This week I’m talking about colorism in Hollywood movies. Here I focus on the actual movie, what the audience experiences while watching it–visual imagery, music, dialogue, and the narrative itself–rather than behind the scenes production and business. I’m also focused here on African American women in film, though there are relevant and related tangents. What I present are some of the basic ways that we might see colorism in movies.

Watch, Listen, or Read more below:

Why Representation Matters

As Malcolm X said in the speech that changed my life:

“this is a science that’s called ‘image making.’ They hold you in check through this science of imagery. They even make you look down upon yourself, by giving you a bad image of yourself. Some of our own Black people have eaten this image themselves and digested it—until they themselves don’t want to live in the Black community. They don’t want to be around Black people themselves…

“It’s imagery. They use their ability to create images, and then they use these images that they’ve created to mislead the people.”

Anyone who thinks movies (and TV) are “just entertainment” is choosing to be dangerously oblivious. Movies in particular have been a primary and highly effective tool for propaganda and social conditioning since the earliest days of filmmaking.

If you’re looking for a speaker or facilitator for your next colorism event, learn about Dr. Sarah Webb’s colorism keynotes and workshops.

Colorism in The Harder They Fall Movie: Zazie Beetz cast as Stagecoach Mary

At the time I’m writing this, the most current movie being called out for colorism is The Harder They Fall because the light-skinned, mixed-race actress Zazie Beetz was cast to play Stagecoach Mary (Mary Fields), a very dark-skinned woman who was the first woman to deliver U.S. mail. The more I learn about Mary Fields, the more obvious it becomes that the colorism in The Harder They Fall is blatant disrespect of this woman’s legacy. They chose an actress that represents the exact opposite in many ways of who Stagecoach Mary was.

• Light-skinned
• Biracial
• German
• Skinny
• Younger

And apparently there are scenes depicting this character in a corset, although Stagecoach Mary was well known for wearing men’s clothing.

One of the male actors in the movie responded with some tired comment about unity. But there aren’t any light-skinned and/or biracial men in the primary cast… So… This is just another classic case of Black men in Hollywood, dark-skinned Black men in particular, being colorist AF when it comes to Black women.

But there have been countless movies before this. And undoubtedly several future movies are already being post-produced, produced, written, and conceived that will perpetuate colorism in various ways. So the rest of this post is about the basic ways to spot colorism in any movie.

WHO is on screen, and who is not?

This is the first thing we notice when Hollywood releases a new film, and most conversations about colorism in Hollywood start here.

If you want to assess whether a film is perpetuating colorism, simply look to see if there are any dark-skinned women in the movie. One of the most basic forms of colorism in movies is the exclusion of dark-skinned actresses.

HOW MUCH screen time do they have?

If they are in the movie at all, how much screen time do they actually receive? Sure, they may be in the film, but if it’s only for a total of 5 minutes in a 120 minute film, it’s not really a substantive role.

WHAT roles do they play?

Speaking of roles, a second step to identifying colorism in Hollywood movies is to consider what roles dark-skinned actresses play, especially in contrast to the roles cast with light-skinned actresses.

• Are the dark-skinned actresses playing the lead character, or just a supporting role?
• Are their characters reinforcing negative stereotypes?
• Are they purely there for comic relief?
• Are they playing the antagonist or the villain, especially toward a lighter-skinned actress?
• Do they have a viable romantic interest?
• Is their purpose to serve or save others?
• Are they allowed a happy ending?
• Are they complex characters with an interesting story arch?
• Does they get a lot of closeups that clearly show their full face?
• Is their hair, makeup, and wardrobe well-styled?

I’ve said it several times before, but it bears repeating: It’s not just the quantity of roles for dark-skinned actresses, it’s also the quality of their roles.

For Further Discussion on Colorism in Hollywood Movies

The goal of this post was simply to present some of the basic ways to start recognizing more clearly how colorism is perpetuated in movies. In a further discussion we can address what to do about it. What are our pathways for creating change?

I’ve been a public advocate against colorism for over a decade now. In that time, I’ve had a lot of learning and growth. Several of the people I talk to these days are also engaging in advocacy work related to colorism, or they’re hoping to start. So I thought I’d share 6 lessons that have helped me start, sustain, and grow my colorism advocacy. Let me know if you find this kind of topic helpful and would like to learn more about this.

Watch, Listen, or Read below.

Have a clear and compelling motivation.

Find your “why,” as they say. What would inspire you to “get out of bed” or “get off the couch” (even though social media can be done in bed or on the couch! Lol).

One of the most important tips for motivation is that if you want to sustain your work, find a positive or constructive motivation rather than a negative or destructive one.

We can be motivated by pettiness, revenge, getting even, outing someone, sticking it to the man, etc. But these sources of motivation will deplete, and I believe destroy you and your mission in the long term.

Last year, a dark-skinned girl reached out to me in a state of distress after she started a new page to out a colorist and prove to others that a certain person was harmful. Her efforts were not resulting in anything she’d hoped for, and actually added to her pain. I advised her not to make her platform about another person. This is what we call “giving your power away.” I explained that this approach makes the colorist person more powerful and gives them energy they do not deserve.

Folks disagree, and everyone has their own approach, but I think the stronger, healthier motivation is what you love, not what you hate.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t room or purpose for anger. But as I recently advised a coaching client, try balancing, grounding, or channeling your anger in constructive ways. One way to do this mentally is to say: I am angry about _____ because I love _____.

My initial motivation was healing, in case you were wondering, lol. But yours might be joy, fun, inner peace, equality, freedom, generosity, unity, or any number of things.

In more concrete terms, my motivation was to be the resource, be the person that my younger self would have loved to see. And I believed there are lots of girls like me who also need this now. So I literally keep photographs of my little girl self. Or I see and hear stories about a dark-skinned child, or a dark-skinned inner child, and it refuels my motivation.

Identify your core values.

I learned this while freelancing for Michael C. Bush in 2012-2013. Your core values will be your moral compass and your ethical litmus test guiding every decision you make, big or small. It actually does make choices easier!

I currently have 4 core values that you can read about on my about page. I believe best practice is to keep the list as short as you can, probably no more than 5. Too many core values muddies the waters. Remember, the value of establishing core values is they help you discern what’s right for you and what’s not.

Presented with an opportunity? Hold it up against your core values and see if it’s a true match! Need to choose what content to create? Brain storm ideas and see which ones best align with one more of your espoused values! Need to check yourself? Audit your work and your actions to see how they measure up to your core values!

Pro Tip: Your values can actually help you generate content ideas and organize them. Ex. If your values are education and fun, brain storm posts that are actually teaching something as well as posts that are actually fun. Or brain storm a list of things you want to teach and a list of fun ways to deliver content, and then play mix and match across those two lists. You’ll generate a lot more content that way!

Leverage your strengths.

I was a year out of my Creative Writing MFA, teaching 9th grade English Language Arts. So blogging was a logical way for me to maintain a regular writing practice, and that’s how Colorism Healing eventually came to be.

Perhaps you have a “green thumb” for graphic design and can make lots of pretty stuff for Pinterest and Instagram. Perhaps you talk good but also like to stay in your pajamas all day, so you focus on podcasts. Or perhaps you’ve got a knack for live event planning and focus primarily on conferences or retreats.

You don’t have to do it all or be in all the places, especially when you start. But even after you’ve been at it for awhile, you’ll probably still have a home base or a hub that drives your engagement everywhere else.

My website is my virtual “central office/headquarters,” but Instagram is my major “satellite hub” at the moment. TikTok, which is actually my largest audience at the time of this writing, is second. Despite the slightly bigger following, it’s still not my biggest strength right now.

Go where the joy resides.

For maximum endurance, add to your strengths the element of joy, pleasure, or love. The more overlap you can get between what you’re good at and what you enjoy, the easier it will be to keep going and growing.

I’m lucky that I actually enjoy the creating part of content creation. I love talking and teaching. I love going live and reading your comments! But I also love the mechanics of designing my own website, shooting and editing my own videos, and crafting my own IG graphics and YouTube thumbnails on Canva.

After 8 years of doing it all on my own, I hired some help just 2 months ago. This is where growth comes in. Getting started and sustaining was fine by myself for quite some time. But as I set my sights on further expansion and growth, I knew I had to invest in reliable help.

