Alice Walker defined colourism (also spelled colorism) as “prejudicial or preferential treatment of same-race people based solely on their color” in In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens. Colourism prevails intraracially and interracially for Black people because of the same reasons; the dominance of Eurocentric beauty myths via White supremacy, external racism by Whites and internalized racism by Blacks, and rigid notions of femininity and masculinity as it pertains to race and complexion. Though these 6 reads above present a plethora of topics, revealing the intersectional experiences of Black women, all of them elaborate on colourism quite well and are critical reads. The first two are non-fiction, latter 4 are novels. MUST READ.
I’ve also written a few essays that elaborate on colourism and its impact on beauty and more (and some of these essays on natural hair also touch on the topic):
- Black Women Do Not Have To Reject Any Mention Of Beauty To Be Womanist/Feminist
- Black Couples In Television/Film - Casting and Colourism
- “Keep That Talk On Colourism Quiet!”
- F*CK Nude And Flesh-Toned
- Hierarchy amidst the WoC Label?
- Black Women and Erasure
- Before Whites Wag Their Fingers At Colourism and Black Hair Politics…
- Politics and The Blackness Police
- Bigotry Aside, Why Not Go For Aesthetic Truth? (In Reference To Zoe Saldana Portraying Nina Simone)
- Black Girls, Black Women and TV Commercials
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"I don’t expect gay people to prove to me, a straight person, that there’s actually homophobia. I don’t expect poor people to prove to me, a Harvard grad, that hunger and poverty are widespread problems. And if someone asked me, as an Asian person, to “prove” to them that racism exists, I would laugh all the way back to Chinatown. Marginalized groups are not responsible for explaining their marginalization to you. If you are actually concerned, you would take the initiative to do some research yourself instead of showing up at some oppressed group’s door step demanding a list of citations for things (racism, sexism, etc.) that are proven time and time again in the real world."
I’m not above answering questions, but I feel this way SPECIFICALLY about people who are asking questions with the core intent of disproving my experiences with bigotry.
(via sonofbaldwin)
(Source: amberlrhea, via sonofbaldwin)
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he, schme →
http://www.makezine.enoughenough.org/pronouns.html
“it is very hard to make pronouns into a concious process instead of an assumption based on social signals that we’ve all been trained in from birth. however, their willingness to fail at the difficult task of thinking where non-thinking has existed is not okay. it is inexcusably short-sighted to look at this difficulty only from an individualized perspective of how hard it is, rather than from a understanding of it as a political condition imposed upon everyone. it’s understandable to feel daunted when coming up against a new and difficult concept and use of language, but it’s not okay to refuse critical engagment and expect those whose identity positions you foreclose to be infinitely patient.”
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Why aren’t more people freaking out about the new Venezuelan labor law?
You know, the one that gives housewives/full-time mothers a pension— wages for housework?
It’s ONLY A HUGE VICTORY FOR FEMINISM, SOCIALISM, AND WOMEN OF COLOR. Not a big deal or anything. Tumblr is mysteriously silent about this.
http://rabble.ca/columnists/2013/05/venezuelas-new-labour-law-best-mothers-day-gift
holy shit!
fucking COOL
(via fyqueerlatinxs)
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View high resolution
A guide to sexual assaults on college campuses. More info here: http://vitaminw.co/culture-society/activists-demand-colleges-take-rape-seriously
(via thisisrapeculture)
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Congratulations, Class of 2013!
Congratulations to all the new Columbia University alumni! We hope that you go on to do FemSexy things. :)
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RETURN THE GAYZE: my summer in cape town: or, i am sorry for using you →
haunting.
They will ask you
Whether your project can inflict ‘harm’
And you will respond: “minor discomfort” to expedite the review process
Her name is Cym,
And the arc of her smile mirrors her painted eyebrows,
On Mondays she asks you what you did over the weekend.
You do not…
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Why isn't New Orleans Mother's Day parade shooting a 'national tragedy'? →
“Unforunately, though, I’ve learned to redefine what constitutes an American tragedy. American tragedies occur where middle America frequents every day: airplanes, business offices, marathons. Where there persists a tangible fear that this could happen to any of us. And rightfully so. Deaths and mayhem anywhere are tragic. That should always be the case. The story here is where American tragedies don’t occur.
American tragedies don’t occur on the southside of Chicago or the New Orleans 9th Ward. They don’t occur where inner city high school kids shoot into school buses or someone shoots at a 10-year old’s birthday party in New Orleans. Or Gary, Indiana. Or Compton. Or Newport News. These are where the forgotten tragedies happen and the cities are left to persevere on their own.” -
At the STWTS opening, I asked people to write their own captions to street harassers.
From Stop Telling Women to Smile Opening at Fresthetic on April 12, 2013. Brooklyn, NY.
Photos by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh
(set 1/2)
this is brilliance
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cis people
who be like “i have male & female energy therefore im not cis.”
0.0
or ones who be like “cis is not a word i would use to describe myself”
we need to get it together.
We really do
