"Color Blind or Color Brave?" ~ Mellody Hobson

Finance executive Mellody Hobson strongly advocates and encourages racial equality as a prominent and relevant subject in everyday life. I recently watched a speech she gave revealing the topic of race being a “conversational third rail.” Sadly, I suddenly realized how true her statement was.

To develop her claim and spark a change in the audience's actions, Hobson explains how the first steps to solving any problem include facing it head on and taking action by spreading awareness. She uses anecdotal evidence and hypothetical situations to get her point across. When she was going to a editorial board lunch, Hobson was mistaken for a kitchen worker when she arrived. The misconception was not so surprising to her after some thought. The speaker tells the audience two scenarios to compare, “If there was a committee full of black males, that would seem weird, but if there was a committee of white males, it would seem normal.” Hobson was talking about how it is strange to see minorities in power, but it is “typical” to see white men holding power. This message opened my mind and made me realize how true the statement is. Most people would look into a board meeting and see all the white men seated around the table as “fitting” but would see all the minorities seated around the table as “strange.” I thought that although the speaker is black, she does a great job of making her argument objective and relatable to all audiences.

Further, the validity of her argument increases when she mentions “Even though white men make up just 30% of the US population, they hold 70% of all corporate board seats.” Relating to the first stand-out moment, this statement is very strong and educational because it is a statistic instead of an opinion. Statistics are more objective and factual than opinions are, so more people are inclined to believe this data. I felt shocked at first, but then I realized how accurate this data is in my close family friend’s life. A mostly white board runs both of her parents’ companies with very few minorities. This talk made me recognize that most people ignore their problems until it goes away; however, if we all learn to embrace diversity and take “race” out of the uncomfortable zone of discussion, we will move forward as one unanimous society.

- Sarah