Discovering Theory of Racelessness

Artwork by Kadir Nelson, “After the Storm”

Since I began my doctoral journey until now (6 years later), I have been on a journey to find a theoretical framework that connected to my passion for using classical studies as a tool for bringing unity. The various philosophical frameworks present have often been so one-sided, that they struggled to capture my earnest desire to create a space where diverse perspectives are welcomed. 

As a student at St. John’s College, I spent a semester studying Platonic dialogues to understand the way that Socrates used civil discourse to teach and help humanity connect with one another. As a K12 educator, many frameworks advocated for indoctrinating young minds into believing one worldview, but even though I am devoutly religious, I resisted this type of teaching. I draw inspiration from Jesus in how he engaged with all types of people he encountered. Even if a person did not become a disciple, he created a welcoming space for civil discourse. This is what drew Nicodemus to sneak to talk to him at night because the religious community he was a part of did not welcome alternative ways of thinking or a curiosity that countered the accepted traditions. My faith is as strong as it is, because my parents freed me to question and wonder. Even though my dad was a pastor and they tended to be strict, they really wanted me to be able to find faith for myself and I am grateful for that. So I want to extend the same grace to everyone else and for people to understand that at the end of everything there is unconditional love. How do I take this type of thinking and translate it into my academic work? I yearned for a philosophical framework that would help me do that.

Struggling to find a connection to a philosophical framework has been a hindrance to my work in academia because I needed one that grounded me, but also gave space for diverse perspectives. Academia can sometimes be a place void of grace, but I resist letting that harden my heart. When I stumbled upon the work of Dr. Sheena Mason and her Theory of Racelessness on X, I realized how her theory did not isolate anyone, but it drew us all into this realm not based on race or sharing similar views on racism or any other divisive mechanism of society (i.e. class, religion), but we connected through our shared humanity. Do not let the term “racelessness” scare you away into the fallacy of color blindness, but the term “racelessness” is a realization of MLK’s Dream for the Beloved Community, where all of our human experiences are welcomed into the conversation, seen, listened to, and embraced, but minus judgment or anger because the human experiences that others have, contradict our view of the world. Instead, we welcome diverse perspectives and human experiences to expand our minds beyond our own human experiences. In doing that we learn and we grow. Our shared humanity gives us a heart of grace for every human being, instead of staying in the “matrix” (as Dr. Mason calls it) where those things that divide us, continue to thrive. 

When we read from the literature that has helped to shape society and the world and then bring our human experiences into conversation with what I like to call the Canon of Human Civilization (which includes the Western Canon and any other body of literature that reveals a human experience), we do come to a place of racelessness. I had not been able to describe this experience for myself until I encountered Dr. Mason’s work. When I first sat at that Johnnie Table to discuss works from authors like Aristotle, Shakespeare, Homer and DuBois, I felt myself being liberated from the “matrix.” I will never forget that feeling. It was so addictive, that I yearned to keep creating that feeling for myself and others. Eventually, it became a way of life for me and I continue to grow. This is what DuBois talked about when he said, “I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not….” In this place of racelessness, we live above the Veil and can truly see the Promise Land…the Beloved Community, where we are not judged by the shade of our skin or how race (or class or religion or anything else outside of just being simply human) has defined our human experience, but we are all simply part of a human family. Like how any family has all types of people who are part of it, those differences don’t expel them from the family. They are loved and seen for the unique way that they contribute to the family structure.

To learn more about Theory of Racelessness, here is a video and I encourage you to purchase her book.  I am excited to learn more from Sheena Mason and her work because I yearn to be in this place of grace and I hope others will join me here.