Preview

Colorism In The Black Community

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
517 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Colorism In The Black Community
A problem for the black community in America is colorism. Margaret Hunter defines colorism as “color stratification, a process that privileges light skinned people of color over dark in areas such as income, education, housing, and the marriage market”. Professor Hunter has found research that shows lighter complexion individuals have greater advantages, but the same research states that darker complexion individuals are deemed “authentic” in their ethnicity. Colorism is a result of racism. Media, image companies and cosmetic institutions help perpetuate this negative construct.
Minorities are consistently denied rights on the grounds of race. In America black, Hispanic and Asian communities are kept from much needed resources, fair jobs
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Ethos, Patho: The Short Film The Color Of Beauty
    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Ethos, Patho: The Short Film The Color Of Beauty

    Discrimination can take many forms and exist every aspect of society. After many years the fight against discrimination is still an ongoing process and for many it’s a daily struggle for many. The short documentary “The Color of beauty” examines the “blatant racism”(00:20) and discrimination that occurs within the fashion industry. The film revolves around Renee Thompson, an ethnic model trying to overcome the racism that exists in the fashion industry in order to make it on top. In today’s modernizing fashion has become a powerful driving force. The film, argues issue that Caucasian models are preferred over colored models, which is evident with the ratio of colored model to Caucasian models in most fashion choice. The film also points out that the difficulty colored models face due to a biased standard that the fashion industry has on beauty. It argues that more often or not, if a colored model is chosen, it’s due to his/her “unique” future. These so called “unique”(02:33) feature is common feature that many Caucasians. Elizabeth St. Philip, the director of the film, utilized a combination of logic, credibility, and emotional devices, in arguing and persuading an audience on the issue presented.…

    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Always Running Louis Rodriguez Analysis
    • 1255 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Always Running Louis Rodriguez Analysis

    Minorities are subjugated daily and the government allows it to continue. Louis J. Rodriguez can attest to the persecution of immigrants in his book, “Always Running.” He claims that society treats Mexican immigrants as their “scapegoat” and condemns any and all actions they may take in order to present them as a different group entirely, the “enemy” (Rodriguez 250). Making the immigrants the enemy makes it easier to marginalize and criminalize the minority. That is why African Americans and Hispanics make up over 50% of the inmates in prison, but only constitute 25% of the US…

    • 1255 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dark Girls
    • 991 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Dark Girls

    Colorism is the prejudice or discrimination based on the relative lightness or darkness of the skin. The documentary takes a look into the trend of black women all over the world investing in the multibillion dollar business of skin bleaching creams. Duke and Berry also examine how black women are trying to look more Caucasian, while white women are trying to look more ethnic by using tanning booths and botoxing their lips. Colorism appears to be more of an issue within ethnic groups. Within the black community, it is preferable to be “light skin”. The “paper bag test” is, holding a brown paper bag next to your skin, if you are lighter than the brown paper bag then you are considered beautiful and smart, if you are darker than the bag then you are considered unattractive. This discriminating method was once used to admit people into groups or organizations and even to get jobs. When interviewing black men on the street, they found that many said they prefer to date light-skin women because dark-skin women are “mean spirited, angry and unapproachable”. It was also found that a dark-skin women dating a dark-skin man is less common and even sometimes considered taboo compared to one individual in the relationship being lighter than the other. African American women are the least coupled group in the United States. Statistics show that 41.9% of black women in America have never been married,…

    • 991 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Racism Without Racists Summary
    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Racism Without Racists Summary

    First, he uses a lot of instances in daily life to illustrate that nowadays in the United States most whites claim that race is no longer a problem (2), but in fact blacks and other minorities, who receive impolite treatment both economically and politically, are “at the bottom of the well” and suffering from racial inequality (2). Instead of Jim Crow racism, which enforced racial inequality by overt means such as calling blacks “niggers” (3), today color-blind racism behaves in a covert way, “subtle institutional and apparently nonracial”, in order to keep minorities in a subordinate position and maintain “white privilege” (3). For example real estate agents do not show all the available units to minorities in the housing market to “maintain separate communities” (3). Second, Bonilla-Silva compares the four ways in which the “survey community and commentators” explained about changes in whites’ racial attitudes in the post-Civil rights era (4), and demonstrates his arguments by expressing his agreements and disagreements with their thoughts. He argues like them that color-blind racism is characterized by “traditional liberalism”, which criticizes blacks for not working hard (7), and explanations of blacks’ position in terms of culture (7). But in addition he also expresses “one central theoretical disagreement” with others because his model is based on “a…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Color Complex: How Skin Color Affects African Americans
    • 3571 Words
    • 15 Pages

