A Scoping Review of Colorism in Schools: Academic, Social, and Emotional Experiences of Students of Color

Investigating the role of perceived ingroup and outgroup colourism on body image and wellbeing among Black, Asian, and other racialised/ethnic minority groups living in the UK

Colourism is a form of prejudice and discrimination based on skin shade, disadvantaging people of colour with darker skin. This study investigates the relationship between perceived colourism, body image, and psychological wellbeing, considering perceived colourism from the ingroup (people of the same racialised group) and the outgroup (white people). A total of 516 Black, Asian, and other racialised/ethnic minority adults living in the UK (56.8 % women) completed an online survey. Using structural equation modelling, we tested a theoretically informed model: ingroup and outgroup colourism were predictors, body image and psychological distress were outcomes, and skin shade satisfaction and surveillance were hypothesised mediators. The model provided a good fit to the data. Ingroup colourism was related to lower skin shade satisfaction and higher skin shade surveillance, which in turn related to worse body image and greater psychological distress. Outgroup colourism was related to higher skin shade surveillance, which in turn was associated with worse body image. Outgroup colourism was directly associated with greater psychological distress. Results showed perceived colourism was associated with worse body image and psychological distress among people of colour in the UK. Therefore, colourism should be considered in the development of societal-, community-, and individual-level body image interventions.

Into and Through the School-to-Prison Pipeline: The Impact of Colorism on the Criminalization of Black Girls

Colorism is a social construct privileging lighter-skinned people of color with proximity to European features over their darker-skinned counterparts. Despite the significant role in the lives of Black women and girls, colorism is an overlooked and understudied phenomenon, particularly regarding how it shapes their punishment and criminalization in schools. We conceptualize colorism as a social determinant of Black girls’ psychological well-being and outcomes. Darker-skinned Black girls face disproportionately severe school discipline, negative evaluation by teachers and peers, and are inundated with stereotypical messages that influence their sense of self—which increase vulnerability to trauma and psychological distress. Once inside the legal system, colorism plays a role in moving dark-skinned Black girls further into and through the pipeline at every stage of legal processing. The goal of the paper is to (1) highlight the role of colorism in the criminalization of Black girls, (2) identify school, forensic, and counseling/clinical psychology’s role in reducing the impact of colorism on Black girls’ lived experience as it relates to mental health and criminalization, and (3) identify psychological research and policy needs to mitigate the impact of colorism on Black girls’ life outcomes.

Systems of Oppression: The Impact of Discrimination on Latinx Immigrant Adolescents' Well-Being and Development

With over 400 harmful immigration policy changes in the past 4 years, Latinx adolescents and families nationwide are developing within a context of extreme anti-immigrant sentiment (Dismantling and reconstructing the U.S. immigration system: A catalog of changes under the Trump presidency, Migration Policy Institute, 2020). This paper introduces the Multitiered Model of Oppression and Discrimination (MMOD), a conceptual model for understanding the impacts of multiple levels of discrimination on the well-being and development of Latinx immigrant adolescents. Interpersonal discrimination (Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 2010, 32, 259), community-held stereotypes (Social Psychology of Education, 2001, 5, 201), institutional policies (Children and Youth Services Review, 2018, 87, 192), and structural practices (Journal of Criminal Justice, 2020, 66, 1) can negatively impact well-being and development among these adolescents. Culturally sustaining interventions, civic engagement and mobilization, and policies targeting inequitable policies and practices will provide healing and an avenue for liberation.