Story by Amelia Matheson, photograph curtesy of The History Files

The world has taught us that the color black is bad, that it encompasses all things evil and deathly. It seemed only natural to associate humans with darker complexions with such negativity. Both racism and colorism have very long histories in the world, dating back even further than many nations in Europe and Asia.

Racism is defined as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group. Black and brown people, Jews, Asians, and Native Americans from both North and South America have historically experienced racism in some capacity. They have been discriminated against, excluded from societies, and, most notably, hated. In earlier days, there was a need for an “us” and a “them”. And so, we used the greatest and most recognizable difference between people to distinguish ourselves: appearances. If we could separate ourselves based on skin color, facial features, or even style of dress, it would be very easy to negatively judge a person based on trivial things. From there, groups of people were “studied” so their complexions and customs could be used to establish stereotypes.

As for black people, religion played a large role in the racism they faced. Darkness in the Bible, as Christians believed, was used to describe sin, wickedness, and anything against God or his children. Europeans quickly decided that those with dark skin were heathens, devil-worshippers, and “uncivilized.” They were deemed undeserving of respect and thus condemned to generations of servitude. Their having dark-colored skin was used as justification to demonize them and to set in place practices that kept them on the lowest rungs of the social ladder. It was then reasonable to establish lighter, whiter skin as better— the flesh of a superior race.

A consequence of racism is the rise of colorism. This form of prejudice targets individuals with a dark skin tone and typically takes root among people of the same ethnic or racial group. Some black societies have developed a dislike for darker skin. Women, especially, are prized if they have lighter skin while those with more melanin are described as being “too dark to be pretty.” Today, 77% of Nigerian women use skin lightening products. Skin lightening is a common practice in many African and Asian nations, especially in India. Eastern societies believed that one’s complexion said something about their social standing; for instance, a woman’s fair skin implied that she was of a high enough class to occupy herself with leisure activities rather than working outdoors. Such colorism in societies around the world all stems from centuries of racism teaching entire populations of people to hate their skin, to hate themselves.

The world’s marginalized groups have long endured bias, prejudice, and discrimination from the western world and its advancers. What is much worse is that it is the same bias, prejudice, and discrimination that we continue to inflict on ourselves. After all that we have endured, after all of the oppression and pain and false victories, we owe it to ourselves to love who we are. We owe it to ourselves to disregard the world’s enmity against our cultures and embrace our authentic selves. All of the physical features, traditional clothing, and cherished societal customs we have tried to suppress should be left free to shine brightly for all to see. The love we have been denied and continue to deny ourselves is long overdue. It is now time to accept, to embrace your heritage and culture unapologetically.