And yet, I still do a lot of this stuff myself. The fact that I enjoy those parts of it really did contribute to me not (totally) burning out and quitting over the past several years. People underestimate how much of their time, especially early on, will be spent in the weeds and mechanics of things. So try to focus on the stuff you enjoy, or at least don’t hate. If you’re not into any of that, consider hiring help sooner or partnering with a collaborator!

Focus on who does show up.

Whether your efforts are in-person or online, don’t waste energy complaining about who’s not showing up. Show respect and appreciation for the people who do, no matter how few or how many.

A HUGE pet peeve is when I’m sitting in a sparse audience and the host or organizer says, “nobody’s here” or “nobody showed up.” I’m like, so I guess I’m nobody? I guess those of us who did bother to show up are not enough? I guess we’re invisible? It’s seriously so disrespectful and invalidating of the people who took their invaluable time and made the effort to attend, to watch, like, comment, etc.

This kind of work is mission driven, not popularity driven. Yes, we want to spread awareness about colorism as far and wide as we can, but each individual person matters along the way. A million people consists of 1 person a million times.

When you love that one audience member, they will help you spread the word. But if you ignore them or give them half effort, you’ll never reach the larger audience you want. My thought process has always been, every individual person, even if it’s just one individual person, deserves my best effort! It’s like that bible verse that says: The one who is faithful with a few shall be blessed with a lot. Or something like that, lol.

Keep learning and recalibrating.

Know that you can’t “set it and forget it,” at least not indefinitely. You do have to have regular periods of reflection, auditing, learning, training, strategizing, and planning.

Continue learning more about your subject matter as well as the skills you need to execute your mission. And continue reflecting on what’s working, what’s not, and how you can pivot according to changing needs and evolving goals.

Bonus Tip: Ebb and Flow as needed.

I have not been on a linear, steady climb these past 8 years. I would go months without posting. There were years I skipped the writing contest. But even when I was “taking a break” I was still doing my work, which in many ways is the work. Being gracious with myself and accepting my life for what it was during those times really helped me stay in the game for as long as I have. Because this is part of my overall life mission, I knew even in the lulls that we were still in it. (I also refer to myself in first-person plural quite often! Lol).

Several of you expressed an interest in having a conversation about common colorism myths, so here it is! My own approach to talking about colorism has evolved over the past decade, becoming much more nuanced and integrating my own theories and philosophies based in ongoing research, conversations, and observations. I’ve come to recognize the ways we can disagree yet still be in solidarity with each other.

But there are some ideas that are simply untrue and are harmful, dangerous, or at the very least counter-productive to perpetuate. My list of “myths” will incorporate a little bit of both: the dis/misinformation that definitely needs to be corrected, as well as some of the nuances that aren’t necessarily dealbreakers, but that I’ve come to believe are extremely useful.

Watch or Listen to Dr. Sarah Discuss Common Colorism Myths LIVE, or Scroll to Read Below:

MYTH 1: Colorism is a myth.

Colorism is real. People say it’s made up or fake because they are choosing to ignore the facts. I remember reading tweets about the word itself being made up or fake (before dictionaries caught on). Here’s the thing, in 2021 legitimate information on colorism is accessible enough that anyone truly open to learning and understanding can do just that. So when I see people outright denying colorism, I know there’s a deeper problem there that I cannot solve.

MYTH 2: Colorism goes both ways.

It does not go “both ways.” Colorism is systemic, and nowhere in our society has the research shown that lighter skinned people are at a disadvantage relative to darker skinned people.

Personal conflicts and bullying do not amount to the reversal of a system. Furthermore, colorism is born of the ideology that dark skin and therefore dark-skinned people are inherently inferior. Whatever backlash lighter skinned people receive, it’s not the “reverse” of that because it’s not based in an ideology of light-skin inferiority. Rather, it is almost always a frustration about the existing system that privileges and values lighter skin tones above darker skin tones.

Instead of saying: “They hate me because I’m light-skinned,” start saying: “They hate that I have light-skinned privilege.” It rolls off the tongue a lil different. Doesn’t mean anyone deserves to be mistreated, but the solution rests in being honest about the root cause of it.

Another reason the “both ways” argument is flawed is because it assumes colorism is light-skinned people against dark-skinned people of the same race. But colorism is really people of every race and shade consciously or unconsciously against dark-skinned people.

So, yes, dark-skinned people can be colorist against other dark-skinned people including themselves.

MYTH 3: Colorism only affects dark-skinned people.

Colorism can affect anyone who is darker than someone else, even if they’re not really dark at all. A brown or tan person could be ostracized or discriminated against compared to people with even lighter skin than theirs.

Several research studies isolate demographics to measure the impact of colorism beyond the light-dark binary. What they reveal is that there is indeed a spectrum of privilege where even a difference between “very light” and “light” results in different outcomes as does “medium” and “dark” or “very dark.”

I go back to my analogy of money. Even though $100,000 gives you access to a lot more things than $25,000, it doesn’t give you as much access as $1 Million.

The notion of being a “safe brown” is only evident in the interpersonal arena. But the research shows that even folks with mid-tone complexions experience inequity relative to lighter skinned folks in employment, marriage, education, etc.

MYTH 4: Colorism only affects Black (African American) people.

Colorism is seen in all ethnic and racial groups. Asia has been the largest and fastest growing market for skin whitening products. White folks have long believed in blonde hair and blue eyes as superior racial features. Latinx folks (who are still largely seen as separate from Blackness even though they can be racially Black as well) have practiced “mejorando la raza” to lighten their future generations. Even many Indigenous Americans express a preference for whiteness in both aesthetic and culture.

MYTH 5: Colorism is only perpetuated within a race.

A person’s colorist preference for lighter skin does not stop within their own race. That’s not how implicit skin tone bias works. It doesn’t shut off just because the other person is of a different race than you.

What we might observe is that people can be more comfortable expressing or acting on their colorism with folks of the same race. We might also observe that where anti-Blackness is really the root cause of discrimination, that a dark-skinned non-Black person is preferred over a lighter-skinned Black person.

If you’re looking for a speaker or facilitator for your next colorism event, learn about Dr. Sarah Webb’s colorism keynotes and workshops.

MYTH 6: White people do not perpetuate colorism.

White people are just as likely, if not more likely, to perpetuate colorism than people of color. It is very often so subconscious that they may not recognize it. White people may be less likely to engage in the overt forms of colorism, but they do perpetuate it in social institutions like the legal system, schooling and education, employment, sports, etc.

We must also remember that in the African American context in particular, colorism is a direct result of how white people treated us, perceived us, and described us based on our complexions.

MYTH 7: Colorism is less important than racism.

All of the same structural and social inequalities folks care about when it comes to racism are paralleled by colorism, especially in countries like the United States where someone can be legally classified as Black even though they look exactly like people who are legally classified as white. The wage gaps, the employment gaps, the education gaps, the crime and punishment gaps between races are mirrored very closely among individuals of the same race. Several studies find, in fact, that for very light-skinned African American or Latinx groups there is no measurable difference between their life outcomes and the life outcomes of white people. Shocking.

This is also why I now prefer the lens of colorism and anti-Blackness over the lens of racism. I’ll keep saying it: Most of the ills we attribute to racism are much better explained through the lens of colorism and anti-Blackness specifically.

Also, race is a social construct partially based on the physical differences among people that are easily observable to the human eye, especially differences in skin tone, hair type, facial features, and body type. Thus, it was early forms of colorism, meaning the differential assignment of value, virtue, and legal rights to groups of people based on their skin color and other features, that lead to the creation of the notion of race and consequently racism to begin with.

MYTH 8: Talking about colorism causes division.

Colorism is the cause of division (and inequality). It has been creating division for generations. Staying silent enables continued division. Talking about it enables us to find solutions.

Also, rather than talking about “division,” let’s talk about the inequalities that exist due to colorism. Staying silent about colorism perpetuates the inequalities caused by colorism. And folks use the accusation of causing “division” to shut down conversations that might rectify those inequalities (because they are, for some reason, invested in them).

Any so-called “unity” that demands my silence is not unity. It’s just old-fashioned oppression. There can be no true unity amongst us without equity and justice and accountability amongst us. Don’t be fooled by those who actively undermine dialogue on colorism in the name of “unity.” They’re not protecting our unity, they’re protecting the status quo.

MYTH 9: Light skin privilege doesn’t exist. / Light skinned people have the same experience as dark-skinned people.

