Colorism As Emotional Abuse

Posted February 15, 2019

Emotional abuse is any act including confinement,

isolation, verbal assault, humiliation…or any other act that diminishes
a persons sense of identity or self worth.

I feel a strong need to share this story because I can’t stop thinking about it. A few days ago, I went to buy make-up and the sales person was African American. As she helped me figure out the best shade for me, she told me that I reminded her of her sisters who were my complexion and had freckles. She went on to say that they shunned her because of her brown complexion and didn’t want to be seen with her to this day. She also told me that when her parents took the others in the family to the beach, she wasn’t allowed to go because, “they didn’t want me to get any darker.” One of Community Healing Network’s core values is to speak truth to ourselves. We must recognize that colorism is a form of emotional abuse. It diminishes a person’s sense of identity and self-worth. It causes real pain.

One of Community Healing Network’s core values is to speak truth to ourselves. We must recognize that colorism is a form of emotional abuse. It diminishes a person’s sense of identity and self-worth. It causes real pain.

In CHN’s Emotional Emancipation Circles, we often hear stories of the pain caused by colorism perpetrated by family members. In my opinion, it’s the most hurtful form of racism we face as a people–because the racist abuse is perpetrated by the people who are supposed to love us unconditionally. Our healing from the legacies of enslavement and racism won’t be complete until this abuse is stopped.

Written By Jill Marie Snyder, Secretary,CHN

CHN