One of the most common colorism myths is that white people aren’t 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.
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When colorism happens within a particular racial or ethnic group it’s called intraracial-colorism, and when it happens across different racial groups it’s called interracial-colorism.
People not only place greater value on lighter-skinned members of their own race, they often place greater value on lighter skinned people of other races. The logic of colorism is that lighter skin is inherently better regardless of racial identity.
This does not mean they value light-skinned people of other races more favorably than members of their own race. It simply means they perceive lighter-skinned members of any race as inherently better than darker-skinned members of that race.
EXAMPLES:
- White employer assumes light skinned Black American, Latinx, or Asian job applicants are more intelligent and more professional than dark-skinned Black American, Latinx, or Asian candidates.
- Asian schoolteacher penalizes dark-skinned Black students more harshly than lighter skinned Black students.
- African American police officer assumes dark-skinned Latinx people are more likely to be “criminals” than light skinned Latinx people.
The reason we have to acknowledge BOTH forms of colorism is because interracial colorism plays a HUGE part in the systemic inequalities and disparities between lighter and darker-skinned people within our race.
In order to dismiss, deny, or downplay the true impact and significance of colorism, folks try to limit it to just the Black community, or just among people of color toward their own races.
But once you acknowledge interracial colorism, you’re forced to confront the reality that colorism is not just an interpersonal issue, but that it’s a systemic problem that creates structural inequality at the societal level.
We are just as likely to experience colorism from other races as we are to experience racism from other races. Once people recognize that colorism is not just an interpersonal issue amongst us, but that other folks perpetuate colorism toward us as well, then you’ll understand how it’s a systemic problem that creates structural inequality at the societal level.
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HOMEWORK: No homework this week! I’m feeling benefic! (Venus-Jupiter Conjunction)
AFFIRMATION: I open my mind to new insights, and I give myself permission to change my perspective.
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.