Light skin privilege is a very real thing. Light skin privilege exists. I’ve already noted the research on the systemic inequalities and the implicit biases that all favor lighter skinned people, so I won’t spend much time on that part.

But what I’d like to add here is 1) You don’t have to be aware of your privilege to have it.

2) Every aspect of our identities impacts our experiences in the world. Skin color is no different. People can call out white feminists who say “we’re all women” and then proceed to say “we’re all Black.” But, Fam, intersectionality matters.

3) Privilege is not all-or-nothing. Just because your marginalized for your race doesn’t mean you can’t be privileged because of your skin tone.

4) There are plenty of light-skinned people who have actively invested in, perpetuated, and exploited their privilege. Rather than complaining on a dark-skinned woman’s post about “not being Black enough,” go hold your fellow light-skinned people accountable.

MYTH 10: Dark-skinned women who talk about colorism are insecure and jealous.

Would you accuse Martin Luther King Jr. of being jealous of white people and insecure about his Blackness because he spoke out about racism???

No, a dark-skinned person speaking about harmful systems is actually displaying radical, audacious self-love. It’s precisely because we do love ourselves that we are standing up for ourselves.

Are your friends colorist? Or is colorism affecting your friendship? As people are learning more about colorism and doing more self-reflection and personal growth, we are able to see our relationships with greater perspective and clarity over time. I continue to have followers and clients talk about the difficulty of navigating colorism within their friendships. In this post I share 10 warning signs or red flags that your friends might be colorist. Next week, I will return with 10 tips on how to handle it!

Watch, Listen, or Read More Below

10 Red Flags of Colorist Friends (Colorism in Friendships)

Before I dive into these, it’s worth noting that even a dark-skinned friend can be colorist. I did a live earlier this year on internalized colorism in dark-skinned people that I highly recommend.

1. Explicitly express color-based dating preferences.

2. Wish to have light-skinned children.

3. Make jokes about skin color.

4. Generally hyper-focus on skin color and racialized features.

5. Constantly and almost exclusively praise and affirm light skin or eurocentric features, or people who have such features.

If you’re looking for a speaker or facilitator for your next colorism event, learn about Dr. Sarah Webb’s colorism keynotes and workshops.

6. Quickly and easily stereotype or assume negative about dark-skinned people.

7. Suggest that you or others would be so pretty if…

8. Are paranoid about getting darker.

9. Remain oblivious to, or gladly accept preferential treatment.

10. Are cool with dark-skinned people being flunkies.

BONUS: Dismiss or derail discussions about colorism.

Before I get into the tips next week, I want to share some great comments my followers left on my post previewing this live topic.

“I think many colorist friends are in denial. They pretend they are not colorist but then proceed to do colorist things. Like only date or marry light skinned women, etc. When you confront them, they get mad.”

@revise_rewrite

“I HAD a friend that would only date light skinned men because she wanted to have a baby with light skin and “good hair”. The breaking point in our friendship was when I had my baby. My baby was born with breathing issues and had to kept in the NICU for a week. She came to visit me and my baby and the first thing that came out of her mouth was, “How was your baby born with light skin and straight hair? You and the daddy are dark skinned?!” I couldn’t believe that my baby’s health is in jeopardy but you’re more focused on what she looks like?! I was so repulsed by that and I ended the friendship right there smh. and to add, when she did have her babies by light skinned men they all ended up coming out just like her dark skinned. She was actually disappointed and resented her children. Sad that she can’t see the beauty in them because of their skin tone.”

@tina_c1984

I have been thinking about the plight of daughters with colorist fathers for years, but it wasn’t until one of my followers left a comment on a post last week that I realized I need to talk about this. I think I might have subconsciously assumed that it was something only I was observing and thinking about. So when I read that comment, the lightbulb went off that there are probably a large number of dark-skinned girls and women navigating the reality that even their own fathers don’t see beauty, value, or worth in other women who look like them.

Watch, Listen, or Read Below

“I’ve had a couple of BM who are married to yt women express disappointment to me after finding out I’m mixed and still have prominent Blck features…. having both of my Blk father figures have a white/lighter skin/Caucasian feature preference has been extremely damaging to my own self view growing up and still. I haven’t had that conversation with anyone else, but I always wonder about other women who have colorist fathers.”

@meganreneewilson

I’ve embedded the post where this comment was left. It’s worth reading the original post and the other comments as well!

Dark-Skinned Daughters of Colorist Fathers

I and many dark-skinned women have light-skinned mothers, and we often have dark-skinned fathers. This means our earliest and most intimate examples of romantic partnerships did not reflect our image. Our earliest and most intimate examples of romantic relationships reinforced the pattern of colorism in the heteronormative dating and marriage market.

I remember thinking at times: Even my own father did not see beauty in women who look like me. So why would I be surprised if other men do not either?

And beyond me, I think about others I’ve observed. When I see dark-skinned girls with white/light step mothers, for example, I wonder what narrative is being reinforced at home.

Words of affirmation and explicit teaching can go a long way, but young children are especially keen on what adults do more than what we say. I remember resonating with some of the data from a research article in which dark-skinned participants noted how the men in their families–fathers, brothers, uncles, etc.–often affirmed them and their Black beauty, but contradicted that positive feedback in their explicit praise of and preference for other women.

It’s not uncommon for a child or young person to think: you’re just saying that because you’re my father. But your actions tell a different story.

Media Examples Dad’s and Daughters

Erica Campbell’s daughter. That one is also a good example of how the dark-skinned dad, light-skinned mother often means that dark-skinned daughters are sometimes left without a parental figure who gets it, who is aware and proactive about issues with colorism. We can’t prove that the father is colorist in this case, but it’s a great example of how a child might interpret the repeating pattern of dark-skinned dads with light-skinned moms.

The rapper T.I.’s daughter recently posted on twitter that she is “so sad” to have her dad’s kinkier hair texture. Considering her dad’s expression of who he sees as attractive, the fact that his current wife has had a medical procedure to permanently lighten her eye color, and the pressures of being a celebrity family, compounded by the larger society’s obsession with Eurocentric features, there’s no surprise that she struggles to see beauty in her distinctly Black natural features.

A different follower of mine (@soulzandgspotz) left a comment on my post announcing this topic that she was just talking about this with regard to Lil Wayne’s daughter. The rapper is quoted as saying: “MY daughter is the first and last dark skin child I’m having. The rest of my baby moms [are] light-skinned chicks. I even got an Asian baby moms to make sure I have a daughter with good hair. Too bad we had a son.” And when confronted about his colorism, he defended it by saying his daughter is different than other dark-skinned girls because she’s a millionaire.

How can we respond to this dynamic?

Fathers need to check their privilege, check their biases, heal their own wounds, and show up for their children around issues related to colorism.

Men in general need to be more vocal about colorism and their role in perpetuating it. Dark-skinned men need to be more visible and proactive at creating conversations and spaces where men can learn, unlearn, heal, grow, and promote change.

Light-skinned mothers also must check their privilege, check their biases, heal their own wounds, and show up for their children around issues related to colorism.

All of us must be aware of this dynamic and really pay attention to the children and young people in our lives who might be struggling with colorism.

For us daughters, we have power and agency and responsibility as well. Self-assess for internalized colorism, and prioritize your own healing. If it’s safe to do so, have conversations with your fathers, mothers, families about your experiences with colorism and how you need them to show up for you.

Pretty privilege is the privilege that comes from having a physical appearance that more closely matches the societal standards of beauty.

Watch or listen to the live discussion on Pretty Privilege, or keep scrolling to finish reading:

Review of Privilege

Before I dive into pretty privilege specifically, I want to review 4 important points about privilege in general.

1) Though some people are definitely more privileged than others, everyone reading/listening to this has some degree of privilege.

2) Privilege is not “all-or-nothing.” Many people act as if, you’re either always privileged all the time in every way or you have no privilege whatsoever or that the little you have doesn’t matter. Even a little bit of privilege can matter. We should not think that because I don’t experience the maximum amount of privilege in every moment of my life that the times when I am privileged are insignificant.

3) You don’t have to see or be aware of your privilege in order to have it and benefit from it.

4) It’s important not to equate having painful experiences with not having privilege. Pain and privilege can often coexist. It is common that having a form of privilege makes someone a target of resentment or backlash. For example, being wealthy might make you a target for theft and robbery, or false friends who only want to get close to you for your money. But those negative threats do not negate the privileged position of being wealthy.

