The color complex : the politics of skin color among African Americans

Author / Creator

Russell-Cole, Kathy

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Summary

When light-skinned Tracy Morrow took her dark-skinned supervisor to court for color discrimination in 1990, the issue of intraracial discrimination exploded into the media. Many African Americans w...

When light-skinned Tracy Morrow took her dark-skinned supervisor to court for color discrimination in 1990, the issue of intraracial discrimination exploded into the media. Many African Americans were angry or disturbed by this attention to the subject: despite Spike Lee's portrayal of light-skinned "Wannabees" and dark-skinned "Jigaboos" in School Daze, publicly discussing the "color complex" had always been taboo. Kathy Russell, Midge Wilson, and Ronald Hall have addressed this politically charged topic with a courageous, humane, and provocative examination of how differences in color and features have played and still do play a role in the socioeconomic status, family relationships, friendships, romances, and professional lives of many African Americans. A heritage of slavery (in which those with dark skin were assigned to the fields and those with light skin to the house), centuries of White racism, the "one-drop rule" of racial identity, and other factors have all contributed to the color complex and its legacy of untold individual pain and communal strife. With this book the authors hope to increase awareness of the controversial issues surrounding physical appearance in the African-American community and help to bring understanding, justice, and healing.

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