Historical & Psychological Roots of Ethnic Discrimination in African-Americans

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Another interesting point Toni Morrison shows in The Bluest Eye is sometimes black people themselves discriminate against people who had darker skin. On chapter 5 we are introduced to a women named Geraldine, a black women (presumably light skinned) who is well educated, but discriminates against dark-skinned people. She separates people between “niggers” and colored. “They sat in little rows o n street curbs, crowded into pews at church, taking space from the nice, neat, colored children (Morrison, Tony The Bluest Eye page 92).

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Colourism has its historical roots in the European colonialism. After that the color caste system was reinforced through various laws. After the civil war the divisions were based on differences on skin colour, hair texture, and physical appearance.” (St. Jean, Yanick, Feagin, Joe R. Double Burden Black Women and Everyday Racism, page 13). Even in Black churches there were discrimination. In 1870, the colored Methodist Episcopal Church broke up from the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Unfortunately, it still happens. In a recent interview Mathew Knowles (Beyonce father who is dark skinned ) suggested that some black people enjoy greater fame if they are lighter.

Furthermore, he admits that he was attracted to Beyonce’s mother because she looked white. It is very sad how Black women are discriminated by their own race. The number of Black male celebrities married to dark-skinned women is very small. For instance look at Tiger Woods, David Justice, Charles Tillman, Hank Baskett, Nmandi Asomugha, singer Seal and Rodney Peete (They all married white, or very light-skinned women).

When I googled celebrities that married dark-skinned women, the only names that came up was David Bowie and David Otunga. “There is some ample evidence that great social status is ascribed to Black women with lighter skin shade in the US. Black women with lighter skin shade are more likely to be married. About 20% of light skinned that have a child have never been married, while the number of unwed women of dark tones jumped to 38% (St. Jean, Yanick, Feagin, Joe R. Double Burden Black Women and Everyday Racism, page 17).

Some Black celebrities like Raven Simony and Devyn Abdullah go as far as denying their African-American heritage. Devyn Abdullah said in a recent interview in the Wendy Williams show “I do not really consider myself as a black model. I know what my ethnicity is, but I am fair-skinned and I feel like I have an international look.” It is hard to be self-assured when you see some Black celebrities who have bleached their skin because they think a lighter complexion will secure them better treatment in Hollywood for television, magazines, and endorsements. A few examples of people that have bleached their skin (besides the obvious Michael Jackson and LaToya Jackson ) are Nick Minaj, Iman and rapper Lil Kim. Unfortunately, when a celebrity like Beyonce uses long, straight, blond weaves she is not being proud of her ethnicity and she is passing the message the whiteness is the desirable beauty trait. Every time a black celebrity like rapper Lil Kim lighten their skin she is passing the message that black is not beautiful. As long as black celebrities straighten their hair, lighten their skin and refine their noses little black girls everywhere will have problems with self-acceptance.

In conclusion, this research shows that although some Black women have experienced great triumphs and political gains in the last decades (they were picked up for seats in the Congress, made historic runs for statewide office, and Loretta Lynch, became the first Black Women to be a cabinet appointee, the average dark-skinned African-American women still leads the poverty race, have less access to healthcare, and make less than their light-skinned and white counterparts, even when they are college educated. Unfortunately, they are still trapped in poverty and are statistically more exposed to violence.