If you’re looking for a speaker or facilitator for your next colorism event, learn about Dr. Sarah Webb’s colorism keynotes and workshops.

Pretty Privilege

I first became aware of this term while listening to a talk by Janet Mock. She talks about pretty privilege not only in general terms, but also at the specific intersections of being a mixed-with-Black, curvy yet thin, trans woman. She has some spot on statements that are worth including here:

“Pretty privilege can give way to more popularity, higher grades, more positive work reviews, and career advancement. People who are considered pretty are more likely to be hired, have higher salaries, and are less likely to be found guilty and are sentenced less harshly. Pretty people are perceived as smarter, healthier and more competent, and people treat pretty people better. Pretty privilege is also conditional and is not often extended to women who are trans, black and brown, disabled, older, and/or fat.”

-Janet Mock

Mock also acknowledges the downsides of being seen as a pretty girl such as objectification or stereotypes about pretty girls lacking intelligence or work ethic. But then she says something else that I think hits the nail on the head:

“I’ve noticed that it’s more acceptable for pretty women to complain about objectification, the male gaze, and the ways in which beauty can undermine intelligence and contribution, but rarely do pretty women complain about — or, rather, acknowledge — the access their prettiness extends to them.”

-Janet Mock

The last thing I’ll note about pretty privilege in general before I explain how it relates to colorism, texturism, and featurism, is that pretty privilege is more slippery than other forms of privilege because perceptions of beauty are so subjective. Just because we perceive someone as pretty, doesn’t mean they have pretty privilege. And just because we perceive someone as not pretty, doesn’t mean they do not have pretty privilege.

This is why I defined pretty privilege the way I did in the very first line of this post. It’s about how closely your unique combination of physical traits and the way you choose to package those traits match or do not match cultural ideas of “prettiness.”

Packaging Prettiness

Women and femmes in particular can take measures to increase their chances of being perceived as pretty. Wearing makeup is definitely the most common, but so is choosing specific hairstyles, usually long and straight, or specific types of clothing, such as high heels, corsets, push-up bras, etc.

However, girls and women whose natural features are already considered pretty, such as having a naturally even skin tone with no scarring, benefit from pretty privilege even without careful packaging. In fact, one of the advantages to pretty privilege is being able to still be seen as pretty when you’re not dressed up or fully made up.

Pretty Privilege and Men

Although “pretty” is a gendered term usually deemed a feminine, female, girl, woman descriptor, men and masculine presenting individuals do have a version of this as well.

I think about this in relation to colorism a lot because many dark-skinned men are considered heart throbs, but they always have facial features typically associated with white men–thinner noses and lips. They also tend to have more defined facial structure in general and are either slim or very fit.

However, patriarchal society does not judge or police men based on perceived attractiveness nearly as much as women.

Pretty Privilege and Colorism, Featurism, and Texturism,

When taking into account colorism, featurism, and texturism, the basic structure of pretty privilege is that people of color with lighter skin, narrower noses, thinner lips, lighter eye color, and looser curls or straighter hair, benefit the most from pretty privilege. These features are generally deemed inherently desirable and inherently pretty.

Case in point, when Black folks say that an interracial couple will have “pretty babies,” they are using shorthand for “light skin, thin features, loosely curled hair, etc.” Without even knowing what a child will actually look like, folks automatically assume they will be “pretty” as long as they have those features.

So light-skinned people are more likely to benefit from pretty privilege because lighter skin is seen as inherently prettier. But a light skinned person with a wide nose and type 4 hair or large lips will not have the same degree of pretty privilege as someone their same color but with a slim nose and green eyes.

And while darker skin is not the societal idea of pretty, a dark-skinned girl with hazel eyes, or long hair, or a slim nose, and a slender frame could be privileged relative to other dark-skinned girls. I think, Tatyana Ali, Tika Sumpter, Kesha Knight Pulliam, Aja Naomi King, and even Issa Rae are iconic for this. Even though these women are dark-skinned, their features and hair have allowed them to play certain roles.

I also think about these quotes from Coffee Will Make You Black by April Sinclair:

“Mama says she doesn’t know where I was when they were handing out color and hair. . . . But at least I’ve got nice features, she’s thankful for that . . . . she’s glad I don’t have a wide nose and big lips like Grandma and other colored people.”

-April Sinclair, Coffee Will Make You Black

And she later makes the opposite observation:

“Denise had some meat on her bones, large eyes, a wide nose, full lips, and was light-skinned. Mama would call Denise “yellow-wasted.” That’s what she called light-skinned people with hair nappy enough to be straightened and/or African features.”

-April Sinclair, Coffee Will Make You Black

Pretty, again, is a gendered term, and so is skin tone. Because light skin is associated with femininity and “pretty” is considered a feminine trait, these correlations contribute to the perception of light-skinned people as pretty. And because dark-skin is masculinized, it’s less likely to be associated with prettiness.

Is colorism still a problem? If so, what does it look like now? Has it gotten better or worse?

Yes, colorism still exists. We can’t solve a problem we refuse to acknowledge, and for far too long, society has ignored this issue. So, of course it’s still here. A dirty room doesn’t clean itself.

Before I explain ways that we know colorism is still a thing, I have to acknowledge that there will always be colorism deniers, just like there are people who deny that racism is still a problem. I, you, will never be able to convince someone to believe that colorism is real and significant if they don’t want to believe it.

I say this now because what I’ve learned through this work on Colorism Healing, is that we have to be discerning about where we spend our time, energy, and attention. I’ve said before I’m not here to “convince” anyone, but simply to share information and insights and allow people to learn as and if they wish.

Evidence that Colorism is Still a Problem

First-Hand Accounts of Colorism

All the evidence for colorism today is quite similar to the evidence of yesterday. The first is that people are still reporting instances of acute colorism. For example, people are still being told that they are “pretty for a dark-skinned girl.” People are still explicitly espousing negative stereotypes about dark-skinned women in particular.

But people report even more cruel behaviors and actions than that. Their testimonies are often ignored, denied, or dismissed, and they are even blamed or accused of being the source of the problem. Gaslighting.

Listen to and believe dark-skinned Black women.

Modern Documentation of Colorism

Modern technology has not only been a source of documentation, but also, unfortunately, a medium of circulation. Social media has given colorism an even broader platform. In that way, it is worse now than before.

In the far past, colorism was limited to people in your local community. In the recent past, there was also the popular media, which had a relatively limited number of platforms and voices that were broadcast to the many. In the present, though, all the people who have no shame in being overtly colorist, get to spew their hatred through the megaphone of TikTok, Twitter, Snap Chat, and all the other networking sites. And then when you add all the folks who are unconsciously colorist, the barrage of colorism is relatively massive.

Pro Tip: You don’t have to repost colorist content in order to talk about and address colorism. Sharing that content, even for the purpose of critiquing it, not only amplifies their voice in a way they don’t deserve, it also re-triggers dark-skinned people.

Sometimes it’s necessary to provide an example to illustrate your point, but often it’s not. Some people reshare harmful content because it’s guaranteed to boost social engagement. Please, let’s not exploit colorism for click bait.

Research on Colorism

In my index of resources on colorism, there’s an article that goes back to 1917, multiples articles published this year, and hundreds written in the decades between.

This is the one that gets people. Those who were hoping they could dismiss colorism as either not a problem at all, no longer a problem, or an insignificant problem at most, usually don’t know what to do when presented with data that shows how colorism parallels racism throughout global society.

It bears repeating: Colorism continues to cause inequity among people of the same race in all areas of life, such as education, employment, income, and healthcare.

The next question should be: What are we going to do about the problem of colorism?

That’s ultimately a question you have to decide for yourself. Actions against colorism can be very simple and mundane, or they can be large-scale and multifaceted. I’ve created other content (and will continue to) that can give you some idea about where to begin.

8 Tips for Dealing with Colorism in Families.

Leveraging Social Media.

Children’s and Youth Literature.

Watch or Listen to the Full Discussion:

I’m picking back up with a conversation I started last week on colorism and classism. Check out the previous post on color as currency if you need more context.

Last week I began by talking about Angela Davis as an advocate for intersectionality even before the word was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw. Angela Davis was a member of the Black Communist Party, acknowledging the need to consider race and class as interlocking systems. And I ended last week by acknowledging that Angela Davis is not just Black, she’s a very light-skinned Black woman with a loose curl patter and a middle/upper-middle class upbringing. I think even her life is a great example that color, in addition to race, impacts our class status.

