Colorism

10 Pages 2601 Words

Introduction
The various shades of complexion within the African American people should be something celebrated. The different hues of skin should be an attribute that differentiates, but still unites the black society. However, this is not always the case. African Americans, today, seldom celebrate their differences in the respect to complexions. Differences in skin color, in the past, has not united, but divided black communities. This division and racism within a group of people based on skin tone is called colorism (Goetz 2001). This is a newer term for the intraracial discrimination that has been occurring since slavery. This paper will discuss colorism, whom it affects, how those people are affected, where this intraracial discrimination stems from, and what people are trying to do to stop the problem.

Historical Context
Colorism affects an abundance of people of color, but mainly African Americans. It roots back to early slavery. White slave owners often had what was called a “house” Negro. The “house” Negro was most often a light-skinned slave. The darker skinned slaves mostly occupied the field slave positions. There are many theories to this separation of jobs. Some say that the lighter skinned slaves were used within the house because the lighter the skin, the less “threatening” the slave seemed. Other historians feel that the master would place the light skinned slaves within the house because they were usually offspring (Crawford 2004). This biracial aspect explains their fairer skin. House slaves were always treated better than field slaves. They were always around the family, sometimes taking care of the master’s children. They were fed better, and received hand-down clothing from the family. They were trusted more, and sometimes even served as spies for the master. House slaves were the first considered for freedom, when it was offered. “All of these aspects made the house slav...