Skin Color Politics, African Diaspora and Latinos in America and Latin America: Skin Tone and Self-Identity [SERIES] PART III

By Nicole Akoukou Thompson Mar 05 2014, 16:40 PM EST

Continuation of Skin Color Politics, African Diaspora and Latinos in America and Latin America: Denouncement of Ethnic Identity [SERIES]--PART I and Skin Color Politics, African Diaspora and Latinos in America and Latin America: Skin Lightening Creams [SERIES]--PART II

"(1) Drop: Shifting The Lens On Race," a video project headed by researcher Dr. Yaba Blay and photographer Noelle Théard, examines culture, ethnicity and attitude about race. The pair questioned the perspectives of 58 people, many identifying to some degree of "Black," most having mixed-roots.

Skin politics becomes evident when the researcher questions race, color identity and what it means during social interactions. Participants are asked what their ethnic/racial identifies are and to provide a short spiel about race, ethnic identity and race relations. Most participants classified themselves as being "Black" (African American, Black/African American, Black, Mixed/Jamaican Appalachian African-American and other variations), even as most had mixed heritages that included Latin, Asian and European backgrounds.

Brett Russel, who identified as "Yu'i Korsou (a child of Curaçao)," which refers to the island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast, stated, "Even though I was born and raised in Curaçao and I spoke the language, at first sight people always thought that I was Dutch. Then, when I came to Holland in 2001, the people saw me as 'the immigrant.' All of a sudden, I was 'the Black guy.' It was frustrating. There was no explanation for it, and I realized how little I had actually thought about myself in the context of race."

Harvard University published a paper called Effects of Skin Color Bias in SES on Political Activities and Attitudes, which addressed skin color appearance and its uses in America beyond distinguishing and categorizing separate races and ethnicities. Four national surveys were examined to find the understanding between skin tone, education, and family income among Latinos and Blacks. The abstract of the publication surmised that the political impact of skin tones was mostly indirect, and operated through well-known relationships with socioeconomic status attitudes and behaviors. Also, the researchers explored the linked-fates between skin tone and discrimination, political activity and policy preference.

Off-springs of the "African Diaspora" are plenty in Latino populations; communities shaded when crossing genetic paths with African slaves and settlers, causing the interlacing of two cultures and the composition of a wide range of skin tones. Race recognition falters when one claims a racial/ethnic identity that isn't perceived to be congruent to one's skin color; and often one feels the social reactions to skin color rather than identity. Group-orientation, identity and perception changes depending on how closely Latinos fall to the skin tones of African ancestors.

When shame rises with dark skin, anti-brown sentiments are reinforced. Believing that fairer skin is superior within one's own race is a phenomenon called colorism, whereby members of a race are perceived a certain way based on their lightness or darkness. Racism also scales the same lines when a sense of power, control, denigration or subordination is introduced from other races. Colorism is classified to occur solely within one's own race and ethic group.

"Darker-skinned Hispanics perceived greater job discrimination (MCSUI) and greater personal discrimination (LNPS); light-skinned Hispanics saw more discrimination against Puerto Ricans (LNPS)." In the MCSUI results, moving from light to dark increased the probability of perceiving discrimination in hiring by 8 percentage points. These differences were largest for Puerto Ricans and least pronounced for Dominicans," reported the Harvard study written by Jennifer Hochchild, Traci Burch, and Vesla Weaver. "In general, the results show that where skin color has an effect on political attitudes and activity, it is working through socioeconomic status. Given the strong connection of skin color to life chances, why does it have such a negligible direct political impact? Two answers seem plausible. Substantively, more "chunky" racial and ethnic differences are the salient, organizing principle in American politics when it comes to subjective attitudes and political behavior; we return to this point below. Methodologically, perhaps these survey measures are not adequate to pick up the importance of skin color."

The perception of skin color for Latinos and Blacks is so deeply woven into a history of white supremacy and dark complexion-inferiority. Because of this, the use of skin whitening cream is used -and it's dangerous. Skin bleaching can easily be seen as body dysmorphia, which is when an individual is so concerned about their body image that it manifests into an excess concern or "preoccupation with a perceived defect of their physical appearance."