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

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. Maintaining an even and light skin tone and color is important in maintaining good social standings. This new Negro learned to exist in the middle of two social segregated racial groups; living as a mixture of whit and black. The introduction of hair relaxers and skin bleachers encourage the further perpetuation of the white is right doctrine. Mulattos and light skinned blacks were more likely to be educated. Mulattos and light skinned blacks were more politically involved in the reconstruction government. White society, however, grouped this hybrid race with the average black slaves and the entire group became known as African Americans. 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. Intraracial segregation administrated social clubs and neighborhoods

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