Table of Contents

Introduction Kimberly Norwood 1. The Ubiquitousness of Colorism: Then and Now, Kimberly Norwood and Violeta Foreman 2. The Origins of Colorism in Early American Law, Paul Finkelman 3. The Rise and Fall of the One-Drop Rule: How the Importance of Color Came to Eclipse Race, Kevin D. Brown 4. A Darker Shade of Pale Revisited: Disaggregated Blackness and Colorism in the "Postracial" Obama Era, Taunya Banks 5. Interracial Intimacy in the Context of Colorism: How Skin Color Matters, Kellina Craig-Henderson 6. Fragmented Identity: Psychological Insecurity and Colorism among African Americans, Vetta Sanders Thompson 7. Colorism and Blackthink: A Modern Augmentation of Double Consciousness, Kimberly Jade Norwood 8. The Implications of Skin Color vis-à-vis Discrimination: Revisiting Affirmative Action, Ronald Hall and Adrienne Johnson 9. A New Way Forward: The Development and Preliminary Validation of Two Colorism Scales, Richard D. Harvey, Kira Hudson Banks, and Rachel E. Tennial

About the Author

Kimberly Jade Norwood is Professor of Law and Professor of African and African American Studies at Washington University, St. Louis.

Reviews

"Distinctions based on skin tone are not as obvious as overt discrimination between black versus white, and therefore are rarely acknowledged. The glare of race obscures this more subtle form of discrimination. Color Matters casts a revealing light on this (often) taboo subject. Summing Up: Highly recommended." -W. Glasker, Rutgers, USA in CHOICE