Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America

This chapter opens with a poem in Spanish and English by Eduardo Galeano that states that “money is freer than people” (334). Then, Bonilla-Silva notes that ideologies are always evolving, as is the case with color-blind racism, which emerged in the 1970s but hardened in the 1980s. The ideology of color-blind racism explains racial inequality and all outcomes as being caused by non-racial dynamics. During the pandemic of the past several years, this framing has been dangerous. When (now former) Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeted that COVID-19 is “the great equalizer,” he did not see it as having the racial implications Bonilla-Silva does. This, however, is the power of racial ideology: it works when it is not direct and seems to represent a shared opinion or idea.

In this chapter, Bonilla-Silva addresses how the framings of color-blind racism have shaped the way society understands the work and role of essential workers, the different mortality rates per race, and the fact of hunger during the pandemic. The evidence for his argument comes from a variety of sources, but he notes the data was unfolding in real time as he wrote. His main