This article is part of a line of thought that I proposed in another article "Memories in conflict and peace in Colombia: discrimination towards blackness and black people", in which I planted the seeds for a study about racism and discrimination towards the descendents of African people in Colombia not only as an everyday practice but especially as a long-standing problem tied to the institutional culture of the state. From an historical perspective, this institutional culture has its roots in the colonial legacy of imperial administration and its transformations during the Republican period. I suggest that the politics of imperial and colonial difference are still felt in the contemporary Colombian state. I also raise various questions about the commitment of intellectuals, historians, and geographers with regard to public policies.