EVERYDAY COLORISM IN THE LIVES OF YOUNG BLACK …

[Pages:205]EVERYDAY COLORISM IN THE LIVES OF YOUNG BLACK WOMEN: REVISITING THE CONTINUING SIGNIFICANCE OF AN OLD PHENOMENON IN A NEW GENERATION

By JEFFRIANNE WILDER

A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2008 1

? 2008 JeffriAnne Wilder 2

To my mother, Gloria Wilder; my grandmother, Mary Lou Wilson; and the strong line of black women in my family who give life to this work

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the words of English novelist Jane Howard, "Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one." Had it not been for my clans, networks, and my families, completing this dissertation would have never been possible. I would first like to start with my Sociology family. I thank my Committee Chair, Dr. Milagros Pe?a for always challenging me and providing me with guidance, encouragement, and undying support. She was the first professor in the department to give me a chance, and has always provided me with countless opportunities for my professional development. I am forever grateful to Dr. Constance Shehan for her friendship and advice. I truly appreciate the long talks whenever I needed them. I am also indebted to Dr. Terry Mills. Although I never took a course from him, I consider Dr. Mills to be a central part of my development as a scholar; I thank him for being a wonderful mentor from far afar. Also, I wish to acknowledge and thank Dr. Charles Gattone for providing not only sound words of encouragement, but invaluable feedback on my work. Lastly, I wish to thank Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans for always asking the tough questions, always being there and for giving me a strong black woman scholar to look up to. Being her first doctoral student is an honor, and I look forward to our future friendship and work together as colleagues. I truly appreciate everyone on my doctoral committee for giving me confidence and the encouragement to work on a project that I am so very passionate about. I would also like to thank the other half of my Sociology family. I send special thanks you to Billy Jeffries, who was my first friend here at the University of Florida, and who has been a brother ever since. I thank him for the great laughs, great talks, and great food! I also want to thank Georgia Bianchi, Maura Ryan, Amanda Moras, and Dana Berkowitz. These wonderful women have served as my anchors, soundboards, and cheerleaders alike. I am also very

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appreciative for the great laughs, great talks, and great food! I would like to give a special thanks to Namita Manohar, a dear friend who is always available to laugh, talk, or to say a prayer. Lastly, I would like to thank my research partner and best friend in the department, Colleen Cain. She has been such an amazing friend, singing partner, and shoulder to cry on. Your support and friendship means more to me than you will ever know.

It is also important for me to express special gratitude to Kanitra Perry, Donna Balkcom, Melisa Smith, and Nadine Gillis for all of their support and encouragement throughout my time as a graduate student here at the University of Florida.

I would also like to thank my network of support in the Office of Graduate Minority Graduate Programs: Dr. Laurence Alexander, Earl Wade, Sarah Traylor, Janet Broiles, and Verlisa Brascom. Thank you so much for providing me an outlet for professional development, personal growth, and for giving me countless laughs (and free food) on many, many days.

It is also important for me to acknowledge and thank Dr. Mirka Koro-Ljungberg and Dr. Regina Bussing for all of their help and support in my professional development. My time spent as a research assistant was quite valuable, and I thank them for the amazing experience and opportunity.

I also need to thank my network of sisterfriends. I thank Alicia Emanuel Wade you for hanging in there and being supportive of me since (before) Day One. The spiritual connection we share is unlike any other. I would also like to thank my very dear friend Selena Brown; although we have been out of touch, our sisterhood still inspires me. I want to also express my deepest gratitude to Gail Dale, Stephanie Galloway, Sheila Lamarre, Melanie Ling, Telisha Martin, Rachel Robinson, Kutura Watson, and Desiree Wright. These lovely black women have been my source of strength and support and I treasure your sisterhood and love.

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I am deeply indebted to my family. Had it not been for their love, encouragement, and support, this dissertation would have never been completed. First and foremost, to my wonderful mother, Gloria Woullard Wilder, I say thank you for being my rock and very best friend. I am honored to have received my strength and wisdom from you. To both of my dads, Jeff Wilder and Joe Wilder, thank you for all your quiet support and love. I also wish to thank all of my siblings, but especially my sister, Michelle, and younger brother Joseph for being very supportive and encouraging. I additionally wish to thank my aunt, Dr. Linda Wilson-Jones and my cousin, Dr. Joyce Ladner for providing me the examples of exemplary women in academia. Lastly, I wish to thank my grandmother, Mary Lou Wilson, the ultimate example of a black woman and a scholar.

