The Color White by Nuzhat Shahzadi

Colors carry meaning. In each culture, every color has a unique connotation, associations, acceptance and avoidance.

In general, the color white symbolizes hope, cleansing, the divine, spirituality . . . in some cultures, white attires are often worn during religious ceremonies, in times of grief (in south and east Asia, some African countries). In Japan and India, white, is associated with spiritual rituals and sacredness.

White is also the color representing cleansing––symbolizes peace, healing, and spirituality.

(Hiroshima and Nagasaki didn't raise white flags after the atomic bombs fell).

In some cultures, in South Asia, especially in the traditional Hindu culture, widows wear white attires as it signifies purity, spiritual detachment from worldly affairs . . . societal expectations and peer pressures often force a widow to a long-term mourning of the loss of her husband and embrace renunciation (what if he was abusive?). Some believe that absence of color would make a widow less attractive and her chances of remarrying would decrease. However, in urban societies, such notions are becoming obsolete. Rural women are much more affected.

In Bangladesh and Pakistan widows are expected to wear white or paler shades––simple, modest clothes. There is no religious mandate as such.

In the Western culture, white stands for purity, innocence, cleanliness, and new beginnings––the traditions of white wedding dresses and sterile hospital environments reinforce this philosophy.

By wearing white at her wedding in 1840, Queen Victoria popularized white as the color of the wedding gown. Brides wore many different colors before that.

"One of the reasons white caught on and remains popular today is because it's an all-purpose symbol of innocence, purity, virginity, youth and new beginnings," says fashion historian Kimberley Chrisman-Campbell, author of The Way We Wed: A Global History of Wedding Fashion.

In some cultures, people who favor the color white are often considered to be meticulous, systematic, reasonable . . . Research also claims such people possess traits of openness, adaptability . . .

In many parts of the world, even today the white folks enjoy extra advantage. In Africa, "a Musungu" or a white person is favored over any other skin-color. The same thing is true for South Asia and East Asia. White privilege is a reality.

. . . My Bengalee friend, married to a Caucasian man, was looking to rent a house in Delhi. She found one and when she tried to negotiate a deal the agent said:

"I would rather speak with your boss. Why don't you send him?" The agent had my friend's husband's English name . . .

She was horrified––shocked out of her wits. Her Husband worked with the UN–– they had recently moved to India . . . This happened some years ago . . . I heard of many more such incidences . . .

. . . At UNICEF-ROSA, we held a big conference . . . There was a group of colleagues from NYHQ, incidentally all white-folks. On the last day at the reception dinner, all white colleagues (NYHQ, ROSA, participating country offices) sat at one table, the rest of the brown and black colleagues sat at another.

"Why all saada (white) over there? Only us here?" a senior colleague from the Pakistan country office observed jokingly.

Even in our system, discrimination exists. It's systemic. I have been told (including by friends in HR) that candidates from donor countries (mostly white) have greater chances of securing a post in UNICEF as compared to a more capable non-white candidate (from anywhere . . .). This is an uncomfortable reality. And there is no confidentiality in our systems . . .

Debates on race capture a lot of space everywhere––schools, institutions, the media . . . below is an interesting excerpt (June 19, 2022) from Dana Brownlee, Former Contributor, FORBES:

"I don't see color" has become a common refrain from many white (and some non-white) professionals who view discussions of race as anachronistic, unnecessary trouble-making encouraged by negative naysayers sowing division. Many in this crowd are quick to shut down any potential race-focused conversation with tired, sanctimonious references to Dr. King's "not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character" comment in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. They claim an unearned high ground that abruptly stifles and neutralizes very necessary, long overdue grappling with fundamental issues of racism and inequity.

While many people (of all racial backgrounds) are quite well-intentioned when they assert the familiar "I don't see color; let's be race-neutral" refrain, the simple truth is that for many Black and Brown people, those words are like nails on a chalkboard—flashing red lights that evoke a visceral feeling of angst, disappointment and frustration. (Dear White People: When You Say You 'Don't See Color,' This Is What We Really Hear . . .) . . .

National guards are touring the streets in Washington DC. They challenge only non white people to show documentation for their legal presence in the US. Non-white citizens now carry their passports to prove they are not illegals.

. . . . . .

When I think of the color white, I think of Jasmine flowers—the exotic fragrance entangled in my mom's hair as she wore it often—the white of the Jasmine glowing against her jet-black tresses . . . I can almost feel her presence enwrapped in the sweet incense of Jasmine.

I love the color white . . .