Throughout history, the African-American race has broken many barriers in terms of freedom, however, the perception of lighter-skinned people as opposed to darker-skinned people still is a struggle throughout society.
In 2012, filmmakers Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry released a documentary titled “Dark Girls.” The content of this film focused on the perceptions society has of dark-skinned females versus lighter-skinned females.
Cheryl Grills, President of the National Association of Black Psychologists and a featured speaker in this documentary, briefly explained the history of the African-American people as slaves. According to Grills, from 1619 to 1865 people of African desent were enslaved or treated as “monsters.” Once African-Americans were emancipated or considered “free” by the government, they were still treated by society in almost the same manner as a slave.
Since the ancestors of African-Americans were brought to America with the intentions to be sold as property, that negative connotation still lingers throughout society. It may not be as prominent, but it still exists.
Colorism is defined as discrimination of skin color within society. Studies show light-skinned African-Americans tend to be treated better within society than dark-skinned African-Americans.
For example, a doctoral student named Matthew S. Harrison conducted a study at the University of Georgia in 2006. His studies showed those of a lighter complexion were chosen for jobs over someone with a darker complexion. For men, it was concluded that if an African-American male with a darker complexion applied for a job and only had a bachelor’s degree, he would get chosen over his darker competitor who had a master’s degree and job experience. According to this study, women had a better chance of getting considered for a job if her credentials exceeded the other, but if credentials are identical, the lighter-skinned female would most likely receive the job.
In 2007, NBC News reported about a Detroit party promoter named Ulysses Barnes who advertised a party to be free only for light-skinned women. The title of the party was “Light-Skinned Women and All Libras.” However, this gathering did not happen due in large part to women protesting against it.
Timothy Foley, psychotherapist and another speaker in this documentary, spoke about the superficial aspect of skin tone. While someone may be dark or light, Foley explained a person’s skin color does not dictate the intelligence of that person.
Shanerrika Glover, marketing senior from Bossier City and the Nicholls President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said that while in a professional setting, she does not see color as an issue. Glover said no matter her skin tone, she is still beautiful.
“Don’t tell me I’m pretty for a dark-skinned girl,” Glover said. “I’m pretty, period. If I stand next to a light-skinned girl, I’m still pretty. If I stand next to a girl that is as dark as tar, I’m still going to feel pretty.”
Erica Reed, mass communication sophomore from New Orleans, shared some of her experiences of being a light-skinned female by saying people categorize her at first glance.
“A lot of people think I’m stuck up because I’m light-skinned, but I feel like that’s just you judging me before you get to know me,” Reed said.
She then went on to say that regardless of skin tone, all African-Americans are equal.
Thus, the concept of beauty within the African-American race is only a small portion of what makes up a person. Grills spoke on the fact that there are much bigger issues African-Americans faced and are still facing as a people.
“Beauty is just a small piece of a much bigger animal, and until we understand that much bigger animal, we will not understand the issue of colorism,” Grill said.