Colorism Influences How We Show Up At Work
There is no denying that the U.S. is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. In fact, the U.S. will become ‘minority white’ by 2045, according to Brookings. Now more than ever, we have to get to a point in society where we think about people as ‘different like me’ rather than ‘different than me.’
Colorism is a form of prejudice or discrimination, commonly observed among members of the same racial or ethnic group, by which those with lighter skin are treated more favorably than those with darker skin. This cultural phenomenon is not only isolated to the U.S.; people around the globe are impacted by the effects of colorism. For instance, in Latin and South America, light-skin is perceived as more attractive, and in Mexico and in Brazil light-skin signifies power. The global beauty industry perpetuates colorism through the sale of skin-lightening products. This multi-billion dollar industry reinforces the idea that beauty equates with white skin and that lightening dark skin is both feasible and preferable.
Colorism has a subconscious effect, and research shows it can impact our partiality to individuals with lighter skin when we make business-related decisions for interviews, salaries, and promotions. Research reveals that colorism is associated with smaller incomes and fewer job prospects for darker-skinned people. A 2018 study revealed that a light-skinned Black male with a Bachelor’s degree and typical work experience was preferred over a dark-skinned Black male with an MBA and past managerial positions. So how can we start to accept each other more by valuing people for who they are as opposed to the color of their skin?
To learn about ways we can work to become both anti-colorist and anti-racist, I (virtually) sat down with a group of leaders for a Consciously Unbiased LinkedIn Live conversation. We discussed building our cross-cultural competency through courageous conversations about race, taking pride in our identity through self-reflection and storytelling, and acknowledging our biases and privilege. Here are some key takeaways from our discussion.
Normalize Vulnerability Through Conversations
“We have to normalize vulnerability,” says Melva LaJoy Jones, CMP, DES, Founder, LaJoy Plans. “You can’t do the work and not be vulnerable. Grace is our currency. I have a friend who has opted out of the conversations around diversity, colorism, and racism because he is so scared to do the work in a vulnerable way, and he is scared that humans who identify of color won’t meet him with grace. There has to be some give and take. If we want people to do the work, we can’t do the work for them; but we can be open to participating in their process.”
Take Pride in Your Heritage
“People who come from multiple heritages should be strong and rooted in their identities, and not assimilate into whiteness,” says David Ryan Castro-Harris, Founder, Amplify RJ. “The culture of white supremacy is rooted in every institution, and it is really hard unless you are making a conscientious effort to be rooted in your identity. Be proud of who you are and know your history.”
Lean Into Your Discomfort
“People need to take time to be comfortable,” says Dimitri Joseph Moïse, Co-Founder & Vice President, Claim Our Space Now. “As adults, we forget who we were as kids, and we have to assimilate into society where we need to be this perfect version of ourselves.
It is difficult to stand up to discrimination, because we are fearful of the things that we don’t understand. We are fearful of the things that bring us extreme discomfort. We seek comfort and we seek people who look like us. We have to do much more work to lean into that discomfort and start to find communities outside of ourselves because group preference lives in us. We need to build our cultural competency so that we don’t have to feel extreme discomfort when we meet someone who feels unexpected because of the ways we perceive them.”
Storytelling is Key to Making an Impact
“I have been journaling since I was seven years old,” says Jones. “I journal four nights a week about who I want to become, what I’ve learned, and what I’m grateful for. As I’ve gotten older, I have found my people where we can share stories. We can share stories of impact about how our race has affected our work.
In that interaction, I have found that it wasn’t validation, but affirmation. Affirmation of the journey I’m on to be who I am, even though it’s different from what the majority might say I should be. I encourage people when they journal to share their stories with their people and bring others along. Share them with people who are younger than you.”
Check Your Bias and Privilege
“Check your bias and check your privilege, which means taking inventory of yourself: who you are, and all the intersections of your identity — not only race or color,” says Castro-Harris. “Ask yourself where you stand, how that benefits you and how are you harmed by that, what is your proximity to whiteness, how do you continue to uphold the oppressive systems, and how have you been able to navigate the world? This is internal work for external impact with restorative justice in order to help repair harm, but also proactively build relationships.”
Colorism Falls Under the Racism Spectrum
“Racism is a spectrum. While racism and colorism are not necessarily the same, we need to think of them alongside each other,” says Moïse. “There are different umbrellas that live along the racism spectrum, and colorism also sits there. Under these umbrellas are all different types of ways in which people can be microaggressive to lighter-skinned people or to darker-skinned people. We need to understand that being antiracist also means being anti-colorist. Racism is a whole host of things we need to work at, live within our consciousness, and recognize. I think colorism exists as one of those ways we need to recognize how racism has affected our society across institutions.”
Colorism is Intergenerational
“Colorism lives within races because that is how we were taught,” says Jones. “There is so much literature out there that reinforces that brown or dark-skinned people were workers and the light-skinned people were allowed in the ‘big house.’ I think that colorism is intergenerational, because from generation to generation, that message has been reinforced through family, conversations, the media, etc.”
Recognize How You Privilege Whiteness
“I think colorism is something that is happening inside and outside a racial group,” says Castro-Harris. “We are talking about proximity to whiteness and white supremacy. It’s not about thinking of white supremacy as, ‘Did I go on a march with the Proud Boys?’ but ‘How have I [seen] whiteness [as being superior]?’”
D&I and Social Justice Work in Tandem
“There can’t be diversity, inclusion, and equity without putting them in tandem with social-justice-making change in the world, and wanting to create the world that we wish to see,” says Moïse. “If we just talk in circles around it and never actually create actionable steps to make it happen, we are just going to stay in this cyclical rabbit hole forever.”
It’s important to amplify the voices and beauty of darker-skinned people to reduce the impact of colorism in our society. By learning how to better identify and acknowledge our bias and privilege, we can work to increase the representation of people of all colors, and better see people for their value rather than their appearance. Storytelling and self-reflection are key to finding strength in vulnerability, because how we define other people is how we think about ourselves. If you want to implement lasting change in the world, your community, or in your work environment; it all starts with changing yourself.