So here are the 3 questions or subtopics I want to discuss today:

How color discrimination impacts economic status

• Impacts levels of schooling and quality of schooling, which then impacts job and career options and pay rates.
• Implicit color bias in the workplace results in more employment opportunities and career advancement for light-skinned people of color.
  • This includes the entertainment industry. People think it’s “just entertainment.” Aside from the consequential impact media has on society as a mode of socialization and conditioning, the entertainment industry is also a career field. Colorism in casting is colorism in hiring!
  • In all fields, the implicit bias attributes greater intelligence, competence, marketability, relatability, and professionalism to light-skinned POCs.
• Outright employment discrimination with explicit demand for light-skinned employees and greater positioning and benefits for light-skinned employees versus distrust or suspicion of dark-skinned employees.
  • It’s harder to get away with this now, but it still happens. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has settled cases of explicit colorism.

How color has been a form of generational economic wealth

Employment discrimination based on skin tone has been happening for generations in both Black and non-Black school and work environments. Because light skinned people have historically been granted greater employment opportunities, they’ve had more opportunities to save and accumulate wealth. They then have the resources to provide their children better education and greater opportunities so that their next generation starts off in an even better economic position.

And this has been happening since the institution of race-based slavery. The mixed race descendants of white-male-enslavers were far more likely to be formally educated and taught certain trades and skills that they could use to build economic stability. They were also more likely to be granted their freedom and inherit property or assets, etc. And this benefited their offspring as well.

Though this did not always happen and was not necessarily a default practice, it happened often enough to create a separate class of freed people who were light-skinned with other Eurocentric phenotypes. They often created communities for themselves separate and apart from “Black negroes” that they deemed to be a different and lower class than them.

They intentionally kept their status, currency, resources, and growing wealth within their light-skinned community of mixed ancestry. They built communities, schools, and organizations that explicitly discriminated against and excluded dark-skinned Black people.

It was very common in Louisiana to see entire multi-generational families that were all light-skinned. It’s rare to see such a family that does not have economic privilege stemming from color privilege.

I emphasize that this generational wealth is economic because dark-skinned people and families have passed on legacies of so many other forms of wealth that have sustained us in many ways.

If color is currency, what can it afford You?

I’m glad you asked!!

I propose that color as currency can afford you any and all the things that money can buy as well as things money can’t buy. Here’s why I say that:

• We’ve already established that color can increase your access to money in the first place.
• Because of biases and stereotypes, light-skinned people are more likely to garner empathy, sympathy, support, and sponsorship from others. This may come in the form of monetary donations; the allocation of supplies, resources, information, time, or space; and networking opportunities.
• The heteronormative marriage market is a classic case of color as currency, especially for cis women. I mentioned last week how light-skinned women are more likely to have a marriage partner, especially a partner of equal or higher socioeconomic status as them. And dark-skinned women are more likely to marry a man of lower socioeconomic status than them. This amounts to increased economic stability or economic progress for light-skinned women and their children.
• Color as currency also affords social and emotional clout and affirmation. Things like seeing people who look like you well-represented throughout society and the psychological and emotional benefit of that. It’s priceless, really.

There’s always deeper conversation in the live stream because my followers are brilliant. Watch and Listen to the Full Conversation Here:

Very interesting audience questions to answer this week! Tune in as I discuss Q1: Which do we focus on first colorism or racism? How can we do this in a formalized manner? and Q2: Hi, your thoughts on skin bleaching in regards to colorism? . And is there a difference between skin lightening and skin bleaching?

Below is the outline I used for my notes, followed by the YouTube video and Spotify podcast to watch/listen to the full live stream.

1. Question 1: Which do we focus on first colorism or racism? How can we do this in a formalized manner?
   1. We can and must do both at the same time because the issues are not separate.
   2. Our revolution must be intersectional or it’s not a revolution.
      • Race or Sex? Race or Class? Race or Sexuality? Race or Environment?
   3. This idea of one issue at a time or one issue first promotes a “Wait your turn” kind of mentality that many privileged people have.
      1. White women told Black men to wait their turn.
      2. Black men told Black women to wait our turn.
      3. Cis women told trans women to wait their turn.
      4. Climate activists ignore environmental racism.
   4. No one person can tackle all the possible intersections, so we have to give people the opportunity to find their intersectional lanes and learn how to be in unity without mandating uniformity.
   5. We don’t need and could not function if all of us were doing the same thing. Our bodies could not function if every body part focused on performing the same function. So each individual has to understand their purpose and communicate and collaborate with the whole.
2. Question 2: Hi, your thoughts on skin bleaching in regards to colorism? And is there a difference between skin lightening and skin bleaching
   1. Skin bleaching is a direct result of colorism, white supremacist culture, and anti-Blackness.
   2. There’s a long history of skin bleaching in many cultures around the world, include European cultures.
      1. Queen Elizabeth
      2. 30% of the market in China for skin products.
   3. Beauty standards are one of the biggest reasons for it, but also job opportunities and class associations.
   4. The terms that people use vary, not a really consistent use.
      • Skin bleaching, whitening, lightening
      • Bleaching is the more stigmatized word, and others may be used as euphemisms.
        • Used all over to lighten/whiten the entire complexion
        • Known for dangerous chemicals that damage the skin or worse
      • Lightening is less stigmatized, perhaps?
        • for hyperpigmentation or to even skin tone as a spot treatment
        • Not using it to get lighter, but to prevent getting darker
      • Both are still based in the belief that darker is bad. Might be the difference between longing to be light and fear of getting darker.

Watch or Listen to the full episode:

Regina is a 24-year-old blogger from Kenya who is very passionate about creating awareness on colorism, its effects, and providing possible solutions. She created the Instagram page Vert Berry Colorism to help dark-skinned girls “feel loved, heard, appreciated and represented.”

When asked by an audience member how she deals with people who try to cast doubt on her work or people who perpetuate hatred online, Regina eloquently answered that she remembers why she’s doing it in the first place.

That absolutely resonated with me.

The entire conversation was blessed by Regina’s beautiful spirit. And I enjoyed seeing all the love and support she received from her friends and family who tuned in to watch live.

Watch or Listen to the recording below:

This week I respond to another audience question about how to navigate conversations with white people about colorism. Here’s the original question:

I am sometimes asked by wht ppl what it is like navigating very wht spaces. I never answer honestly – that it’s fine, or that due to colorism trauma I am very anxious in black spaces and found more places in wht spaces to just be. I fear that it somehow validates racism, or makes it seem like I don’t love my own people. How does one talk about colorism in wht spaces without taking the focus away from racism? (I know this is late…but in case you do another Q&A😄)

@iamchandarule

Before I jump straight to my suggestions, it might help to provide some additional context. Some of my followers did not understand how a Black person would feel more discomfort in certain Black spaces than in certain white spaces.

One commenter, for example, expressed that while colorism still made it difficult for her to be around some Black people, especially Black men, there was no comparison to the violent, life-threatening encounters and situations she’d experienced with white people.

Other commenters, however, myself included, understood that while there’s always been white violence, our personal experiences with white people typically involved simply being ignored or invisible, whereas our experiences with colorism in the Black community often manifests as intentional and direct attacks designed to cut deep. This was true for us, even as we actively love Black people and have predominantly Black social circles.

How to explain colorism to white people, without scapegoating Black people or downplaying racism?

1) It’s okay for colorism to get some shine!

I’ve already said before that I do not subscribe to the idea that colorism is the lesser issue or that racism is more important. As a dark-skinned Black woman especially, I do not have the luxury of prioritizing racism over colorism.

2) White people can be colorist too!

Having a conversation about colorism doesn’t have to center Black people. In explaining colorism to white people, you can focus on their collective patterns of preferential treatment toward Black and Brown people with lighter skin tones, straighter hair, and thinner features–essentially Black and Brown people who look more like them.

White folks are not off the hook for colorism. They shouldn’t be pointing fingers at Black people. And if they ask how it all started…

3) White people started it.

White people can contextualize colorism as a direct and intentional result of white colonization and violence.

4) It’s not colorism or racism. It’s colorism and racism.

It would be necessary to explain that racism is very much the driver of colorism, and that colorism very much reinforces racism. It’s both a symptom and a system.

5) It’s my profound love for Black people that makes colorism hurt so bad.

As India Arie sang: “No one has the power to hurt you like your kin.”

