What is the difference between color blind racism and passive racism?

Answer 1

There might not be. "Color-blindness" is a kind of morality preached by people who do not actively interrogate their relationship within racist systems. They would rather say nice things about not seeing race, than admit that they do see race all the time, and that they have been shaped, at-least partially, by the racist imagery we've all been bombarded with.

Passive racism is just that, a kind of racism without racists. No one is racist because no one will admit it. But racism isn't just about opinions, it's about practices, a practice that empowers white people at the expense of people of color. "Racism" ,for me, more specifically points toward the organization of politics, the economy, the criminal justice system, education, healthcare, etc. White people, across the board, have betters chances for accessing and being privileged by those institutions than do people of color.

It is a testament to the power of racism and white supremacy that we have become so confused regarding the very sharp, distinct specificity between the terms "racism" and "prejudice."