Investigators at Yale University Detail Findings in Health and Medicine (Colonial Deposits: a Transnational Dialogue Exploring Historic and Contemporary Embodiments of Colorism).

This article focuses on a peer-reviewed study examining colorism as a transnational and historical phenomenon affecting Black women in the United States and South Africa. Colorism is defined as a skin tone stratification system favoring lighter skin, viewed as both a colonial tool and a psychological consequence of White supremacy. The research integrates empirical psychological literature with personal narratives and historical analysis to explore colorism’s gendered, economic, and colonial dimensions, drawing on scholarship and activism from figures such as Frantz Fanon and Steve Biko. Funded by organizations including the National Science Foundation and Ford Foundation, the study calls for greater attention to colorism’s complex impacts within psychological science and decolonization efforts. [Extracted from the article]