The fog of anti-Blackness: Colorism’s lifelong impact on Black females and its implications for educators

Anderson, Shannon Denise

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/113132 Copy

Description

Title

The fog of anti-Blackness: Colorism’s lifelong impact on Black females and its implications for educators

Author(s)

Anderson, Shannon Denise

Issue Date

2021-06-30

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Hood, Denice

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Hood, Denice

Committee Member(s)

• Pak, Yoon
• Hale, Jon
• Kang, Hyun-Sook
• Webb, Sarah

Department of Study

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ed.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

colorism, education, equity, diversity, skin-tone bias, anti-blackness, gender bias, African-Americans, Black people, teacher education

Abstract

While race has been at the forefront of educational research, the intersection of race and skin tone stratification has not been thoroughly studied. Colorism, the preferential treatment based on skin tone is a systemic societal problem that occurs interculturally and intraculturally and has impacted the lives of many Black women within America and globally. This narrative study examined how Black women who were educated in the United States experienced colorism from preschool to adulthood. As school is a microcosm of our society, colorist ideologies find normative spaces in a student’s daily encounters. Educators might not be aware of how colorism affects their students in and out of school. This qualitative research study was conducted by interviewing 11 participants over the age of 22 through semi-structured interviews. Using the semi-structured interview allowed for participants to provide detailed insight into their experience with colorism from external influences identified from the conceptual framework such as (a) family, (b) society, (c) media, (d) peer groups, and (e) educational institutions. Additionally, the participants provided details regarding how the external influences were internalized in areas such as (a) self-worth, (b) friendships, (c) stereotype threat, (d) attractiveness, (e) educational attainment, and (f) intelligence. The narratives from the eleven women described their frustration toward colorist ideologies and stereotypes that are often perpetuated by society and experienced as early as preschool. The formative years of preschool through 12th grade are crucial in children’s prosocial development. This is especially the case for females of color as they begin to assign and internalize positive or negative attributes to skin color very early in life. Using Critical Race Theory as the theoretical framework, the narratives from the study provides testimonials to the endemic nature of colorism and possible strategies to combat it.

Graduation Semester

2021-08

Type of Resource

Thesis

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Copyright 2021 Shannon Anderson

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