One of the main ways colorism differs from racism is that colorism is a spectrum of privilege. This means that at the micro level, it is often contextual. Privilege is not all-or-nothing.
In one setting a person might have the lightest skin tone, and in a different setting that same person could have the darkest skin tone. And many people find themselves in varying positions along that spectrum.
Watch the Live Stream or Scroll to Keep Reading:
Racism vs. Colorism: Beyond the Binary
The lens of racism most often encourages either/or, binary thinking that flattens the experience of racial group.
I love the framework of colorism because it helps us move away from binary thinking and disaggregate experiences of oppression. That’s important because a more precise understanding of problems enables more effective and strategic solutions.
Several research studies explain how there’s a tiered system of color-based inequality that is not binary. They most often use three tiers of dark, medium, and light. and sometimes 4-5 tiers. Here are some examples:
Bridging the Micro and the Macro
It’s important to keep this in mind when examining and addressing the individual and interpersonal consequences of colorism. A person doesn’t have to be the most marginalized to still experience a degree of marginalization. And a person certainly doesn’t have to be the most privileged to still experience high levels of privilege.
It’s also very crucial to link the micro experiences to the macro, systemic reality of how each of us is positioned within the broader spectrum of human skin tones around the globe. We can, for example, know that we have light-skinned privilege in a global context, even if we were shunned for being the darkest person in our home or local environment.
My hope is that lighter skinned people who experienced discrimination for not being “light enough” would use that experience to translate into a more empathetic understanding of the magnitude of what dark-skinned people have to endure, rather than using their experience to avoid owning their privilege.
The Pastry Line Analogy
Privilege is not all or nothing. It’s more like standing in a line. Even if you’re not first in line, you may still be ahead of several other people. If there are 100 people in line for an assortment of 99 donuts, every single position in line counts. The closer to the front, the more options you have. The further to the back, the fewer options you have. And if you’re last in line, you may be left with nothing at all.
Intersectionality Adds Further Dimensions
So far, for the sake of clarity in explaining the concept of a spectrum of privilege, I’ve isolated the axis of skin tone. However, this spectrum of privilege expands with an intersectional lens. So it’s possible for a dark-skinned person to make more money and have more career or social success than a light-skinned person, or for a dark-skinned woman to get married before a light-skinned woman.
However, we can always test for the persistence of a color based hierarchy by asking the questions: If she were dark-skinned, would she have been treated the same or gotten the same opportunities? If they were light-skinned, would they have seen even greater success or would they have been able to achieve the same level with less struggle?
If you’re interested in my speaking, training, or consulting services, please contact me here.
HOMEWORK: Place yourself in The Pastry Line. How close to the front are you? The middle? The back? Remember to consider not just your local context, but the global and cross-cultural context as well.
AFFIRMATION: I am accountable for my position in The Pastry Line.
Again, if you’re a studious student who wants to read ahead before class, you can purchase the Corporate Colorism ebook, or download a free PDF resource.