This research project would be impossible without the young women who participated in the focus groups. I thank each and every one of you for you strength and courage for speaking out about an issue that touches us all. Keep fighting, and continue to challenge society!

I send a special thanks to my research assistant, Joanna Braganza. Your hard work has truly been a blessing! I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

I give my final thanks to my almighty God, who has given me peace, grace, deliverance, and many blessings beyond my understanding.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

page

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4

LIST OF TABLES.........................................................................................................................10

LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................................11

ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................12

CHAPTER

1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................14

A Magnified Moment .............................................................................................................15 The History of Colorism in Black America............................................................................19 A Review of the Literature .....................................................................................................21

Colorism Pre-Civil Rights Era.........................................................................................22 Revisiting Colorism during Black Power and the Civil Rights-Era................................24 Contemporary Studies of Colorism .................................................................................25 Re-examining Colorism in the 21st Century ...........................................................................29 Overview of Dissertation........................................................................................................32

2 METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................35

Feminist Methodology............................................................................................................35 Black Feminist Epistemology.................................................................................................39 Focus Groups ..........................................................................................................................41 The Research Project ..............................................................................................................46 Sample ....................................................................................................................................48 Recruitment.............................................................................................................................51 Data Analysis: Grounded Theory and Discourse Analysis ....................................................52 Ethics and Reflexivity.............................................................................................................54

3 UNDERSTANDING EVERYDAY COLORISM: THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS..............................................................................................................65

Black Feminist Theory ...........................................................................................................65 Intersectionality ...............................................................................................................66 Standpoint and Visibility.................................................................................................68 Voice and Empowerment ................................................................................................69

Bridging Micro and Macro-Level Process in Social Reality..................................................70 Pierre Bourdieu................................................................................................................71 Patricia Hill Collins .........................................................................................................73 Philomena Essed..............................................................................................................74

Understanding "Everyday Colorism" .....................................................................................76

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4 REVISITING COLOR NAMES AND COLOR NOTIONS..................................................83

Language: "Color Names"......................................................................................................84 Internal Scripts: "Color Notions" ...........................................................................................89

"Red Girls Get More Attention"......................................................................................90 "Black Girls Are Ghetto" ................................................................................................94 "I am Not Black, I Am Brown": Medium Skin-Tone As a Safe and Protected

Class? ...........................................................................................................................99 Practices of Everyday Colorism ...........................................................................................105

Ritualistic Practices .......................................................................................................106 Compensatory Practices ................................................................................................109 Discriminatory Practices ...............................................................................................110 Summary...............................................................................................................................115

5 POINTS OF ORIGIN, STABILIZING AGENTS, & TRANSFORMATIVE AGENTS ....118

Defining Points of Origin, Stabilizing Agents, and Transformative Agents........................118 The Black Family: The Ultimate Point of Origin.................................................................120

Bloodmothers and Othermothers...................................................................................121 Family as the Point of Origin for Oppositional Colorism .............................................132 School ...................................................................................................................................135 Relationships.........................................................................................................................142 A Note on the Media.............................................................................................................150 Summary...............................................................................................................................153

6 THE COUNTER-NARRATIVES OF EVERYDAY COLORISM .....................................155

"Up North, It's Different".....................................................................................................156 Caribbean Influences ............................................................................................................159

Colorism in Haiti ...........................................................................................................160 Colorism in Jamaica ......................................................................................................162 "Not This Generation"..........................................................................................................165 Summary...............................................................................................................................170

7 DISCUSSION: IF THE PRESENT LOOKS LIKE THE PAST, WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE?.......................................................................................................171

Does the Present Look Like the Past? ..................................................................................171 What Does the Future Look Like?........................................................................................178 Recommendations for Change: Towards A Collective Oppositional Knowledge ...............181 Limitations and Directions for Future Research...................................................................186

APPENDIX

A RECRUITMENT FLYER ....................................................................................................190

B DEMOGRAPHIC FACESHEET .........................................................................................191

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