“…the capture of the mind and body both is a slavery far more lasting, far more severe than conquest of bodies alone…” Ayi Kwei Armah, Two Thousand Seasons “(p.33)
Black women have been assaulted—physically and psychologically—for centuries—since we were involuntarily brought to the colonies as enslaved labor (Blackmon, 2009). Whereas Whites were glorified (Fairchild, 1988), portrayals of Black women (and men) were vicious. We were cast as morally and intellectually inferior to White men and women, sexually perverse, and spiritually bankrupt (cf. Fairchild, 1995). Viewed as sub-human, we were victims of physical and sexual abuse, social discrimination, and psychological tyranny. And still we rise! We never fully gave in to the lies …show more content…
3) stated chose to “…counter [our] realities of violence and discrimination by envisioning the Black female community as a collective of unique agents working toward a common goal of liberation” (Blackmon, 2009, p. …show more content…
After hearing racist stereotypes and attitudes, a time comes when these are adopted as truth—internalized — and believed by those on the receiving end of the lie. A heavy price is paid by all members of the Black community. “Colorism is a persistent problem for people of color in the USA. Colorism, or skin color stratification, is a process that privileges light-skinned people of color over dark in areas such as income, education, housing, and the marriage market. Colorism is directly related to the larger system of racism in the USA and around the world. The color complex is also exported around the globe, in part through US media images, and helps to sustain the multibillion-dollar skin bleaching and cosmetic surgery industries.” (Hunter, 2007, p.237) Historical Roots
In the US, colorism has roots in European colonialism (Jordan 1968) and plantation system of enslaved African Americans (Stevenson 1996). The American enslavement system operated as a form of White domination that rewarded those who emulated Whiteness culturally, ideologically, economically, and aesthetically (Hunter, 2007). Four central figures emerged out of the racist antebellum representations of Black womanhood: the “inept domestic servant” (the mammy), the domineering matriarch, the sex object (the Jezebel), and “the tragic mulatto” (Morton, 1991). While White women were idealized as all things virtuous (piety, deference, domesticity, passionless,
Black women have been assaulted—physically and psychologically—for centuries—since we were involuntarily brought to the colonies as enslaved labor (Blackmon, 2009). Whereas Whites were glorified (Fairchild, 1988), portrayals of Black women (and men) were vicious. We were cast as morally and intellectually inferior to White men and women, sexually perverse, and spiritually bankrupt (cf. Fairchild, 1995). Viewed as sub-human, we were victims of physical and sexual abuse, social discrimination, and psychological tyranny. And still we rise! We never fully gave in to the lies …show more content…
3) stated chose to “…counter [our] realities of violence and discrimination by envisioning the Black female community as a collective of unique agents working toward a common goal of liberation” (Blackmon, 2009, p. …show more content…
After hearing racist stereotypes and attitudes, a time comes when these are adopted as truth—internalized — and believed by those on the receiving end of the lie. A heavy price is paid by all members of the Black community. “Colorism is a persistent problem for people of color in the USA. Colorism, or skin color stratification, is a process that privileges light-skinned people of color over dark in areas such as income, education, housing, and the marriage market. Colorism is directly related to the larger system of racism in the USA and around the world. The color complex is also exported around the globe, in part through US media images, and helps to sustain the multibillion-dollar skin bleaching and cosmetic surgery industries.” (Hunter, 2007, p.237) Historical Roots
In the US, colorism has roots in European colonialism (Jordan 1968) and plantation system of enslaved African Americans (Stevenson 1996). The American enslavement system operated as a form of White domination that rewarded those who emulated Whiteness culturally, ideologically, economically, and aesthetically (Hunter, 2007). Four central figures emerged out of the racist antebellum representations of Black womanhood: the “inept domestic servant” (the mammy), the domineering matriarch, the sex object (the Jezebel), and “the tragic mulatto” (Morton, 1991). While White women were idealized as all things virtuous (piety, deference, domesticity, passionless,