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.