Racism has affected people of color for hundreds of years. Racism is a large, systemic, social process and colorism is a manifestation of it. Colorism manifested from the power of systematic racism and has evolved over hundreds of years around the world where it affects people of color financially, socially, mentally, and physically.
Colorism is discrimination that privileges light skinned people of color over the dark skinned counter parts of the same race. Herring (2004) also defines colorism as “discriminatory treatment of individuals falling within the same ‘racial’ group on the basis of skin color”. Colorism in the black community originates from the mental, physical, and sexual abuse of African Americans in the western hemisphere.
Colorism is discrimination that privileges light skinned people of color over the dark skinned counter parts of the same race. Herring (2004) also defines colorism as “discriminatory treatment of individuals falling within the same ‘racial’ group on the basis of skin color”. Colorism in the black community originates from the mental, physical, and sexual abuse of African Americans in the western hemisphere.