Does skin color matter? Since the election of President Barack Obama, I have been surprised by the number of people (usually Caucasian, but not always) who assert that it does not. With this one event they are ready to declare racism, colorism, discrimination, prejudice and bigotry in all its forms officially dead.

While believing that we, as a nation, have in fact realized Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream of having achieved a state where people are judged only by the “content of their characters” is a nice idea, I really don’t think we’re there yet. Not by a long shot.

Don’t get me wrong, life for African-Americans and other people of color has improved tremendously over the last forty or fifty years. I’ve seen incredible advances during my own lifetime and can attest to the fact that I really do notice that I am treated better, as an African-American woman today than my mother was when she was my age back in the 1970s and almost certainly better than my grandmother would have been when she was my age back in 1961. Even in the last ten to fifteen years daily life for me as a black person in America has improved greatly, so much so that I still find myself feeling caught a bit off guard, mostly when restaurant servers and store clerks are treating me with seemingly genuine friendliness and respect. Sadly, because I can still so clearly recall the blatant racism and disrespect that I witnessed as a child growing up in the 1960s and 70s I occasionally catch myself thinking, “I wonder why these white folks are being so nice to me?” before realizing that these young white people never lived in the world of discrimination that was so commonplace to me when I was their age.

But, despite these vast improvements, if anyone believes that color now has no impact, no influence upon any aspect of life in the United States then I would have to argue that those individuals are sadly mistaken.

Why do I believe this? Well, think of it this way. Let’s put aside the question of skin color for a moment and look at some other physical attributes that have nothing to do with a person’s intelligence, talents, moral character or general value as a human being. Physical attractiveness is probably a good example. Think about Susan Boyle, the middle aged Scottish woman who caused a sensation on the program, Britain’s Got Talent. This woman has the voice of an angel but is decidedly challenged in the physical beauty department. When she walked out on stage she was initially greeted with boos and other unflattering catcalls before she had sung one note. Even the judges had facial expressions that seemed to confirm that they had already formed some very low expectations of her talent, based on appearance alone.

Or consider this. We tell our children that when it comes to getting a job, honesty, integrity, strong work ethic and a willingness to learn are some of the essential characteristics. But, we also tell them to mind how they dress for the interview because the hiring supervisor will also be judging them based, at least in part, upon their physical appearance.

And have you ever noticed that you rarely see people who are obese in jobs that are highly visible to the public? Restaurant servers, airline ticket agents, bank tellers and others usually seem to be within average weight ranges. Is that just some weird coincidence? Somehow, I doubt it.

And what about short men? I’ve worked for a large insurance company for nearly twenty-five years and have worked in and visited branch offices all over the United States. In all that time and in all those locations I cannot recall ever seeing a member of the executive management team in any of those locations who was less than six feet in height.

So, if we’re still showing preferences for tall, attractive, well dressed, physically fit individuals in occupations where those traits are not necessary to perform the job, why are we kidding ourselves into thinking that we’ve suddenly become a colorblind society completely oblivious to race?

Now, I’m not of the mindset that racism is lurking around every corner waiting to attack at a moment’s notice. I’ve had a successful life as an African-American both personally and professionally and I can also name dozens of fellow African-American friends and colleagues who have as well. But I also know that when people look at me they are going to form some sort of initial impression and unfortunately, for some of the more unenlightened who remain among us, that impression is going to be negative, for no other reason than the color of my skin.

I’m not whining about this, mind you, just stating it as a simple fact. And over the years I have learned what I need to do to compensate for that person’s inability to view me simply as an individual. In most cases, by presenting myself as polite, intelligent, thoughtful and well-spoken I am able to very quickly overcome their initial concerns.

In my mind this is no different than the steps that any of us take, regardless of our color to make a favorable impression; things like making sure that our clothing is neat, clean and appropriate, that our hair is combed and that there is no spinach stuck between our teeth. Or the people who have cosmetic surgery because they recognize the realities of age discrimination. Or those who work out because of an awareness of the very real biases against the obese.

Do I wish that my color (and all of the other superficial external differences I’ve mentioned) didn’t matter? Of course. But by remaining aware that prejudgments based on skin color remain a possibility I am able to do what I need to do to fight against them. Pretending that they aren’t a factor, however, just isn’t a very viable option.