Genesis of U.S. Colorism and Skin Tone Stratification: Slavery, Freedom, and Mulatto-Black Occupational Inequality in the Late 19th Century

Abstract

Studies show lighter skinned Black people are advantaged on a number of social indicators—a phenomenon called “colorism.” These studies generally contend preferences for light-skinned and/or Mulatto slaves endured the postbellum period to shape social outcomes into today. Following this idea, other studies examine differences in social outcomes between Mulattos and Blacks in the 19th century, but few empirically connect antebellum life to postbellum Mulatto–Black stratification. With that in mind, I examine whether the socio-economic differences between Mulattos and Blacks varied across geographic space in proportion to places’ reliance on slave labor and the characteristics of its free African American population. This allows me to examine whether differences in economic status between Mulattos and Blacks are a result of Mulatto advantage in the form of privileged positions during slavery. My results reveal that Mulattos have higher occupational statuses relative to Blacks in places where slavery was more prominent and where free Mulattos were literate. This suggests the intraracial hierarchy established during slavery was more likely to be replicated in places where slavery was more important, and Mulattos were able to capitalize on freedom by leveraging their literacy into better economic statuses after emancipation. These results support the idea that skin color stratification was initiated at least in part by practices during chattel slavery and offers some plausible mechanisms for its transmission.

Coloring Weight Stigma: On Race, Colorism, Weight Stigma, and the Failure of Additive Intersectionality

“…Examining whether the racial structure in the United States is more spectral or categorical helps us understand whether color has come to trump race in shaping social outcomes. It is possible in the absence of formal, legal racial barriers to black advancement in the wake of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, lighter skinned black Americans who had enjoyed superior social outcomes since chattel slavery were poised to rapidly increase their social standing in a way that sharply diverged with darker skinned black Americans (Reece 2018). This may suggest our traditional ways of conceptualizing and measuring race and color have become antiquated as legal barriers were dismantled.…”

Colorism and Physical Health: Evidence from a National Survey

“…Evidence shows that skin tone’s importance originated during slavery (see Reece 2018), where, as Keith and Herring (1991:2) point out, lighter-skinned Blacks were privileged by whites and thought to be more aesthetically appealing and intellectually superior to darker-skinned Blacks—thinking that typically rested on a foundation of “race science” that held that lighter-skinned Blacks (i.e., those who had kinship ties with whites, hence the lightness of these individuals’ skin tones) were less African and more European and thus superior to other Blacks (Reuter 1918). The adoption of such thinking by whites afforded lighter-skinned Blacks advantages in obtaining education, property, and even their freedom (i.e., manumission).…”

The complex relationship between colorism and poor health outcomes with African Americans: A systematic review

“…Based on the findings, a few broad observations can be made. First, major discrimination faced by African Americans from colorism can influence psychological trauma (e.g., Diette et al., 2015; Reece, 2018). It is suggested that colorism impacts have a far‐reaching cost on health and general well‐being (Bertocchi & Dimico, 2014; Blair et al., 2004).…”

“…Discrimination based on skin color is not just a U.S. problem, but it is a social ill among people of color (Banks, 2015; Hall, 2018; Hunter, 2015; Jayawardene, 2016). However, African Americans have an inimitable experience with colorism because of its roots in slavery (Hill, 2002; Reece, 2018).…”