    The Color Complex: How Skin Color Affects African Americans

    Popular phrases such as, “the Blacker the Berry, the Sweeter the juice,” and “If it’s White, it’s gotta be right,” have held opposing views in the African American community on the concept of skin complexion. This idea of a “Color Complex” has psychologically altered the way many African Americans perceive beauty, success, and their personal identity. Although some would disagree, there seems to be a strong connection between skin color and social status in the African American community. It may appear that African Americans are dispelling this theory of “light-skinned and dark skinned” to become a more cohesive group, but the politics of skin color and features still remain. Skin color variations among African Americans play a major role in how they perceive beauty standards, social status and themselves.…

    • 3571 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Miranda V. Arizona
    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Miranda V. Arizona

    I'm not talking about just racial minorities, but every type of minority, from political to social minorities. Brown v. Board of Education is the most famous case of a minority gaining such massive rights at a single point in time. Separate cannot be equal was the line, and it still is the line which is remembered by all. Brown v. Board of Education was what brought about change in the nation, what has shaped it to the great country it is today. Kelo v. New London is another example of how judicial activism has given more opportunities. In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that cities may take land and give it to corporate developers to aid in economic development. Kilo v. New London has completely changed the way communities can be developed, and how blighted areas can become an expansion to a booming metropolis. Another example of minority protection is simply the check the J.B. puts on the legislature. Today, republicans control the legislative branch and the executive branch. Thus meaning they are the majority. Republican's head the steering committee, which decides what will be on the voting calendar and when votes shall take place. The only remaining way for the democrats, the minority, to have their interests made to law is via the J.B. This is the way the democrats are doing it today as well. They have an issue, which can't be proposed in the legislature, so they go to the judicial branch. It's how republicans…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Examples Of Colorism In African American Communities
    • 248 Words
    • 1 Page

    Examples Of Colorism In African American Communities

    One of the issue racism has created among both the Native and African American communities is the concept colorism. The ideology behind racism, that there is a superior class, is often being practiced within racial groups. While colorism is not an official term, it is a concept rooted in racism and slavery. Slaveowners often used it as a way to create a rift between slaves by separating them based on complexion. The slaves with lighter complexions where often seen in the house while those with a darker complexion performed manual labor.…

    • 248 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Light Skin Colorism Essay
    • 1791 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Light Skin Colorism Essay

    The culprit behind these disparities in outcomes among African American females can be attribute to colorism. This offspring of racism is rampant among the African American community. As Meghan Burke defines, it is “the allocation of privilege and disadvantage according to the lightness or darkness of one’s skin” (Burton, Bonilla-Silva, Ray, Buckelew & Freeman, 2010, p.440). What makes colorism arguably the worst for women within the black community is that they must not only deal with the widespread societal preference for lighter skin tone, but also navigate a…

    • 1791 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Role Of Minorities In The Canadian Judicial System
    • 1449 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Role Of Minorities In The Canadian Judicial System

    Minorities are victims to the justice system, as they are victims in society to racism. Jobs such a police officers, lawyers and judges are long term jobs, meaning many people are employed for up to 30 years or more. This means that minorities will struggle to be represented for many years to…

    • 1449 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Racism in Tatum
    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Racism in Tatum

    In the society of today, racism is still prevalent even though many people remain ignorant to it. According to Tatum (1997), racism is “a system of advantage based on race” (p. 126). Tatum also states that racism is a form of oppression, either from outside forces or people of color who have internalized oppression. In different ways Tatum describes racism, for example that preschoolers are exposed to early stereotypes in an early age by films they see. In addition she writes about how one of her students could not believe that Cleopatra was a black woman because the rationalization of the student was that Cleopatra couldn’t have been black for she was beautiful. The views of that student in the subject of perceiving beauty is obviously misconstrued. According to Tatum (1997), “if one defines racism as a system of advantage base on race…people of color are not racist because they do not systematically benefit from racism” (p.128).…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Pigmentocracy In African American Culture
    • 1626 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Pigmentocracy In African American Culture