While there’s fear that it might seem as though you don’t love Black people if you talk to white people about how difficult it is to endure colorism in Black spaces, you could explain that the reason it hurts so much is precisely because you do love Black people.

Watch or listen to the full live stream:

Where Are They Now? is a series I started this year to reconnect with former contestants of the international Colorism Healing Writing Contest. In this “episode” we have Sienna Morgan! It truly warms my heart to have this extended conversation with Sienna. She is such a GEM (and also a Gemini!!!). I feel truly blessed to have her as part of the CH Fam.

What are some memories, lessons, or favorite moments of your participation in previous contests?

My first time participating in the Colorism Healing Writing Contest was in 2018. Receiving the results was such a revelatory and historic moment for the renowned author that I shall become! Before this event, authorship was not on my radar. I will never forget the breath-taking feeling that I had while reading your email. There was a list of names in alphabetical order according to last names. I scrolled and scrolled and ironically, I missed my own name the first time. I remember you saying that 2018 had the most Editor’s Pick recipients, with probably over 20 people. I read over the names with such enthusiasm for the other authors. I hadn’t yet realized that I received the email because my piece was chosen. At first, I did a double-take. Then there was my name, “Sienna Morgan”, so beautiful, bold, and novel [in the sense of new, unusual, and pioneering]. This morsel of a moment has simmered deep within my soul and continues to be the thing that fills my paper and word documents with poems, stories, and other literary art that nourishes my small community of readers and writers. My 2018 Editor’s Pick poem, “Mama, Can I Go Outside”, is the first piece of mine to be published, and particularly in print. Being able to hold my printed name is as if looking into the face of a thing that I have birthed. This looks like me because it is me. My story, expression, feelings, and understanding [on the topic of colorism]. My embryonic entrance into the world of literature, and how I shall record who I am and how I think. I am so proud of myself and so thankful for the opportunity to relay this. I thank you, Dr. Webb, for giving me this divine memory. 

The second best thing to happen to me came from the Colorism Healing Writing Contest of 2020. Each contest’s results bring great fortune. Last year, I met a fellow North Carolinian author by the name of Shainah M. Andrews. If you all that are reading this are unfamiliar with her, you might want to become privy to the talent that this name holds! All I have to say is wowww! We haven’t met each other in person yet, but we have made each other’s comment sections and DM’s a haven for fangirling over one another’s immense gifts, sisterhood, and sharing opportunities. Digital communities and connections are equally important as physical ones and have served as a safe guiding sail into one’s personal life as the drift of 2020 formed an archipelago in our once pangeaic way of interacting with humanity. What a friend I have found in her, and I am thankful.

What made you want to participate in the past?

Truthfully, I am the artist that writes from inspiration, with no other purpose than recording God-given moments. I then go back and edit those drafts with tact if it happens to be on-topic with submission prompts that I come across. Before 2018, I did not know the word or system of colorism, though I have experienced colorism, ineffably. That’s the thing—we can easily call racism the spade that it is. Colorism, not so easy. Particularly in the Black community, we don’t label things, certainly not the things we do/say to each other. “Oh that’s just your sister talking”, or some other excusatory statement is offered when a family member slights you. You take the jokes, you take the comments, you take the punches, and keep moving. We have made this internalized form of racism so “light-hearted” and subtle that it’s harder to address. I wrote my 2018 Editor’s Pick poem, “Mama, Can I Go Outside”, in the latter part of 2017 with no intention of sending it anywhere. In January 2018, I began to randomly look for publications to submit to. Divinely, I found Colorism Healing. I read through what you look for and it was a light-bulb moment for me. “Wow. Skin comments have a name?” was the question that I thought to myself. It struck me that I had recently written something along the lines of colorism. The whole idea behind “Mama, Can I Go Outside”, is the optimistic and healing monologue uttered unto my Black [fictitious] energetic child who loves the outdoors. We’ve all heard “come inside before you get dark/darker”. This doesn’t seem “big” but is the exact use of language that subtly perpetuates colorism amongst families. Like, what’s wrong with dark skin? I submitted it because I felt that I had a unique take on the topic. I am thankful for this poem to be housed by CH!

What made you want to be a judge this year?

To imagine back in January of 2018 that a platform would allow a voiceless girl her chance to finally speak. To imagine three years later, in January of 2021, while I am still honing my tone, that the same platform would position the now woman to give another soul their chance to finally be heard. While I’m not the type to be labeled as a dreamer, I am most definitely a moment-seeker and a memory-gatherer. As a young poet, it is an honor to know that I might have a hand in someone’s introduction to becoming an author. This is truly a full-circle experience. This also gives me more than enough practice time to comb through and analyze my life to find more colorist scenarios that need to be spoken about. Watch out CHWC 2022! 😅

What new developments have happened since we last spoke with you on the 2018 live book launch?

Wow! So many developments! 2020 and early 2021 were grand times for my writing. Besides publishing my second and third pieces with CH, I have work that has found homes with Harness Magazine, Cocoa Butter and Hair Grease, The Herb Habitue/The Garden Blog, Fruit of May, The Black Explorer Magazine, Black Girls Create, The Black Light Project, Querencia Lit Mag, Sipping Sunshine, and Pretty Black Thoughts.

In March of 2021, I was able to branch out into Spoken Word Poetry!! 😅🎬🎥 How completely out-of-the-box and unordinary for me to do lol! Lights, camera, Anxiety! No really, it was a great experience. This is my first performance of this nature and it turned out amazing! You can view this performance here: Black Artists Initiative: Jamil and Sienna. I sincerely value your support and feedback. The segment captures my performance piece (“Beholder: A Love Note to My People”) and an Artist Interview. This was my first time working with a full-on production company. Shout out to The Black Light Project and Fadeawayz Productions of Greenville and Charlotte, North Carolina! And let me tell you, there were a lot of bloopers! I was surprised at how jocosely I was able to laugh at myself, despite my initial nervousness and hesitancy. Can you expect more of me on camera? 🥴 With a great move of God, yes you can! 🤣

Tell us about your book.

I do not have a full-length project that you can expect from me yet, but we’re claiming it! Let me be honest for a moment. The best thing about being an author is being a contributing author. I love to collaborate, and in doing so, I feel that this is when I produce the best work. Writing with or for others brings out the intention in me. I am fully able to be myself while not boxing myself into a form, style, or genre. It is thrilling to work with publications that have set in stone missions. This is a positive contrast to my own brand and my role as a sower of words. The most heartfelt thing is to receive feedback stating how my recollection of events has touched a single heart. You can continue to look forward to more publications welcoming my pen.

What else do you have planned for the near future?

I am still in the beginning stages of my craft. I am constantly thinking of ideas and content to produce that will beautifully mold who I am as a creator. In addition to continuing to submit to other publications, I want to get more into the monetization side of being an author. I can envision some form of merch with my name on it! I have already created my author logo and have gotten that printed on a single shirt just for myself at the moment. I did get great feedback from my supportive community. Your name is the sole thing that is your ownership from birth to death.  Proverbs 22:1 – A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold. I am coming to terms with loving my name, and believing that it deserves to have space in any room that I authorize. It is so good to know that my name is out there in the world and people can associate it with life-giving things! I want to keep it that way. You can look forward to my name appearing everywhere that it is destined to be!

What would you say to aspiring writers or people who are thinking about writing a book?

I want to step out on a limb here and speak to the unsure writer. I am speaking to myself as well. You know that you have something to say. You’re prolific with your pen, and it shows every time you dare to articulate and share what is in your heart. But you haven’t found the methodology that you feel you can best create with. I want to tell you if the task of writing a structured book scares you—those mighty chapters that fill the pages and proceeds from a plot that you feel you do not possess—you are not limited to what you can create. Keep having an appearance in anthologies that fit your interests, far and wide. Keep experimenting. Keep holding your words dear, for they are the closest and most present thing that connects you to God. When you find the form that you confidently feel like you can take on, I and so many others will be right there to support you.

What are some words of encouragement you have around the issue of colorism?

