Lite Skinned v. Dark Skinned

Race v. Ethnicity

As an African American, I have never been asked “What ethnicity are you?” As we discussed in class, race in America is the most recognizable marker of “otherness” and it is assigned to you by other people. Ethnicity is something that is individually constructed and harder to distinguish by the general public. In America, it is more desirable to be any other ethnicity than African American (regular black).

The African American culture has become devalued and things associated with the culture are markers of being a racialized minority. Although my grandmother was half Native American, this is not a part of the race that I have been assigned. The only time I am ever asked about my heritage is by other African Americans; they can tell by my hair and skin tone that I am “mixed with something”. Until we had the discussion in class on racialization and how race and ethnicity play a role in inequality, I had never thought about how the question of what ethnicity I identify myself with has affected my life.

One of my favorite movies growing up was Imitation of Life. In the movie, the story centers on an African American mother and daughter who struggle with race and ethnicity during the 1920’s. The mother, Annie, was very dark skinned and worked as a nanny for a White family. Her daughter was very fair skinned and could pass for white. Throughout the movie, the women struggle with the implications of being African American at a time when this association caused them physical and mental abuse. I have often wondered what life would be like if I had stronger looks that denoted my Native American heritage. Perhaps I would be even more stigmatized or maybe its best that I identify with the same race that people designate me as.