The Other Wes Moore
John Appleseed
Professor Swaminathan
English 400
April 2 2012
The Mind of Colorism Colorism is a problem that African Americans have been dealing with for a while in there culture. The idea behind it is that the lighter-skinned an individual the more attractive they are, but the darker an individual are the uglier you look. The issue of skin color was a big issue and still is a big issue because during slavery days skin color had a lot to do with what kind of setting you were going to be placed in whether it was in the house or in the fields. The roots of colorism started during slavery. Slave owners used distrust among slaves which mentally forced the slaves to not believe anybody but there master. Today that same problem is shown in African Americans, but its even worse. Even though colorism was a tool slave owners used to divide and conquer slaves, African Americans are keeping it alive by judgment and division. In “Light Skin versus Dark Skin” Clarisse Jones writes that colorism is when your own race rejects you becasue of your skin color (249). Jones claims that in today’s society the lighter you are the better you look, but the darker you are the uglier you are. She addresses that even though some African Americans try to end the debate about colorism, it is still a painful issue many African Americans don’t want to talk about. Jones emphasizes African-Americans cannot fix racism by themselves, they need cooperation of others. Jones concludes, in order to stop colorism and racism African Americans need to learn how to love ourselves and that should be an easy thing to do. Moreover, African Americans can eliminate colorism. African Americans are actually the key to stopping the issue of colorism. The only reason that colorism is still alive in the African American community is because they are letting it pass and not doing anything about it. If the African American community were to realize how badly colorism affects their society it would end. In
Professor Swaminathan
English 400
April 2 2012
The Mind of Colorism Colorism is a problem that African Americans have been dealing with for a while in there culture. The idea behind it is that the lighter-skinned an individual the more attractive they are, but the darker an individual are the uglier you look. The issue of skin color was a big issue and still is a big issue because during slavery days skin color had a lot to do with what kind of setting you were going to be placed in whether it was in the house or in the fields. The roots of colorism started during slavery. Slave owners used distrust among slaves which mentally forced the slaves to not believe anybody but there master. Today that same problem is shown in African Americans, but its even worse. Even though colorism was a tool slave owners used to divide and conquer slaves, African Americans are keeping it alive by judgment and division. In “Light Skin versus Dark Skin” Clarisse Jones writes that colorism is when your own race rejects you becasue of your skin color (249). Jones claims that in today’s society the lighter you are the better you look, but the darker you are the uglier you are. She addresses that even though some African Americans try to end the debate about colorism, it is still a painful issue many African Americans don’t want to talk about. Jones emphasizes African-Americans cannot fix racism by themselves, they need cooperation of others. Jones concludes, in order to stop colorism and racism African Americans need to learn how to love ourselves and that should be an easy thing to do. Moreover, African Americans can eliminate colorism. African Americans are actually the key to stopping the issue of colorism. The only reason that colorism is still alive in the African American community is because they are letting it pass and not doing anything about it. If the African American community were to realize how badly colorism affects their society it would end. In