The Psychological Effects of Racism
Colorism
Colorism
Our project is on colorism. Our goal is to highlight the issue and to discuss what we can do about it. Links are to the left which go to the different media forms we used.
And below is the first part of our written assignment
And below is the first part of our written assignment
Colorism
Our topic was the psychological impact of racism. Given this general idea, we decided to focus on colorism. We are going to preface the details of our project with a clear definition of what colorism is, the history of colorism, and its impact on society. For this portion of the written assignment, we are using an article titled “Histories of Colorism and Implications for Education,” by Verna M. Keith and Carla R. Monroe.
As we define colorism, we also want to make clear how it is different from racism. According to the article, colorism, “centers on advantages and disadvantages that people who identify as the same race experience based on the lightness or darkness of their skin tone, and other external traits” (Keith and Monroe 4). By this definition, we see that colorism and racism are two distinct concepts: discrimination by color can occur between people of the same race, while racism is specifically about different races.
The article focuses on colorism within the United States. And it discusses how colorism came to be for African Americans, Latino Americans, and Asian Americans. While the history of colorism has deep roots and has manifested in numerous ways all over the world, the article attributes a significant amount of the colorism we see today to European colonization, and how they, “gave preferential treatment to subjugated people who were more similar to them in physical appearance, often exacerbating existing preferences for light skin” (Keith and Monroe 8).
The idea of European colonization as a major contributor to colorism in America is certainly consistent with colorism among African Americans. As slavery became a fundamental aspect of American society, we can observe that mulatto slaves were given better treatment. They were more likely to perform, “house or skilled work, roles that sometimes afforded the opportunity to learn” (Keith and Monroe 6). This preferential treatment of mulattos did not end with slavery. After the civil war, mulattos were more likely to receive a higher education. It says that, “historical research on the small number of blacks who first entered predominately white institutions of higher education suggests that these individuals were racially mixed” (Keith and Monroe 6).
A similar pattern of colorism was created within the Latino community during the Spanish colonization of Mexico. In these times of colonization, a hierarchy was formed in the communities which, “situated whites at the top of the social and economic hierarchy, numerically dominant mixed-raced individuals in the middle, and indigenous inhabitants and African slaves at the bottom” (Keith and Monroe 7). In these communities, “racial mixing resulted from sexual violence against women of color, as well as consensual formal and informal unions” (Keith and Monroe 7). This resulted in a significant population of mixed race mestizo people. Some Mexican leaders believed that the increasing mestizo population would put an end to racism—seeing the colors coming together. But despite these ideas, “stratification that is consistent with ethnoracial and color rankings of the past have been documented” (Keith and Monroe 8) in the communities.
Asian populations have a history of colorism that was founded largely by class differences. Asians of lighter complexions are associated with the higher class while those of darker complexions are associated with the working class that performs manual labor in the sun. These class differences are so fundamental to Asian culture that Asian women, “are known for using skin lighteners to whiten their appearances” (Keith and Monroe 7). This provides evidence for colorism that exists independently of European colonization. However, the article details how European colonization exacerbated the preference for lighter skin among Asians.
We see the impact of colorism today in America. The article has statistics on colorism, adding to the evidence we will present throughout the project. One statistic about African Americans is that, “income and occupational differences between light- and dark-skinned African Americans can be as wide as differentials between African Americans and Whites” (Keith and Monroe 5). The article also says that, “darker skin has been associated with lower income among Filipino American men” (Keith and Monroe 5).
The rest of our writing will be on all of the different elements of our project and their significance to colorism. Our goal with this project is to highlight the issue of colorism, and discuss what we can do about the problem. The assignment allows us to approach the problem through a number of different mediums. Because of this, we are able to have insight from people with different perspectives. We have both professors and students contributing to the project, showing the different ways people approach colorism.
Our topic was the psychological impact of racism. Given this general idea, we decided to focus on colorism. We are going to preface the details of our project with a clear definition of what colorism is, the history of colorism, and its impact on society. For this portion of the written assignment, we are using an article titled “Histories of Colorism and Implications for Education,” by Verna M. Keith and Carla R. Monroe.
As we define colorism, we also want to make clear how it is different from racism. According to the article, colorism, “centers on advantages and disadvantages that people who identify as the same race experience based on the lightness or darkness of their skin tone, and other external traits” (Keith and Monroe 4). By this definition, we see that colorism and racism are two distinct concepts: discrimination by color can occur between people of the same race, while racism is specifically about different races.
The article focuses on colorism within the United States. And it discusses how colorism came to be for African Americans, Latino Americans, and Asian Americans. While the history of colorism has deep roots and has manifested in numerous ways all over the world, the article attributes a significant amount of the colorism we see today to European colonization, and how they, “gave preferential treatment to subjugated people who were more similar to them in physical appearance, often exacerbating existing preferences for light skin” (Keith and Monroe 8).
The idea of European colonization as a major contributor to colorism in America is certainly consistent with colorism among African Americans. As slavery became a fundamental aspect of American society, we can observe that mulatto slaves were given better treatment. They were more likely to perform, “house or skilled work, roles that sometimes afforded the opportunity to learn” (Keith and Monroe 6). This preferential treatment of mulattos did not end with slavery. After the civil war, mulattos were more likely to receive a higher education. It says that, “historical research on the small number of blacks who first entered predominately white institutions of higher education suggests that these individuals were racially mixed” (Keith and Monroe 6).
A similar pattern of colorism was created within the Latino community during the Spanish colonization of Mexico. In these times of colonization, a hierarchy was formed in the communities which, “situated whites at the top of the social and economic hierarchy, numerically dominant mixed-raced individuals in the middle, and indigenous inhabitants and African slaves at the bottom” (Keith and Monroe 7). In these communities, “racial mixing resulted from sexual violence against women of color, as well as consensual formal and informal unions” (Keith and Monroe 7). This resulted in a significant population of mixed race mestizo people. Some Mexican leaders believed that the increasing mestizo population would put an end to racism—seeing the colors coming together. But despite these ideas, “stratification that is consistent with ethnoracial and color rankings of the past have been documented” (Keith and Monroe 8) in the communities.
Asian populations have a history of colorism that was founded largely by class differences. Asians of lighter complexions are associated with the higher class while those of darker complexions are associated with the working class that performs manual labor in the sun. These class differences are so fundamental to Asian culture that Asian women, “are known for using skin lighteners to whiten their appearances” (Keith and Monroe 7). This provides evidence for colorism that exists independently of European colonization. However, the article details how European colonization exacerbated the preference for lighter skin among Asians.
We see the impact of colorism today in America. The article has statistics on colorism, adding to the evidence we will present throughout the project. One statistic about African Americans is that, “income and occupational differences between light- and dark-skinned African Americans can be as wide as differentials between African Americans and Whites” (Keith and Monroe 5). The article also says that, “darker skin has been associated with lower income among Filipino American men” (Keith and Monroe 5).
The rest of our writing will be on all of the different elements of our project and their significance to colorism. Our goal with this project is to highlight the issue of colorism, and discuss what we can do about the problem. The assignment allows us to approach the problem through a number of different mediums. Because of this, we are able to have insight from people with different perspectives. We have both professors and students contributing to the project, showing the different ways people approach colorism.
