Intra Racism In African Americans

Rosa Parks once said “Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and hopefully, we shall overcome.” Racism is a struggle that, to this day, has continued to be a major issue. The color of someone’s skin alters how a person is perceived by society as a whole. Race is a social construct created by humans to categorize the world. (Sullivan 2) The outlook on racism varies from community to community, family to family, and even person to person. Skin color can alter all aspects of an individual’s life, because unlike inner differences and beliefs, skin color is a physical appearance. Social status, perceptions, roles, occupation are just a few of the characteristics of life which can be affected simply by a person’s physical differences. Not long ago somebody could even be discriminated against and their basic rights and freedoms could be altered based on their appearance. Many people believe that the United States is a colorblind nation or is tolerant of people 's race. Racism may go unnoticed by those who believe that it is a thing of the past, but to the people who are directly impacted by racism, it continues to be play a major role in today’s society.

If a black woman had dark skin she would resemble a man, therefore making her ugly in society’s standards. This pressures black women to constantly be "compatible with the white female standard of beauty" (Ashe 580) in order to be socially accepted in society. Intuitively black women understood that in order to be considered desirable, the less black they had to look. This unfortunate perception of beauty stems from a long pattern of "sociohistorical racial injustices" (Bealer 312) towards darker skinned African Americans. Maria Racine states in her review that since slavery black people who approximated closer to whites were sexually sought after by black slave men and white plantation owners and were considered to live a somewhat "easy coexistence" because of their appearance (Racine 283). Since it’s start, colorism laid the pathway of racial prejudice towards dark skinned individuals. The result of treating dark African Americans as subhuman beings led to the altering of the black psyche by creating a "pervasive hierarchy" of beauty that black woman constantly combated or were forced to accept. (Bealer 312).

As much as we would prefer for it not to be true, skin tone complications of the past still afflict the psyche of present-day America. The American social hierarchy places people of mixed-race ancestry below whites but above blacks, while additional social stratifications along color lines are simultaneously taking place within the nation’s multiracial groups, according to a Johns Hopkins University sociologist’s study of U.S. Census data (Bennett, 2011). The idea that light-skinned blacks hold a higher standing than dark-skinned blacks is still a large point of discontent in the black community. Using data from the National Survey of Black Americans, it was found that blacks with lighter skin had higher socioeconomic status, had spouses higher in socioeconomic status, and had lower black consciousness than those with dark skin (Hughes & Hertel, 1990). A 2006 University of Georgia study showed that employers prefer light-skinned black men to

“Among African Americans, skin tone is an important physical characteristic that creates divisions in the community and affects the quality of life. Like gender, a person’s skin tone is a visible physical trait that others immediately notice during social interactions and use to form judgments” The Light skin versus Dark skin issue that has been haunting the black community for centuries is deeply rooted from the times of slavery. Because of the influence of white supremacy, mixed race children received better treatment which resulted in the formation of a social stratification within the black community that impacted how they were treated by white people as well as the way they were treated within their own community.

The Color Complex: The Politics of Skin Color Among African Americans is one of the text used. This book was written by Kathy Russell, Midge Wilson, Ronald E. Hall in 1993 to inform readers of the color gap in how lighter skinned people of the black community are treated differently than those of a darker skin tone. It further explains how African Americans have been taught to see themselves based on their skin tone. This book was a valuable resource that it assisted in the understanding of the Black color line; its inception and how it created an environment of self segregation. While this text was helpful, it like many other text had limitations. One limitation was that the text does not present a counter argument to support another point

As a young child I knew that racism existed but not to the extent that I understand now. I would get made fun of for being “extremely black” in elementary school despite it being a majority black school. As I grew older the name calling didn 't stop, I would find people of different races, including my own commenting in shock and surprise about how dark I am. “Damn she 's dark” one black classmate would snicker as I walked down the hallway. It never bothered me, I embraced my skin and its shade because I knew I was more than a color. But in America something as minor as your skin tone is one of the most defining factors in who you are or how you 're expected to be, shade dominates how others view you.

