I don't have any objections to the points you made after you wrote the above. And Jabbar Gibson is a great example of brains, survival instinct, moxy, compassion, and drive. I hope someone mentors him because he could become a great force for good with all of those elements in his character.
However, I just can't go along with "But being truly color blind is not PC." Color blind is a denial of the real, and it is a false way to overcome the bad that winds up denying the good too. Color blind is artificial. We are coloured. All of us.
So now, I the Irish red headed Catholic lady who prefers the Latin Mass quotes the Protestant rock band DC TALK:
Pardon me, your epidermis is showing, sir
I couldn't help but note your shade of melanin
I tip my hat to the colorful arrangement
Cause I see the beauty in the tones of our skinWe've gotta come together
And thank the Maker of us allWe're colored people, and we live in a tainted place
We're colored people, and they call us the human race
We've got a history so full of mistakes
And we are colored people who depend on a Holy Grace