IndexThe History of ColorismColourism in 1990 vs. Colorism in 2019ConclusionsWorks CitedColorism, also known as skin color prejudice, has been one of the greatest impacts on African American culture and its communities . It is heartbreaking to have to face discrimination within our own ethnic group, along with all other groups in the United States. Colorism dates back to slavery and has continued to be passed down from generation to generation. The idea that lighter skin is better than darker skin is deeply rooted in our culture. We see colorism in our daily lives, in the media, in school, in relationships and this helps form judgments." Like gender, a person's skin tone is a visible physical trait that others immediately notice during social interactions and use to form judgments” ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC4365794/) Colorism aided in the mulatto hypothesis, shaped how African Americans view color, and how colorism is portrayed today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The History of ColorismColourism is a subcategory of racism and is known to be a global cultural practice. “Colourism is a form of racial discrimination based on an individual's skin tone, which generally favors lighter skin. It can occur both within a specific ethnic group and between ethnic groups.” (https://www.dictionary.com, 2019) Outside the United States, colorism is more about class than white supremacy. There, the idea that light skin is superior to dark skin may arise from the fact that the ruling classes typically have lighter complexions than the peasant classes. In the United States, colorism is rooted in slavery. Slave owners typically gave preferential treatment to slaves with lighter complexions. Slaves with lighter skin, also known as “house slaves,” are assigned domestic tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and caring for children. While dark-skinned slaves, known as “field slaves,” were forced to work in the fields from dusk to dawn and live in shacks. House slaves were often afforded more respect and privileges than a field slave. They received better food and clothing, could live with the plantation owner, and could even receive an education from the women of the family. House slaves were sometimes treated as the "master's children" because many times they were. Slave owners often raped enslaved women, creating lighter-skinned children, then commonly called mulattoes. Although slave owners did not officially recognize their mixed-race children, they granted them privileges that dark-skinned slaves could not enjoy. As a result, light skin came to be seen as an asset in the slave community. “Within these special privileges of having a lighter complexion, having light skin was seen as an asset to the slave community while darker skin was a liability. This has created an internal tension within the black community as generations have passed.” (https://sites.wp.odu.edu) After slavery, colorism did not end in the United States. This continued the debate about preferring lighter skin over darker skin and eventually led to the Doll Test performed in the 1940s. Two African-American psychologists, Kenneth and Mamie Clark, conducted the Doll Test to test this theory. In the experiment, the Clarksthey gave the black children four dolls. The dolls were identical except that two had dark-colored skin and two had light-colored skin. The Clarks asked the children questions such as which dolls were "nice" and which were "naughty" and "which doll is most like you?" The test results showed that most black children preferred white dolls to black ones, the children said that black dolls were "bad" and that white dolls looked more like them. “For the Clarks, these tests provided concrete evidence that forced segregation stamped African American children with a badge of “inferiority that would last for the rest of their lives.” (https://www.nps.gov) Other theories attacked by black social scientists were the Brown Paper Bag Test. The brown paper bag test was a form of discrimination in the United States. A standard brown paper bag was used to determine whether or not an individual could have certain privileges. “Only people with a lighter skin color or the same bag color could join certain social organizations, fraternities and sororities.” (https://www.newhavenindependent.org, 2014) This internecine test helped justify the mulatto hypothesis as light-skinned, mostly mixed-race children and adults were allowed to obtain an education where dark-skinned African Americans could not. The mulatto hypothesis was the idea that biracial individuals were superior to blacks because of their white ancestry, but were inferior to whites in society. Colorism in 1990 vs. Colorism in 2019 The media not only creates tension, but it also creates stereotypes within the world. African American community. Most complex color stereotypes are formed by media observation and negative discrimination over the years in American society. For example, the television sitcom “Martin”, Martin is a respectable classic, reruns of which many still enjoy watching, but one cannot help but point out the aesthetic that speaks to a harsh reality within the black community. Gina (played by Tisha Campbell) was Martin's love interest. “Light-skinned women are more likely to appear and be the love interest in the music videos of famous black music artists.” (https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1547&context=law_globalstudies)Gina had light skin, is seen as beautiful, kind, silly and is one of the main faces of the show. Pam (played by Tichina Arnold) was simply Gina's best friend, who has darker skin, is seen as loud, defiant, annoying, while being attractive but less beautiful. Throughout the show Martin and Pam's relationship is playfully combative as both parties play jokes on each other. These jokes seem to become more insulting as Martin constantly refers to Pam's "bad attitude", "bad mouth", "balls"; also considering her an animal and the type of woman who runs away from men. On the other hand, Gina has no jokes directed at her for her clothing, skin, and hair, and Pam is purposely attacked for being darker than Gina. These depictions of her further show a divide between light-skinned black women and dark-skinned black women. Although Martin is dark-skinned, he is not criticized for his blackness or aggressiveness like Pam does. Her aggression and darkness are seen as funny and even attractive to the audience, while Pam is desexualized and becomes an undesirable character. Colorism in 2019 is still very widespread but I don't think it has the same weight as in previous decades. One of the main indications that colorism is still/.