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If you’re white and middle class, you were probably raised thinking that discussing race was impolite. Color blindness was seen as a virtue — and it’s a persistent one. A 2014 poll revealed that almost three-quarters of millennials believe we should not see the color of someone’s skin. But in truth, color blindness is an insidious form of racial oppression. Two philanthropists discuss how this prevailing attitude of color blindness has affected social policy in this country, the philanthropic sector, and their own lives. The Aspen Institute’s Michele Norris, former Gates Foundation CEO Jeff Raikes, who now leads the Raikes Foundation, and Ford Foundation President Darren Walker share examples of how they’re doing to try to shift this prevailing attitude by turning directly toward race and equity.
- 2017 Festival
- USA
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USA



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