As you say, Dr. Webb, “healing from colorism is individual and collective, personal and systemic.” Get ready for storytime! *For all intents and purposes of not tarnishing some else’s name and brand, I won’t disclose that information. Anyhow, in October or November of 2020, I had a piece on colorism to be accepted by a publication. Their feedback was so initially positive. My reward was supposed to have been prize money and a physical contributor’s copy. This meant a lot to me because up until this point, I had never been paid for a contribution. I will say that February of 2021 was the final editing time. As things were being finalized, this particular editor was not giving grammatical suggestions or minor edits to make my piece pop and come across clearly. The initial acceptance became masked by invalidation and misadvice. Pretty much, I was advised to rewrite my experience with their narrative. The suggestions were so far from the theme that I intended to be inferred. It no longer felt like my story. The editor began to pick apart and belittle my well-thought-out concept. My content was turned on its head! It was a take on colorism that I’ve never seen articulated, so I thought I’d acknowledge it. With each email exchange, I began to feel so small. So defensive, and for every good reason! Instances like this can make you hesitant to share your experiences. It heightens my anger when people try to tell me what I mean, even though I’m a “say what you mean, mean what you say” type of person. I had to inform the editor that I can only write truthfully about the way that I perceive a subject. I also stated that if I could not explore and call out colorism, I wouldn’t have been chosen to be a judge for an international writing contest that revolves around colorism!💣🎯 I will never stifle my voice or asphyxiate my creativity, just to be publicized. Needless to say, the editor and I parted ways. This particular piece still sits in my arsenal [updated at my whim] as a weaponry epistle detailing my personal and systematic method of how I currently and will always address colorism in my everyday life. You might see it soon ✨☄ I share this to iterate that never let anyone be the gatekeeper of your story. It doesn’t have to be accepted, but it should always be spoken. Feedback is subjective and secondary to your truth. So if you see a way that you can heal from colorism or any negative experience in your life, but it’s untested, “unfounded”, or unexplored, be innovative and make it your experiment. It’s okay if your findings are only apparent to you. You just may be the next Alice Walker or Marcus Garvey. Langston Hughes or Wanda Coleman.

That brings me to my second point. Dr. Webb, you have said that what we perceive to be racial inequality is better explained through the lens of colorism than racism. There is a post on your Instagram page that states Healthcare is a surprising area of life where one may be affected by colorism. I want to take a moment and speak to the audience and readers who might be dealing with a diagnosed psychiatric disorder. I know that you’re tired, scared, and unsure. I know that it feels like no one understands your condition, white or black. I know that you’re just trying to roll with everything because that’s your only response mechanism. I know, I know I know. I know that people often explicitly associate “attitude” with Blackness. When in reality, this may be a sign of psychosis, agitation, antisocial behavior, or a break with reality, that needs to be medically addressed and has nothing to do with your skin color or ethnic background. It’s vexing, I know. I know there is a major disparity in available and received treatment. I know your own people don’t even show you grace because they believe “It’s a white man’s disease”. I wrote a poem on this [in the 2020 CHWC anthology] titled “Color In Mind” and one of my lines states that “It just feels so weird being black and feeling blue. It’s like the color is not reserved for me.” I want you to know that your Black is no different than anyone else’s—even if yours is tinged with Indigo. Thank you for still being here.

In addition to this, I want to say that we often talk about holding spaces for Black marginalized voices, stories, and women. Black men and women with psychiatric conditions are further marginalized and demonized, leading to ableism, another subsection, within an already disempowered group. If you’re someone who isn’t knowledgeable about particular disorders, it is ok to express initial hesitancy when someone shares their truth. It is not ok to alienate, isolate, or speak for or against, humans living a reality that is not yours. This group is also looking for the same community, story-telling space, and safety that you want for your identities. It is responsible for you to educate yourself on the injustices, prejudices, and disparities that affect the ones you love and choose to have relationships with.

Why should others participate in the writing contest this year?

“Colorism Healing” in all of its aspects, promotes community, racial solidarity, and teaches ways to be empathetic when listening to or reading a story that is different from your own. I’m most fond of the educational facet of CH! Your weekly live sessions, “Thursday Thought” emails, and daily thought-provoking posts, provide a treasure trove of new info to explore, and makes me glad to be a part of the Colorism Healing community classroom! I think that is the best thing about the contest. Though there are tiers, neither reward is diminishing. The contest favors writers at any stage of their career. Whether writing is a hobby for you, or if writing is the thing that aids you in providing shelter for yourself and your family, you have an equal chance! It doesn’t feel like a contest. You have to embrace the pupil spirit. It’s a thing of “how can I best tell my story, and how can I learn from and be inspired by someone else’s?” Editor’s Pick is no different from first place. I beg to differ that Editor’s pick is just as, if not more, prestigious than first place. Every preceding judge has been of great value in the process of curating previous anthologies. But to me, knowing that my story touched the heart of someone of your [Dr. Webb] stature, title, and academic and lived experience with colorism, make a small town and small dreams young woman like myself, aware that I can say something that can reach any kind of person. That is the mindset that has been most helpful to me upon entering the contest, especially as a returning contributor!

I am also going to add that if you have submitted to Colorism Healing in the past and your submission was not picked up, SUBMIT AGAIN. If you stick around long enough, you will find that the literary world and humans are very fickle and subjective. What’s a scandal one day is trash the next. You will face biases and prejudices everywhere that you go, and the literary world is not excluded. There are different judges each year for the CHWC, and I know your words are bound for healing and touching someone in their time. Never stop submitting your content to various publications, and remember what I said earlier that Feedback is subjective and secondary to your truth. There is no right or wrong way to tell your story. An editor will help you to tell your story in a grammatically correct way. The removal of your authenticity and true voice should never be exchanged for publication.

This week I went Q&A Style. I try to give my honest answers to audience questions about colorism with minimal prep beforehand. So the answers are not only honest, they’re also raw.

This week’s questions about colorism include:

What advice do you have for dark-skinned mothers raising biracial children?

How can I address discrimination against dark-skinned people without it seeming like I’m against light-skinned people?

Colorism or racism–which is more harmful to Black people?

How can I identify colorist practices in a company that I’m applying to work for?

Watch or Listen for my Answers Below:

One of the biggest components to any conversation about colorism is the reply: “Well you know colorism goes both ways.” Or: “Why don’t we talk about reverse colorism?” In this week’s live I share my analysis.

Watch, Listen, or Read More Below

1/3) How we define colorism matters.

How someone thinks of the term colorism determines how they answer this question. It’s common for people to think of colorism as a form of bullying or personal conflict. Folks who think of colorism as a matter of how individuals treat other individuals are very likely to say: Yes, colorism goes both ways.

However, that way of thinking about colorism is problematic because it ignores the reality of our culture’s color hierarchy. It ignores the reality of privilege, which is precisely what many people want us to ignore. In order to really solve the problem of colorism, we must shift the popular notion of colorism and come to understand colorism as a social hierarchy that places greater value on light skin and Eurocentric features and affords greater privilege to people according to where they fall on the color spectrum. That’s colorism. 

Colorism is a social hierarchy that devalues dark skin and afro/indigenous features and thus positions people with darker skin at a social disadvantage.

Colorism is a social hierarchy based in the ideology that people with light skin and Eurocentric features are inherently better than people with dark skin and afro/indigenous features.

If a poor person steals a wealthy person’s wallet or car, that is “wrong,” but it’s not “reverse classism.”  

Colorism, and other social systems, are not just about the negative experiences, they are just as much about the privileges people experience, including the privilege of obliviousness.

Any privileged person who wants to take their privilege out of the equation when talking about a problem is highly suspect.

If you’re looking for a speaker or facilitator for your next colorism event, learn about Dr. Sarah Webb’s colorism keynotes and workshops.

2/3) The Protest is Not the Problem: Distinguishing Symptom from Disease

We have to stop equating people’s reaction to a problem with the problem itself. Even if we don’t like the reaction, especially if we don’t like the reaction, we have to actually identify and address the problem.

One reason there is so much distrust from dark-skinned people is that we have heard so many light skinned people complain about the symptoms of colorism but have only heard crickets from those people when it comes time to talk about the disease that’s causing those symptoms.

It’s no different from white people who are offended by Colin Kaepernick taking a knee but they are not offended by cops killing unarmed Black people. All that energy you’re putting into complaining about the protest, keep that same energy when it comes time to fix the problem that requires protesting in the first place. If you don’t want me to protest, then actively work to fix the problem I’m protesting.

I don’t want to hear critiques about how we respond to oppression from people who offer no critiques of the oppression itself. If you complain about my reaction to an oppressive system, but offer no complaint or effort to undue that oppressive system itself, you are actively participating in my oppression. There’s no Switzerland. There’s no neutrality. You’re either on the side of the oppressors or you’re in the trenches trying to overthrow that oppression.

