A JOURNAL OF COLOUR: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF COLOURISM TODAY,Date : Tuesday October 4th 2011. Student Name: Meloney Whitney, A.W.C.C.A., B.S.W., M.S.W Candidate,WHAT IS COLOURISM?,Colourism is a form of discrimination that results not from racial categorization, but rather values associated with skin colour itself which as a result triggers differential treatment (Jones, 2000). Photo: http:/www.lyndsaycabildo.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/races.jpg Colourism operates both intraracially and interracially. Herring (2004) describes the definition and difference between these key two terms: Intraracial colorism occurs when members of a racial group make distinctions based upon skin color between members of their own race. Interracial colorism occurs when members of one racial group make distinctions based upon skin color between members of another racial group (p.3). My Practice Research Paper (PRP) focused on Intraracial colourism specifically within the Black community.,2,Intraracial and interracial colourism,Colourism operates both intraracially and interracially. Herring (2004) describes the definition and difference between these two key terms: Interracial colorism occurs when members of one racial group make distinctions based upon skin color between members of another racial group. Intraracial colorism occurs when members of a racial group make distinctions based upon skin color between members of their own race (p.3). My Practice Research Paper (PRP) focused on intraracial colourism specifically within the Black community. Photo: http:/4.bp.blogspot.com/-6IzYew_E8Tg/Tejiyla3r2I/AAAAAAAAAE4/IEnMFbOBxJY/s1600/dark-skin-light-skin-pic_edited-3.jpg,3,ABSTRACT,The purpose of this research was to build a critical analysis of colourism, as a contemporary form of colonialism, and as a devastating remnant from the legacy of slavery. I sought to build a connection between our present day issues with colourism, to colonization and slavery. There were three tentative sub-questions that framed the approach to this research statement, which were as follows: 1. How is colourism today related to historical remnants of slavery, and present day colonialism? 2. In what ways are the Black community, and in particular individuals who are dark skinned, affected by colourism? 3. How is colourism manifested and perpetuated daily? Keywords: Colourism, Colonialism and Slavery,4,Theoretical Framework,Critical Race Theory is the primary theoretical framework for my study. This theory embraces the concept of the personal is political, even when undertaking research and scholarly pursuits, and was an excellent choice for this study as it promotes race consciousness, and strives to advance a social justice framework. Crenshaw, K., Gotanda, N., Peller, G., & Thomas, K. (1995) explain that: With its explicit embrace of race consciousness, Critical Race Theory aims to re-examine the terms by which race and racism have been negotiated in American and Canadian consciousness, and to recover and revitalize the radical tradition of race-consciousness among African Americans and other peoples of color a tradition that was discarded when integration, assimilation and the ideal of color-blindness became the official norms of racial enlightment (p. xiv).,5,LITERATURE REVIEW FINDINGS:,The literature on colourism, comes to a consensus that within racial and ethnic groups, in particular within the Black community, colourism arose out of colonial conquests and slavery. Herring (2004) found that, “the legacy of colonialism, racial oppression during slavery, legalized discrimination in the Jim Crow era, and de facto segregation in the post-civil rights era have all functioned to create and perpetuate skin color stratification in communities of color” (Herring, 2004, p.1 -2). Similarly, Carpenter (2009) stated that, “slavery, as an institution as well as a practice, not only promulgated colorism in terms of distinguishing between black and white, but it also fostered qualitative judgments regarding the gradations of skin color among African Americans” (p.19). She adds that “the known facts, of course, are important to offer students so that they can understand that rather than originating in the psyche of African Americans, color-consciousness was born out of White racism (Carpenter, 2009, p.18).,6,LITERATURE REVIEW FINDINGS:,HISTORICAL EXAMPLES OF INTERRACIAL COLOURISM : Colour caste system on the plantation : Enslaved Blacks assigned tasks by colour (e.g. house and field work) Differential treatment affected ones living conditions, degree of violence from overseers, educational opportunities etc. (Hunter, 2004). Slave Auction Block : Qualitative judgements made concerning light and dark skin slaves; Prices of slaves differed based on skin colour (Carpenter, 2009). Lighter skin slaves served as a symbol of wealth and prestige. Privileges during and after slavery : White plantation owners and legislators freed their own bi racial chi