Let's Talk Colorism.
Let's Talk About It
Colorism. Every Black person should be familiar with this term, but if you are not- here’s the rundown.
Colorism is a term that is believed to have been coined in 1982 by Alice Walker. It is defined by her to mean the “prejudicial or preferential treatment of same-race people based solely on their color.” The Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences defines colorism as “Colorism is the allocation of privilege and disadvantage according to the lightness or darkness of one’s skin.”
As Black people, especially Black people of the Diaspora who are the descendants of those victimized by the Maafa and Transatlantic Slave Trade, we are keenly aware of the fact that skin color can play a very major role in the ways that we interact with the world around us. And yet, there persists this denial of the fact that there is an internal stratification based on the depth of our Blackness within our community that I simply do not understand.
So I, being of high yellow skin and sound mind, am here to set the record straight for my other high yellow brethren and sistren who are in denial about this FACT of life using a combination of personal experience, research, and snark ^_^. Let’s start with the general nonsense that the Beige Brigade brings up any time that colorism is a topic:
But- We’re all Black.
This is true. We ARE all Black. We all experience racism. We all experience anti Blackness. Neither of these things is the same as colorism and it is proven that even WITHIN BLACKNESS, the depth of the Blackness of one’s skin can affect outcomes related to engagement with the legal system, one’s income, and one’s perceived hireability. These differences are even starker when tied to gender with Light Skinned men benefiting the MOST from colorism and Dark Skinned women being punished the most.
It is divisive to discuss colorism.
No. No, it is not. Colorism is real and it limits the abilities of Darker Skinned people and COMPOUNDS their experiences with racism. What is divisive is pretending that this is not a thing. What is divisive is enabling this system that further harms our brothers and sisters who have the most unambiguously Black skin. What is divisive is enjoying the relative advantages that are granted by colorism and pretending that the punishments that Darker-skinned people have to endure for the simple fact of their existence are not there. What is divisive is wanting to stick your head up your ass and pretend that this is not a real thing that is really harmful OR that people within our community can’t promote colorist ideas. Colorism is anti-Black. Do not pretend to be pro-Black if you do not wish to even acknowledge that it is a thing.
But… A dark-skinned person was mean to me for being light once. That’s colorism, right?
Reverse colorism is not a thing much like reverse racism is not a thing. Even if a dark skinned person WAS mean to you specifically for your color (something I do not believes actually happens. I’ve witnessed light skinned children being DICKS to darker skinned children then playing victim though), it is not colorism because in THIS situation, they are the less empowered class. Dark-skinned children are less likely to be protected or favored compared to lighter-skinned children. Darker-skinned children are more likely to face punishment in school than lighter-skinned children. This is not because of dark-skinned children being less worthy of protection or more worthy of punishment but because of the role that implicit biases in this society in making us feel like they are. It is not right.
Also, can we not pretend that the names light-skinned children get called are not nearly as animalistic and dehumanizing and anti-black as the names that dark-skinned children are called? I would rather be a “Glow Worm” than a fucking “Gorilla” and so the fuck would you. Cut it out. Every kid has been teased for something. When you grew out of your formative years, your glow-worm nature translated to more opportunity compared to the dark-skinned person you THINK bullied you. So really, the victim of colorism? STILL them. Grow up.
If there was such negativity attached to light skin compared to dark skin- there wouldn’t be an explosion of rappers who wish to capitalize on the social capital that light skin creates (like Light Skinned Keisha and Mulatto) or an explosion of Blackfishes wishing to BE light-skinned women (like DaniLeigh or 98% of insta influencers).
Here, at The Cookout, we have ZERO tolerance for people, who wish to be dismissive or otherwise in denial of colorism.