Resentment toward light-skinned people is a symptom of colorism, not colorism itself. Distrusting light-skinned people is a response to colorism, not colorism itself. Girls might chase you home after school, not because you’re light skinned, but because they resent how your light skin gives you privilege that they don’t have. They are angry that light skin is weaponized by society and sometimes, many times by light-skinned people themselves, to invalidate or further marginalize them. They may not be able to articulate this.

I work with DS people to find better ways of responding to and coping with colorism, so I’m not condoning animosity toward light-skinned people. But that’s not an excuse to ignore or double down on your privilege as a light-skinned person.

3/3) Are we suggesting that Dark Skin as inherently superior?

Colorism tells the lie that light skin is inherently better than dark skin. When dark-skinned people react or respond to colorism, it’s not inverting that idea to say dark skin is inherently better than light skin.

Dark-skinned people were excluded because of the belief that light skin is inherently better. So when dark-skinned people create dark-skin-only initiatives, it’s not based on the idea that dark skin is inherently better but because of the ongoing legacy of excluding dark-skinned people from most other spaces.

The light-skinned people who understand Affirmative Action, can’t pretend not to understand the need to focus on dark-skinned women specifically. Saying, we’re not casting light-skinned women is not because we think light-skinned women are inferior but because we’re trying to level the playing field in a world where light-skinned women get a disproportionate amount of the opportunities compared to dark-skinned counterparts.

When dark-skinned people express their anger or resentment about colorism by being mean to light-skinned people, it’s not based in the belief that light skin is inherently inferior or that dark skin is inherently superior. It’s a response to the pervasive belief and consequences of the opposite.

Colorism is: I am being mean to this dark-skinned person because I think dark skin is inferior or ugly and that light skin is inherently better.

A Reaction to Colorism is: I’m being mean to a light-skinned person because society has placed them in a superior position and insisted that they are inherently better because of their skin tone. It’s not right, but it’s also not colorism.

The topic of this post is intraracial colorism (the one we all know and understand) vs. interracial colorism (the one less often acknowledged).

One of the most common colorism myths is that white people can’t be colorist or that it’s only an issue within our own communities. This myth is one of the reasons people assume colorism is a less important issue. They think the only issue we face in the larger world outside our individual communities is racism. But we are just as likely to experience colorism outside of our communities as racism. And actually, many things we attribute to racism are actually better explained through a lens of colorism.

Once we get beyond the notion that colorism is merely about who was the favorite grandchild or who makes the dance team at an HBCU, and realize that colorism includes systemic and structural inequalities that are a matter of longterm health, wealth, and life itself, we begin to treat it with the gravity that we treat racism and sexism. We treat it with the gravity it deserves. The systemic consequences of colorism are very often, if not most often, enacted interracially.

Watch or listen to the full conversation on Interracial Colorism:

This post is for everyone, even non-Black folks b/c we’re all susceptible to being conditioned to perceive natural Black hair, esp type 4, as least favorable. The word radical reflects the deep levels of pervasive anti-Blackness that we’re culturally immersed in by default. I still believe we underestimate how profoundly invested whiteness has been, and still is, in socializing us to prefer non-Black features, folkways, and folks.

#1. Seek Loving Images of Natural Black Hair.

Follow social media accounts like @naturallyhigh__, invest in media like @crwnmag, make a collage or Pinterest board.

#2. Notice your thoughts and feelings.

Start to make mental notes about your initial response to Black people’s hair in various states and styles.

#3. Journal about your thoughts and feelings.

Trace the roots of these attitudes. What messages were you exposed to in the past? What alternative narratives could you adopt now?

#4. Delete negative messaging.

Cut out the stereotypes, jokes, caricatures, memes, negging, judgmental criticism, etc.

#5. Affirm Natural Black Hair.

Be generous with compliments or praise to and about the natural hair textures and styles of Black people. Bonus points if you do this without exoticizing it.

#6. Advocate for Natural Black Hair.

Work to change discriminatory policies and practices. Speak up when you witness hair shaming.

Watch or Listen to the Complete Conversation:

Just hear me out for a sec 😅 This is NOT hair advice. Me sharing these natural hair rules I do not follow is more like a form of transparency. And maybe a bit of humor. I also want folks to see what happens when a dark skinned woman with type 4 natural hair does not recreate YouTube tutorials in her bathroom every other day. It’s all love folks! 😘

My previous posts on hair got a lot of responses, so I want to address it again on my next live. While I’m being a bit lighthearted with this post, I take the issue of fear and shame about hair very seriously. It’s rampant among Black people in particular, and no amount of defending alternative hair choices can negate that reality. I’m not here to judge how you wear or care for your hair. But if anyone’s interested in how we can, as a people, get free of the fear and shame implanted by white supremacist delusion, continue to read and/or watch and listen to the live recording.

Natural Hair Rules I do NOT Follow:

1. Hair Goals: I have none. I don’t have ambitions for length, volume, sheen, or texture. 😴

2. Protective Styles: I don’t use them. Perhaps because I don’t have any hair goals. 😅

3. Dozens of Products: I use 3: Shampoo. Conditioner. Moisturizer. Sometimes these are condensed into only 2. 💵

4. Less Washing: I wash about once a week. I have a form of dermatitis that flares up without regular washing. 🙄

5. Different vs. Difficult: Just because my hair is different doesn’t make my hair “difficult.” 🙂

6. Laid Edges: As you can see, I tend to just let my edges be. ☺️

7. Coiffed: My hair is prone to sticking up and out in seemingly random ways, which I (mostly) don’t mind. 😌

Watch or Listen to the Full Conversation:

This week’s topic was inspired by how popular my posts about natural Black hair have been on Instagram. The goal is hair liberation, for all Black people, but especially for Black women with type 4 hair or 4c hair. The world in general has been conditioned to see most natural Black hair textures as unattractive, unkempt, unprofessional, and difficult. I want to provide counter narratives to this and help Black women feel less shame and less fear around their hair.

This conversation is not a judgement about how anyone chooses to wear their hair. It’s a conversation about why Black women, more than any other group of people on the planet, feel the need and feel pressured to radically alter or disguise their hair texture. Everyone has to understand for themselves the true impetus for our hair choices. That honesty requires courage.

Watch or Listen to the Full Episode:

Esther Ademosu is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Black Knowledge Society, a resource hub designed to signpost the Black community to credible resources, promoting holistic healing and a conscious group identity, towards sustainable every day expressions of activism. In our conversation this week we learn a bit about Esther’s choice to step up and use your creative skills to do activist work and we get her perspective on where the real revolution begins. Watch or listen to the full conversation below.

“Whatever you can do to ensure your peace, your wellbeing, and safeguard your freedoms as a human being, just pursue it. Pursue it so far as it doesn’t impact or cause disruption or damage to anyone else, I think pursue it.”

-Esther Ademosu

A wife, mother and conscious creative, She is determined to use her ability, experiences and voice to advance the vision of Black nationalism. Esther has spent almost a decade working in the international development sector and has grown through the lessons afforded by engaging with a wide spectrum of actors within the space. An eternal student of life, Esther has her academic roots firmly in the soil of the social sciences (cultural studies). Writing has always been an innate and insatiable life force for Esther, acting as the common thread, connecting each destination in her career so far and the source of healing from mental, emotional and spiritual wounds. She is of Nigerian heritage and enjoys, travelling, music, theatre, being alone and reading. One of her quotes to live by comes from the Honourable Marcus Mosiah Garvey: ‘Remember intelligence rules the world and ignorance bears the burden. Therefore remove yourself as far as possible from ignorance and seek as far as possible to be intelligent.’

Watch or Listen to Esther Ademosu:

This week’s discussion was unplanned because my scheduled guest had to postpone. That said, it still turned out to be a productive conversation! I chose to respond to a couple of comments and DM’s I had received recently. The first was related to whether or not white people can be colorist, and the second was about whether colorism goes both ways. The former question led me to explain the socially constructed nature of race, comparing race to paper money: The meaning and value of a dollar bill is not inherent to the dollar bill. It only has meaning or value within a specific social context. The latter comment brought me to an issue of certain light-skinned people promoting the conspiracy theory that dark-skinned people are co-opting the term colorism and plotting to dominate the world. In addition to some audience questions and comments, I enjoyed the live, and I hope you do too!

Watch or Listen: Clarifying Colorism and The Dollar Bill