'Blackwash', the name taking its lead from the concept of ecological greenwash, is the blurring of the two contrasting discourses of merit and affirmative action based on race. It is a proposed overcompensation of libertarian and egalitarian principles by those in question - institutions, public bodies and individuals. Fusing social theory, sociolinguistics and discourse analysis, Tope Omoniyi looks at how pursuit of equality can conflate merit with a proactive redistribution of 'rewards' for excellence. This proactive manipulation distorts the humanist pursuit of the ideal knowledge society. He argues that in building equitable and excellent social structures, we need to move away from the discourse of the practices in and around blackwash. >.