1

Laila Best

Ermert

Feb 7, 2019

Joy, Bennett K. "Is Skin Color Still an Issue in Black America?" Ebony, vol. 55, no. 6, 04 2000,

pp. 52-56. elibrary,

https://explore.proquest.com/elibrary/document/232566121?accountid=172748.

In this article, Bennett explains how back in the day there was a greater pride in having dark

skin. From Langston Hughes to slave poets who said “blacker the berry sweeter the juice”.

Although there still was a color stigma dark skinned people were not ashamed as they are now.

As time went on crueler phrases and saying became more popular one being, “ if you're white

your alright, if you're brown stick around , and if you're black get back. Things like that made

darker skinned people hate their skin tone and feel as i they were not beautiful. To counteract

that the term “black is beautiful” was brought up. Did the term help darker skinned people

become confident in themselves like the past? The answer is personal to each person. Not

every dark skinned person hates themselves but there are alot who struggle with self

confidence. Bennett, also states how darker skinned people started looking at eurocentric

beauty standards and felt like if they didn't match that then they would never be good enough.

Variations of skin tones also came about. In my opinion this was the demolition of the black

community.
 2

Fears, Lillie M. "Colorism of Black Women in News Editorial Photos." Western Journal of

Black Studies, vol. 22, no. 1, 1998, pp. 30-36. elibrary,

https://explore.proquest.com/elibrary/document/200355257?accountid=172748.

In this article, the author,Fears, goes deeper on the issue of colorism and what colorism really

is. Fears gives examples of studies on how the eurocentric- looking black models were more

appealing than the afrocentric-looking black models. Fears whole point of this article is to help

people understand the topic and how it is still a very popular issue today. The article also

mentions the use of mass media communications,and how the exploitation of the afrocentric-

looking black models were seen in a negative few in the study. Fears also states how light

skinned women have in the light of society been more inferior than dark skinned women. Darker

skinned women have often been rejected by people because there skin wasn't as light. Which

for obvious reasons haven caused tension between African- American women. Fears also

mentions how women with a lighter complexion has benefited from the phenomenon. While

darker skinned women have suffered. Lastly, Fears says that this stigma is an unrealistic view

on how Black America Should look.

Bennet , Geoff. “For Light-skinned only?” October 16 ,2007 the NPR station

https://www.npr.org/sections/newsandviews/2007/10/for_lightskinned_only.html

In this article, the Author Geoff ,challenges the mindset that light skins are better than dark

skinned people. This article wants people to think about holw absurd the whole idea is to treat

people of the same race differently based on the level of there pigmentation. He states how this

mentality was based in slave times and how its a toxic part of the black community in which we

hold onto and in some ways glorify. Geoff states how no one shade is better than another.He

capitalizes on the fact that even movies conveyed this and people often misconstrued the
 3

appearance. That also pushed the darker skinned people further. Even in movies they were

treated bad as far as the actor they were portraying. Colorism is so potent and normalized that

now it is expected. Is there anyway we could get passed it though? Even little children are

immune to it. When little black girls rather play with white dolls with blue eyes. I believe you

have to be trained by your parents to be proud of there skin tone no matter how pigmented.

Hochschild, Jennifer L., and Vesla Weaver. "The Skin Color Paradox and the American

Racial Order." Social Forces, vol. 86, no. 2, 2007, pp. 643-670. elibrary,

https://explore.proquest.com/elibrary/document/229890820?accountid=172748,

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sf/86.2.643.

In this article, Hochschild, states that dark skinned blacks in america have a lower

socioeconomic status, a higher criminal rate,diminished prestige, and less likelihood of

holding elective office compared to there lighter counterparts. Also that darker skinned

blacks are aware of how they are treated differently. Hochschild also claims that black

people believe that they are linked or attached to their race by skin color. Meaning that

black people have a mentality that they are all different according the there brown

pigmentation, although they are all still black. It is called the “skin color paradox” which

they identify the disparity between treatment and political attitude. Which also leads

into a social hierarchy dark skinned blacks believe they are lower and have been

treated as lower so that's how they are seen in society. The ending question is how

much of a real issue is the skin color paradox and if it's just among the black

community or if it branches out further, and if African americans treat their self as lower

so they are lower in society no matter the shade. As african americans they are

already on the bottom just darker skinned people are on the bottom of the bottom.
 4

“The making of a slave - The Infamous “Willie Lynch Letter”” February 28,2018, The
Pasadena/San Gabriel Journal
https://pasadenajournal.com/the-making-of-a-slave-the-infamous-willie-lynch-letter/

In this journal entry it gives history on where the concept of separating black people by shade

came from. Willie lynch made a speech, in which was veered towards white slave owners and

how to control black people. His philosophy to breaking black people was to put them against

each other for example, how dark skinned slaves where to fight a light skinned slave in a while

white plantation owners stood and watched for entertainment until one of the slaves killed each

other with their bare hands. The Willie Lynch letter states that in order to control the mind of

black people for hundreds and thousands of years you have to outline the differences between

the slaves and make them bigger then what they are. He said you should use disgust and and

envy for control purposes. The History of Colorism starts with this. William Lynch’s method

worked. Today we have formulated our own interpretation of the method but we still self

consciously life and abide by it.