they feel.

I can relate to "they don't see me" because I feel the same way when I disclose that I'm autistic, and people reply, "I never would have guessed!" Usually, I reveal this when I'm having a social difficulty and asking them to cut me some slack. I feel like they're not seeing me and like they're trivializing my struggles.

How much more so for people whose struggles are cultural and generational! If I had a dollar for every time people say they don't see color, I'd donate it all to a reparations fund.