Shades of Blackness: A Case Study of the Effect of Prejudice and Discrimination Based On Skin Tone

Despite the commonly held notion that we are living in a post-racial era, evidence suggests quite the contrary. Racial prejudice and discrimination are often subtler than in the past but continue to be major social problems in the United States. Furthermore, the ongoing tension between law enforcement, the justice system, and the Black community over the deaths of several Black male victims exacerbates the racial problems that plague this country. However, often lost in the racial divide in the United States is the phenomenon of skin tone prejudice, which results in preferential appraisal and treatment of light-skinned Blacks over their dark-skinned counterparts. Research has shown that aversive racism is prevalent throughout the US. The problem is that there are still questions about how individuals describe their unique experiences, the contexts in which experiences of prejudice and discrimination occur, how individuals perceive and make sense of their experiences, and how the experiences of light-skinned and dark-skinned individuals differ. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore the impact of racial and skin tone prejudice on Blacks by capturing the narratives and perspectives of victims of prejudice or discrimination. Qualitative multiple case study research was conducted by interviewing 30 participants from a Greater Boston-Area community college. This study is significant because it should enhance the existing literature on prejudice and discrimination and provide additional insight into victims' perceptions of racial and skin tone prejudice and discrimination.