Color Blind 101

Are you color blind? Do you struggle with everyday color decisions that affect your home, work, relationships, and self-esteem? Maybe it seems like no one else understands your plight…or perhaps you are ready to shirk this unfair disadvantage in life. I understand… This book is written for you- the color blind person who knows what it is like to be the only person who cannot identify a colorful number in a small circle. However, you are not alone. Not only do I endure this hardship, hundreds of millions of people worldwide live with our misunderstood, somewhat rare genetic condition. Although your situation may seem bleak if you are facing discrimination, disappointment, or displacement due to your condition, this book is written as a helpful guide and uplifting reminder that color blindness does not have the final say – you do! Do you feel like you have been living life without the playbook? Or perhaps you have not considered how your color blindness manifests in your life. Is there a friend, family member, neighbor, or teacher, who would benefit from understanding color blindness? This “How To” book addresses color blind individuals and everyone who crosses their paths with uplifting, quick, and entertaining tips to help navigate and comprehend the color blind life. With firsthand accounts and colloquial knowhow, I have written this book so anyone can understand the basics of color blindness – from how it is inherited to its effects on everyday life. Plus, the color blind individual or caretaker thereof, will appreciate the applicable tips, such as how to shop and cook for the color blind. How did I end up with a freezer full of “purpleberries?” Why didn’t my bridal shower outfit match? Is it okay that I ask my kids for fashion advice? If you can relate to these questions or I have piqued your curiosity, read and laugh along with me as we celebrate and commiserate with the wonderful world of the color blind. About the Expert With blue eyes and brown hair, your color blind author, Kimberly Springer, lives in the suburbs of Pittsburgh with her hazel-eyed husband, green-eyed oldest son, brown-eyed middle son, and blue-eyed little girl. Her tri-colored, purebred Basset Hound provides the perfect sidekick for calm days of writing, piano playing, and cooking. Despite her obvious inability to view every Fall color, Autumn remains Kim’s favorite season due to the smoky air from fires, sundry warm beverages, scratchy hayrides, and flavorful Thanksgiving feasts. On a more professional note, Kim hails from a diverse background of experience. You could describe her as quite the Philly Phanatic, born and raised just outside the city of brotherly love. Remaining loyal to her state, she attended The Pennsylvania State University in State College to study secondary education, specializing in English, communications, and journalism. As a Freshman, Kim wrote for the far-reaching Daily Collegian as a Senior reporter, followed by a stint as a Health and Wellness journalist. After serving as a community leader through school and church-appointed positions, Kim continued her travels west with an appointment to teach in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. There she met her husband of 10 years and graduated magna cum laude. Wielding both a teaching and marriage certificate, Kim entered the married and working world at a young age. As an educator, she has taught grades 7-12 in a variety of school-settings, including the acclaimed Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in Midland, PA. Nowadays, she devotes her time to her family, home, church, piano students, and online writing. She believes in the power of everyday communication and education through online forums, community gatherings, and outreach activities to enhance the lives of all peoples. Be on the lookout for more items from Kim, as she hopes to continue to inform and entertain through the wonderful world of online literature.

The issues that make monogamous dating daunting for people of color—shaming and exclusion by white partners, being fetishized, having realities of everyday racism ignored—occur in polyamorous relationships too, and trying "not to see race" only makes it worse. To make polyamorous communities inclusive, we must all acknowledge our part in perpetuating racism and listen to people of color. Love's Not Color Blind puts forward the framework—through research, anecdotal testimony, and analogy—for understanding, identifying, and confronting racism within polyamorous communities.

For the past five years, American public schools have enrolled more students identified as Black, Latinx, American Indian, and Asian than white. At the same time, more than half of US school children now qualify for federally subsidized meals, a marker of poverty. The makeup of schools is rapidly changing, and many districts and school boards are at a loss as to how they can effectively and equitably handle these shifts. Suddenly Diverse is an ethnographic account of two school districts in the Midwest responding to rapidly changing demographics at their schools. It is based on observations and in-depth interviews with school board members and superintendents, as well as staff, community members, and other stakeholders in each district: one serving “Lakeside,” a predominately working class, conservative community and the other serving “Fairview,” a more affluent, liberal community. Erica O. Turner looks at district leaders’ adoption of business-inspired policy tools and the ultimate successes and failures of such responses. Turner’s findings demonstrate that, despite their intentions to promote “diversity” or eliminate “achievement gaps,” district leaders adopted policies and practices that ultimately perpetuated existing inequalities and advanced new forms of racism. While suggesting some ways forward, Suddenly Diverse shows that, without changes to these managerial policies and practices and larger transformations to the whole system, even district leaders’ best efforts will continue to undermine the promise of educational equity and the realization of more robust public schools.