This paper will discuss the harsh reality surround racism in America for both poor and rich African

The history of racism in America has skewed how we interact with one another within our own race. As history has shown, men began to denounce their race to simply be seen as equal to the white man (Adelman and Strain 2003). People within the same race were treated different based on skin tone. The same privilege has carried over into today’s modern racism. Within the black community, there is hostility between people of different shades of brown. There comes unspoken privilege with being a lighter shade . There is more acceptance in society and more leverage for a lighter skinned African American then there is for a darker skinned individual. I find the division between people in the same race to be detrimental. For the dominate race, there is little division because they have found a common ground, power, that

Growing up as a child, I did not love my dark skin because of the treatment I witnessed of other dark skin in the society. Gitterman and Germain (1973) would say that my experience of not loving my dark skin is low self-esteem, the most important part of self-concept, making me feel inadequate, inferior and unworthy (818). One specific incident I remembered was walking through a neighborhood in Buffalo, NY named Cheektowaga, when an older white woman told me I did not belong in her neighborhood because I was black. This is an example of racism on the macro level because this is a cultural norm that blacks face on a regular basis. Kirst-Aschman (2014), would approach this example by arguing that it stems from a history of segregation, whereas the white and black population are detached from each other in society because of their race

Aubrey, I loved how you started this discussion off with your own personal relationship to the issue. I cannot agree enough with the statement that our views, as an individual, are directly affected by the society with which we grew up in and our relationships with other people. Whether this be with people similar to our selves or drastically different. This truly speaks for the argument of color consciousness. From the points you made throughout this discussion, covering the reasons as to why people are more likely to cast prejudgment on those that are different from themselves, such as whites vs. blacks or lighter skinned blacks vs. darker skinned blacks, I find it very easy to agree with you. The explanations you provided make it easy to

Racism against African Americans is something that needs to change. People of all races especially blacks are dying, cops are shooting black people with no remorse in broad daylight and they are acting like they are above the law. Officers are also being recorded while these shootings have been happening and they still continue. These kind of acts are tearing the African American communities apart and they are being affected in a very negative way. We the people are not acting out the way our forefathers vision of what we know as the American dream. This is not the way we are supposed to live but most people have learned a specific way of life, which may or may not be the ‘civilized’ way, and does not care for change or trying to change themselves.

“I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color.”-Malcom X. Is racism against the African American descent still a big issue in America? Racism against African Americans has been going on for quite some time and yes, it’s still a continuous problem. People believe it has settled down over time, but it’s still a major issue that we as Americans are trying to overcome.There have been many events and issues since the 1930s that have showed racism is still an issue such as, the use of racial slurs, protests, police attacks, etc. as a whole the United States needs to come together and unite as one. We need to not be judged by the color of our skin, but the actions we make. If a person is only judged by the color of their skin the situation will never be solved. Racism against African Americans is an issue that we still have in America and it needs to be solved.

The color of one’s skin has categorized the physical importance and lifestyle of humans since the birth of America. Importation of Africans was a main pillar of the triangle trade when England ruled America. Men, women and children were pumped into the Caribbean and to America to work until their deaths. The average white man saw no harm in this, after all, they did not even see these Africans as human beings, they were just everyday property. After the 13th Amendment, the United States abolished slavery hoping that there would be equality between races.

Racism one of the more wacky position held by a major portion of the human race. Can you think a world in which a golden retriever hated black Labs? That is exactly how measly people look when they feel panic and differentiate against other people for the tint of their leather. unluckily, in spite of dialectics and reason, color bar remains ancient of origin and continual in to our present days.

Look around you. If you are in school, observe the hallways or your class. If you are at home, inspect your neighborhood. If you are at a store, take notice of its customers and workers. How many people of different races do you see? How many people identify with each race? Chances are, a majority of the people affiliate with one race. It’s 8am and you may be in your first block class or grocery shopping and the effects of racism have already impacted your day. Right now, you are encountering a border posed by racism: segregation. Racism and its effects can not only be seen around us but can also be traced throughout countless readings in HWOC this year. Almost every literary work focuses on the topic or underscores at its effects, and today, you can walk into any library or bookstore and find something, whether it be a news article or chapter book, regarding racial conflict. This alone is evidence of how racism has integrated our society and continues to inform and manipulate our minds. The literature we have been exposed to this past year is a reflection of society, similar to a reflection in a mirror showing us the piece of hair sticking up in the back, literature is showing us the problem so it can be addressed.