Observations and ideas about race, ethnicity and mixing.

Colorism

March 18th

“The woman skin lighter than yours and mine she feel she better than people on this hill” (Lovelace 21).

 

Colorism. The discrimination based on skin tone that has been formulated through the years of colonization. This sense of belonging to become involved with the higher class has driven people to associate, mate, and create new circles in order to include themselves or future generations into a “white” society. Around the world this concept various but colorism is a cultural aspect recognized in the Caribbeans and Latin America. It is something that replaces the cruel racism experienced in American society but still present within these community islands. The lighter you are the more privilege one will have. This is unfortunate belief because how light or dark a person is will depend on the broader group they are in: White or Black.

I write about this because these are topics still in need to discuss. With colonization, the foundation of colorism is part of the norm now. So as to challenge the oppressor with institutional and everyday racism, we must all call into question how the hegemonic power has used colorism to separate people. The hype about Black Panther is tremendously significant because it not only a “Black” movie but a dark-skinned cast.This is something that would have been unheard of or recognized properly ten years ago. A famous actress by Amandla Stenberg has played roles in the Hunger Games and teen flicks and she had recently shared her rejection to the hit movie by Marvel. Her rejection was considerate as it acknowledges herself as light-skinned woman wanting the right actress to portray the sentiment Black Panther stood for.

We need more Amandla Stenberg’s in the media and in society to help represent everyone and denounce this social construct. Colorism is a dangerous form of discrimination as it turns marginalized groups from within against each other. Like racism, it will not go away in a day, this will take time. But with the continuous discussion of it, there can be improvements made for in society.

 

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/03/amandla-stenberg-black-panther

 

Earl Lovelace, The Dragon Can’t Dance

 

2 Comments

  1. Lauren

    Your post was very interesting and the points you made all connected really well with one another. I agree with your point that continuously discussing colorism will never go away, but that discussions will really help in this effort. Challenging the oppressor is also something that needs to be done in order to confront and address these issues as the dominant group in a society, as defined by numerous scholars, decides the subordinate’s role in the society as well as how they operate in relation to the dominant. Moreover, I think that bringing in a form of media was very helpful to use in supporting your points.

  2. heronca

    I enjoyed reading your post, and how you connected colorism to colonization. However, I don’t think we need more Amandla’s because she is just another light skinned woman in the media, and there are enough of them. We need a dark-skinned woman to speak out on these issues instead.

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