Author Coleman Hughes Deplores ‘Anti-Racist’ Politics, Praises Colorblindness At Buckley Event

On Thursday, February 13, Coleman Hughes, author of The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America, spoke to the William F. Buckley, Jr. Program. In his book, Hughes advocates for a colorblind approach to American culture and policy. Hughes argued that adopting a colorblind perspective — what he calls the “MLK ethic” due to its roots in the Civil Rights Movement — more effectively addresses the goals of today’s prevalent “anti-racist” progressive movement. 

To contrast the “MLK ethic” with modern “progressive pushback,” Hughes explained that the former views “white supremacy [is] a wolf in wolf’s clothing,” while the latter sees it as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” suggesting that racism is most harmful when it is covert. According to Hughes, the “anti-racist” movement ultimately hinders progress in American race politics.

Hughes began his remarks by reflecting on his upbringing. While early in life he grew up believing that race does not define an individual, during his sophomore year of high school, Hughes attended a retreat for people of color, where he was introduced to treating his “racial identity” as a “kind of magic.” It was there that he first encountered concepts like “Critical Race Theory (CRT),” “systemic and internalized racism,” and “white privilege.” This experience marked a shift from his childhood belief that race was insignificant to his identity to a new understanding that it was.

After high school, Hughes attended Columbia University, where he observed that his peers had “absorbed this way of thinking about race” — the same perspective he encountered at the retreat. He felt that the level of concern about racism among students was disproportionate to the actual presence of racism on campus. There was a “disconnect between what I felt I was seeing […] and what I was hearing,” Hughes noted. When asked by an audience member about the path forward for universities like Yale, Hughes responded, “Once an echo chamber is created, it’s extremely hard to undo,” comparing the state of higher education to an egg that is “already scrambled.”

Drawing from his experiences, Hughes argued that America should adopt the “MLK ethic” aligned with colorblindness. He clarified that colorblindness does not mean ignoring race entirely but striving to treat individuals without regard to their race. It means, “I’m going to do my very best not to treat you on account of your race,’” Hughes explained, adding that the same should apply in reverse. 

During the audience Q&A, Hughes elaborated on his ideology. In his book, he advocates for organizations to implement blind evaluations whenever feasible. Hughes also clarified that he supports color blindness but “not culture blindness,” emphasizing that it is reasonable to prefer certain cultural practices over others. For example, he noted the impracticality of integrating Amish cultural norms into mainstream society.

Hughes also critiqued left-leaning social media platforms, arguing that they have exacerbated race relations nationwide. He noted that while race relations improved for two decades, the rise of Facebook in 2012 fundamentally changed how information spread. Although Hughes acknowledged the reality of racial profiling, he argued that media portrayals created a false perception that police disproportionately kill Black people, pointing out that “in raw numbers, more white people get killed by the cops every year.” However, videos of these incidents receive less attention. Hughes also criticized calls to defund the police, arguing that such measures disproportionately harm Black communities. Citing a Gallup poll, he noted that most Black Americans actually support maintaining police presence. Overall, Hughes contended that the “anti-racist” movement often misrepresents the realities of race politics in America.

When responding to a participant’s question of whether private firms’ removal of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are to genuinely “course correct” or to appease the current Presidential administration, Hughes proposed that the move was intended to “appease the current vibe shift.” However, he added, “I nevertheless think [it’s] a good thing,” arguing that “if every DEI person didn’t come to work, you might not notice for a very long time because it’s not really clear what they do.”