Everyone has a different opinion about February as Black History Month. Some wonder why it’s necessary, or even if it’s a form of “reverse racism.” Others think it’s very necessary, but poorly executed. While I’ve always been a supporter of celebrating Black History Month, this year I want to discuss colorism and Black History Month.
Colorism Healing through Black History
One way to heal from colorism is to cultivate pride in being people of African descent. Since colorism is the result of white supremacy, it’s necessary for our communities to celebrate black history as a way to reverse the harmful effects that centuries of white supremacy have had on us.
As Malcolm X said shortly before his death in February 1965:
As these Europeans dominated the continent of Africa, it was they who created the image of Africa that was projected abroad. And they projected Africa and the people of Africa in a negative image, a hateful image.
Those who oppress know that you can’t make a person hate the root without making them hate the tree. You can’t hate your own and not end up hating yourself. And since we all originated in Africa, you can’t make us hate Africa without making us hate ourselves. And they did this very skillfully. And what was the result?
They ended up with 22 million Black people here in America who hated everything about us that was African. We hated the African characteristics. We hated our hair. We hated our nose, the shape of our nose, and the shape of our lips, the color of our skin. (Malcolm X, 1965)
With those words, Malcolm explains the direct connection to black history and colorism. As long as others are responsible for telling our history, blacks around the world will struggle with the internalized racism that we call colorism.
And the celebration of Black History does have to be explicit, overt, and blatant, just like racism has been for hundreds of years. The white supremacist message has been loud and clear for centuries, and we can’t effectively fight against it simply by being subtle, silent, or scared.
One month out of the year is not enough, however, so we must take the celebration of black culture and black beauty beyond February, and make it an everyday norm in all of our institutions. Yes, schools are important, but so are churches, organizations, teams, clubs, and families.
Colorism as a Potential Blind-Spot in Black History
I also caution us not to assume that celebrating Black History in and of itself heals us from colorism. Typically, Black History month focuses on the accomplishments of black Americans over the years. However, if we’re not careful, we may send the message that light-skinned blacks are the ones who are most accomplished and worthy of celebration.
A wall or book filled mostly with light skinned blacks sends a similar message as a wall or book that doesn’t include blacks. Because lighter skinned blacks are disproportionately represented in politics, education, entertainment, and other fields, it’s easy to compile a list of black figures for your students or children and end up with very few dark-skinned people.
Diversity and inclusiveness require conscious efforts, whether it’s skin color, race, gender, profession, sexuality, or religion.
In fact, discussing this aspect of Black History is a good way to bring up a discussion about colorism. It also shows that focusing merely on race without analyzing the role of skin color can perpetuate group disparities. (I’ll get more into that in another post.)
Questions about Colorism and Black History Month
If you haven’t already been talking about colorism, February, Black History Month, is a great opportunity to start. Here a few questions to get you going.
⇒ Is there disproportionate representation of light or dark skinned blacks during Black History Month? If so, why might that be the case
⇒ Who were/are some of the people who have advocated against colorism or internalized racism among blacks?
⇒ What can we learn from the “black is beautiful” movement that took place during the 1960’s and 70’s?
⇒ How can the study of Black History heal individuals and communities from colorism?