    More than two million people in the US self injure a day, privilege for those with lighter skin is still being granted, and a woman’s natural hair is still not fully accepted in American culture, but isn’t black America still a part of America? From the year 1619 until present day, the social and mental disconnection between Whites and people of color have been nearly impossible to resolve. The social construct of pigmentocracy and colourism have caused women in minority groups to devalue themselves in ways that made white standards of beauty appear to be the only kind.…

    • 1626 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Importance Of The Pledge Of Allegiance
    • 906 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Importance Of The Pledge Of Allegiance

    "Me being a Hispanic, black, Muslim woman, I am disgusted by the way minorities are treated." ’ Ricon has a very strong point. Any sympathetic and attentive citizen in this society has a challenge seeing how many different races are treated based on stereotypes that people place on them. Starting from the foundations of American government, the constitution states that every person has the right to not be forced into an action that they don’t want to take. The constitution states, “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”…

    • 906 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Color Blind Racism
    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Color Blind Racism

    Bonilla-Silva looks to answer two questions in this literature: “How is it possible to have this tremendous level of racial inequality in a country where most people (white) claim that race is no longer a social relevant social factor and that “racists” are a species on the brink of extinction? More significantly, how do whites explain the contraindication between their professed color blindness and America’s color-coded inequality?” In “Color Blind Racism”, Bonilla-Silva challenges the idea that we live in a society that is nonracist or nondiscriminatory. He insists that regular white folks engage in unintentional discrimination every day because of the social construction of the ideology of race. Today’s racism may be somewhat different than racism during the Jim Crow era. Instead, there is a different type of racism that has materialized around the 1960s. Bonilla-Silva refers to this type of racism as the “New Racism”. Since its emergence, color blind racism has become structured into almost every institution and has become a part of everyday life. Because of this new racism that continues to be socially constructed, blacks and other minorities suffer from inferior jobs, education, and housing. Bonilla-Silva discusses four central frames of color blind racism: 1) Abstract Liberalism. According to Bonilla-Silva, abstract liberalism allows whites to reasonably support racial inequality. 2) Naturalization. Naturalization is a way that whites can perform everyday actions that may seem natural because it’s the way of life. 3) Biologization. Biologization gives the idea that biological characteristics are the reason blacks maintain an inferior status. 4) Minimization of Racism. This frame suggests that racism isn’t a big deal. These four central frames of color blind racism give a different excuse to maintain white privilege, different from the tactics used in the…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Color Blindness And Systemic Discrimination In Society
    • 1631 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Color Blindness And Systemic Discrimination In Society

    Color blindness or also referred to as race blindness is the exclusion of race in the assessment of a human being. Color blindness is a new concept that strives to mineralize racial discrimination. Our society has strived to find a state of colorblindness but has yet to succeed. Past discriminations have hindered the progress of colorblindness in society. Due to racism in the past many hurdles were created for minorities to overcome in the present. Hurdles such as poverty and negative stereotypes. These hurdles in turn have made it hard for our society to truly become color blind. The racism from the past has made our society unable to truly practice colorblindness because it has caused individual, institutional, and systemic discrimination in the present.…

    • 1631 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Colorism And Racism
    • 179 Words
    • 1 Page

    Colorism And Racism

    Because of their foundations, colorism and racism intertwine and, what is more, colorism an expression of internalized racism (Hunter, 2007). As a matter of fact, both of the terms mentioned are related to the preferential treatment of individuals based only on skin color. (Hunter, 2007). In academic terms, racism is a sociological dimension that supports unequal treatment of people of different skin color (Pollock, 2008). As a result, the black are considered to be inferior and are thought to be less intelligent than the white. Racial discrimination is another dimension inextricably connected with both racism and colorism. It constitutes many activities which aim is to diminish the black (Pollock, 2008). Besides, black people have to face…

    • 179 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics