Full transparency: I don’t actually want to talk about colorism. I’m actually frustrated by it, and wish that I did not have to even think about it.
But colorism is real. It’s still reeking havoc across the globe. And I can’t ignore that.
One of the damaging effects of colorism is that it degrades people’s wellbeing if left untreated.
For companies, businesses, and institutions: Colorism negatively impacts morale, creativity, and overall employee wellness.
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Research on Colorism and Physical Health
Because so much primary focus is given to racial disparities, there’s far less research on the impact of colorism on health. But the existing and emerging research is showing us that those who experience colorism face more issues with cardiovascular health, pain-related disorders, sensory dysfunction, and disease overall. (Learn more about this article)
One example of how systemic bias exists in healthcare is the research on pulse oximeters, widely used medical devices designed to measure oxygen levels. Studies have shown that these devices provide inaccurate results for people with darker pigment, i.e. people with darker skin tones. (Learn more about this)
Research on Colorism and Mental Health
The bulk of the health research on colorism has focused on mental health. The unsurprising results show that having darker skin corresponds with decreased mental health due to experiences of colorism. (Learn more about this article)
As companies strive to promote wellness, remember colorism as a unique stressor that differentially impacts people even if they’re the same race.
Insights & Key Takeaways:
1) Re-evaluate your policies and your bias about personal time off, sick leave, remote work, health insurance, and other forms of care and support that dark-skinned people might need.
First, make sure these forms of support are present, known, and understood by employees.
But what’s just as necessary is learning how to stop judging or stigmatizing people who actually use all of these resources to the max.
For Example: Even when sick leave is an option, or remote work is an option, dark-skinned people are often more harshly judged or stigmatized if and when they use it.
2) When studying medical racism, include a colorism framework. Of the Black people negatively impacted by medical racism, of the Black people who die as a result of medical racism, how many of them, what percentage of them are dark-skinned?
Consider other intersections as well such as body size, disability, SES, gender and sexuality, language, etc.
Sadly, even some (many?) Black healthcare professionals and leaders refuse to consider colorism as a factor in medical racism. Why are they so afraid to do the research? If colorism is not a factor, then the research will prove that it isn’t. But to refuse to even consider it as a possible variable, is actually insidious. If you care about saving Black lives, you have to care about colorism. There’s no way around that.
3) For dark-skinned people, know that you’re not delusional. You do have legitimate reasons to be extra focused on your self-care. You do have legitimate reasons to demand more of your support systems and healthcare providers. You do have legitimate reasons to be firm with your boundaries.
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Homework: Prioritize your wellness this week, whatever that means or looks like for you.
Affirmation: I am learning how to take great care of myself.