The Penetrating Impact of Colorism on Individuals and Communities
For this final assignment, you will be writing a paper using at least TWO of any of the readings we’ve discussed in this course and at least ONE outside article you will research and vet on your own using the ABC’s of Credibility learned in class. You have a maximum limit of FOUR sources for the paper.
You will be creating your own research question for this final paper, rather than responding to one that I’ve written. Despite revisiting readings throughout the semester in this course, your argument for Paper 3 should not repeat an argument you’ve already made in Paper 1 and/or Paper 2.
In this paper I will be looking for:
A viable research question that leads to a detailed, arguable thesis
Critical connections between ideas from the texts
Quotation analysis (why you chose them in the context of your own essay)
Appropriate topic sentences and paragraph structure
Accurate citations in MLA format
Sentence-level control.
Final draft requirements:
5-6 pages (1,800-2,000 words) long.
Typed in 12-point, Times New Roman font, with 1” margins, and double-spaced lines.
Include a header on the left side of your first page (single-spaced), and a running header with your last name and the page number.
A title that is unique to the argument you are making.
A correctly formatted Works Cited page at the end of your paper.
Class readings: "Excerpts from "Students' Rights to Their Own Language” & “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”
Question 1: In what ways does colorism manifest in society & what are its effects on individual and communities?
Question 2: How does colorism intersect with immigration policies and practices, and what effects does this have on marginalized communities?
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The Penetrating Impact of Colorism on Individuals and Communities
Introduction
Hersch in his work “Colorism Against Legal Immigrants to the United States” states that immigrants in the United States, especially those with darker skin, experience a major pay penalty not explainable by their individual and job characteristics. These occurrences and others are explained through colorism. Colorism simply refers to a special form of discrimination that is based on one’s skins color. Noe-Bustamante, Luis, et al., write that colorism sets the notion that some ethnicities are superior than others, and it is the reason why the darker the skin the in US, the lower the ability to get ahead in several aspects of life. in this paper, the critical question is, “in what ways does colorism manifest in society & what are its effects on individual and communities?”
Historical Roots of Colorism
The history of colorism can be traced back to the European colonial era, the plantation period for African Americans, and early class hierarchies of America and Europe. But despite the deep historical nature of colorism, this form of discrimination is well maintained in today’s society by the widely known system of white racism. According to the white supremist, any other skin other than white represents irrationality, savagery, inferiority and possibly ugliness. Whiteness, by itself, is the opposite: beauty, civility, superiority, and rationality (Noe-Bustamante, Luis, et al.). These contrasting definitions have continued to enforce the colorism agenda despite several efforts in place to ensure these forms of racism are thwarted.
Colorism if African Americans and Latinos came about during the European and slavery America (Reece). These