From the beginning of racism, colorism has existed; that’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. While many of us are aware of racism and its harmful effects, emptiness is usually drawn when it comes to the treatment given against people of dark skin tone. Colorism affects all non-white ethnicities but Black people face the brunt of its effects.
When the topic of colorism is raised, especially in the Black community, there is a push against it. People seem to think that talking about the reality of colorism is somehow divisive. As a group of people already on the periphery, colorist dialogues are said to try to push a wedge between communities. This reluctance to talk about it does not negate its everyday effects on dark-skinned people.
Although they originate from white supremacy, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are all active participants in promoting colorism through their perceptions of Blackness and their actions against those who are considered Black Black is unambiguous. It is a global problem that has seen the elevation of bleaching / skin lightening industries throughout Asia, the Caribbean and the Global North. Dark remnants are considered synonymous with violent and poor criminals while lighter ones are considered desirable, smart and dependable. People with lighter skin are also portrayed as more “feminine” and weak than people with darker skin. This of course buys into Anti-Blackness as it conforms to the stereotype of dark-skinned people being “masculine” and aggressive.
As a Black woman with light skin, I am well aware that my experiences are very different from those of darker black women or the monastic. Being of a Black and Indigenous ancestry, I have felt the pressure of being an “exotic” minority. While this is very discouraging for mixed inheritances, it also has social benefits as diluted Blackness is considered tastier. One is easier to accept if their complexion is not too dark, their hair is not too coarse and their features are not too black. While misogynoir is the specific discrimination that Black women face, misogynoir also intersects with colorism and has framed lighter-skinned women as more suitable leaders, scholars, artists, and partners than darker-skinned ones.
One of my first experiences with the real world effects of this was in my first official job. Through a discussion with my colleagues one day on wages, I realized that I was paid significantly more than them. These women had been in the job for years while I was fresh out of high school. The only thing was that they were dark-skinned women while I had lighter skin. Although I have experienced incidents of structural racism and microaggressions based on my race, I have had the privilege of learning about racism and anti-Black colorism on a theoretical level rather than one of lived experience. It is important that we as humans can honestly address our privileges whether they are based on race, color, class and / or gender. These all affect the way in which we can move through the world and the opportunities provided to us. This is important because in recognizing those privileges we would then be able to go further to use them towards the collective upliftment of our communities.
The view that only white people can promote anti-Blackness is an oversimplification and wrong. Anti-blackness is rooted in our history of colonialism and slavery. Colorism grabbed when white slaves raped Black women and often their pale skin / white passing offspring would be favorably treated. Favorable treatment manifested itself in many ways so that in some cases they were allowed to work in the house, gain their freedom and inherit wealth. Today people with light skin continue to benefit from preferential treatment and are often built as the foundation of their communities. This is why we continue to see people with light skin continue to dominate the media whenever Black is represented and why they are promoted more often in professional and social settings. Skin color is associated with status and the closer it fits to the specific requirements of whiteness or the mixed ideal, the greater the status seen.
Dismantling colorism means examining honestly where it came from and rejecting the negative stereotypes that are placed on those with dark complexion. There is a lot of insanity that we all have to do with the things that are internalized about whitening and blackmailing Blackness. In a world that continues to portray dark skin as less than one, it is important to recognize and celebrate Black beauty.