Pushing the Color Line- The Effects of Skin Tone in the Live essays

Pushing the Color Line- The Effects of Skin Tone in the Live essays Pushing the Color Line- The Effects of Skin Tone in the Lives of African Americans Skin tone and darkness has greatly influenced and divided the African American community in the areas of social class, political involvement, and education for over a century. Not only have skin colors divided human beings into racial groups, but also skin color has divided a racial group into classes. Europeanization of African peoples is not merely restricted to language, lifestyle, and religion. The intermingling of African slaves with European slave masters created a new breed of Negro: mulatto. This new Negro learned to exist in the middle of two social segregated racial groups; living as a mixture of whit and black. They learned that they were not as good as white men and women but that they definitely were not as bad or beastly as the average black slave. White society, however, grouped this hybrid race with the average black slaves and the entire group became known as African Americans. Skin tone and darkness has greatly influenced and divided the African American community in the areas of social class, political involvement, and education for over a century. 1. Maintaining an even and light skin tone and color is important in maintaining good social standings. 2. The introduction of hair relaxers and skin bleachers encourage the further perpetuation of the white is right doctrine. 3. Intraracial segregation administrated social clubs and neighborhoods 4. Mulattos and light skinned blacks were more politically involved in the reconstruction government. 5. Mulattos and light skinned blacks were more likely to be educated. ...