AntiBlackness and Colorism Lecture

Summary

The lecture delves into the concept of antiblackness, a systemic devaluation of black people's humanity and dignity, which hinders their full citizenship. It distinguishes antiblackness from general racism, emphasizing its unique impact on black communities. The talk explores antiblackness's manifestations in housing discrimination, colorism, and societal values, highlighting its global reach and its entrenchment within institutions and ideologies of white supremacy. It also discusses the pervasive influence of antiblackness on social conceptions of value and the importance of understanding liberation and freedom in the context of racial disparities.

Takeaways

• 📚 The script discusses 'antiblackness' and its effects, emphasizing the need to understand and identify it in relation to racial stereotypes and discrimination.
• 🌍 Antiblackness is defined as a global phenomenon that devalues, minimizes, and marginalizes black people, positioning Blackness as problematic rather than recognizing its rich history and contributions.
• 🏠 The concept of antiblackness is linked to housing discrimination, with redlining practices historically undervaluing areas inhabited by black people more severely.
• 🎨 Antiblackness is closely related to colorism, which involves the unequal treatment of individuals based on their skin tone, often favoring lighter skin and proximity to whiteness.
• 🗣️ Language plays a role in colorism and antiblackness, with phrases and metaphors often associating darkness with evil and light with good, reinforcing racial biases.
• 👥 The script highlights that antiblackness is not only perpetrated by white individuals but can also be found within other racial and ethnic groups influenced by white supremacy.
• 👶 The effects of antiblackness start early, with implications for children's perceptions of value and worth, as demonstrated by the doll test and societal messages about what is good and valuable.
• 🚑 Antiblackness results in disparities in health outcomes for black people, which are often below the national average due to systemic issues rather than inherent health conditions.
• 🏛️ The script argues that the term 'racism' often fails to capture the unique experiences of black people, suggesting that 'antiblackness' is a more accurate term to describe the specific challenges they face.
• 🔍 The text differentiates between racism based on attitudes and the more insidious, power-based racism that is xenophobic, anti-black, and anti-immigration, which holds real power in society.
• 💡 The concept of 'liberation' and 'freedom' is subjective and varies based on one's proximity to violence and understanding of their value in society, prompting reflection on individual perceptions of these terms.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the lecture?

The main topic of the lecture is antiblackness and its effects, including how it manifests, its relationship to stereotypes, and its impact on society.

What does the term 'antiblackness' refer to in the context of the lecture?

Antiblackness refers to the beliefs, attitudes, actions, practices, and behaviors of individuals and institutions that devalue, minimize, and marginalize black people, effectively denying them full citizenship and humanity.

How does the lecture relate antiblackness to colorism?

The lecture relates antiblackness to colorism by highlighting that antiblackness amplifies and prioritizes proximity to whiteness, leading to unequal treatment and discrimination against individuals based on their skin tone.

What is the connection between antiblackness and the historical treatment of black people?

The connection is that antiblackness stems from the systematic denial of black people's humanity and dignity, which has historical roots in slavery and continues to manifest in contemporary systemic racism.

How does the lecture discuss the global nature of antiblackness?

The lecture discusses the global nature of antiblackness by stating that it is not limited to the United States but is a worldwide phenomenon that manifests differently in various regions.

What role does language play in perpetuating antiblackness and colorism?

Language plays a significant role in perpetuating antiblackness and colorism through the use of phrases and idioms that favor whiteness and associate darkness with negative connotations, reinforcing societal biases.

What is the significance of the article 'Antiblackness & Colorism' in the lecture?

The article 'Antiblackness & Colorism' is significant as it provides a detailed exploration of the concepts, offering definitions and explanations that help the audience understand the complexities of antiblackness and its relationship with colorism.

How does the lecture address the issue of black culture's popularity in contrast to the devaluation of black people?

The lecture acknowledges that while black culture is popular and influential, black people themselves do not receive the same value or recognition, highlighting the disparity between cultural appreciation and the treatment of black individuals.

What does the lecture suggest about the experience of racism for different racial and ethnic groups?

The lecture suggests that experiences of racism are not universal and that anti-blackness is a specific form of racism that affects black people in unique ways, different from the experiences of other racial and ethnic groups.

How does the lecture define racism in the context of anti-blackness?

The lecture defines racism as a concept that often fails to fully capture the experiences of black people and emphasizes that anti-blackness is a more specific term that better describes the systemic and institutional devaluation of black people.

What are the core components of antiblackness as discussed in the lecture?

The core components of antiblackness discussed in the lecture include the deconstruction and undervaluing of black identity, the criminalization of Blackness, disparities in health outcomes, and the impact on social conceptions of value.

How does the lecture connect antiblackness to the concept of liberation and freedom?

The lecture connects antiblackness to the concept of liberation and freedom by suggesting that understanding and addressing antiblackness is crucial for achieving true freedom and equality, and it encourages the audience to reflect on their own ideas of liberation.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Antiblackness and Colorism

The script begins with an introduction to the concept of structural racism, focusing on the experiences of black people and the extreme forms of racial prejudice and discrimination they face. It mentions past discussions on slavery and anti-black stereotypes. The current topic is antiblackness, which is defined in the text as a set of beliefs, attitudes, actions, practices, and behaviors that devalue and marginalize black people, effectively denying them full citizenship. The script also introduces colorism, the discrimination based on skin tone, often favoring lighter skin. The authors of the text on antiblackness and colorism are presented, emphasizing the importance of knowing who we are engaging with intellectually.

05:02

🌏 Global Antiblackness and the Impact of Colorism

This paragraph delves into the global nature of antiblackness, suggesting that while it manifests differently around the world, it is a universal phenomenon. The script discusses how antiblackness is not only about racial oppression by whites but also by other racial and ethnic groups influenced by white supremacy. It highlights the connection between antiblackness and colorism, showing how proximity to whiteness is often prioritized, leading to a devaluation of blackness. The language and societal values that perpetuate these ideas are examined, with examples of how lightness is associated with positive qualities and darkness with negative ones.

10:04

🔍 The Complexity of Antiblackness and its Intersection with Other Forms of Discrimination

The script explores the complexity of antiblackness, emphasizing that it is not only experienced by black people but can also be perpetuated by them, reflecting its pervasiveness in society. It discusses the overlap between antiblackness, xenophobia, and anti-immigration sentiments, providing examples of how black people in different contexts, such as Palestine or among Afro-Latinos, face additional layers of violence and discrimination. The paragraph also touches on the popularity of black culture versus the devaluation of black people, highlighting the disconnect between cultural appreciation and the recognition of black people's humanity and rights.

15:07

🏥 Health Impacts and Social Consequences of Antiblackness

This section of the script addresses the health impacts of antiblackness, noting the disparities in physical, psychological, and emotional well-being among black people. It suggests that these disparities are not due to inherent issues but rather the result of systemic neglect and the stress of being over-policed and surveilled. The social conceptions of value are also discussed, showing how antiblackness affects what is considered valuable in society. The script references the doll test to illustrate how perceptions of value are formed from a young age, and it concludes with a reflection on the concept of liberation, encouraging a consideration of how different individuals perceive freedom and the impact of their proximity to violence.

Keywords

💡Structural Racism

Structural racism refers to the ways in which racial discrimination is embedded within the social, political, and economic systems of society. It is not just about individual acts of prejudice but systemic practices that perpetuate inequality. In the video, structural racism is discussed in the context of how it affects people of color, particularly black people, through various institutions and practices such as slavery and housing discrimination.

💡Antiblackness

Antiblackness is defined in the script as a set of beliefs, attitudes, actions, practices, and behaviors that devalue, minimize, and marginalize black people. It is the systematic denial of black people's humanity and dignity, positioning Blackness as inherently problematic. The concept is central to the video's theme, illustrating how antiblackness manifests in various societal structures and impacts the full participation of black individuals in society.

💡Colorism

Colorism is the discrimination against individuals based on their skin tone, often favoring lighter skin and alignment with whiteness. The script discusses colorism as being closely related to antiblackness, as it amplifies the devaluation of blackness. Examples from the script include the use of language that associates darkness with evil and light with good, reflecting societal biases.

💡Racial Stereotypes

Racial stereotypes are generalized and often negative beliefs about a particular racial group. The script mentions anti-black stereotypes, which are specific to black people and contribute to antiblackness. These stereotypes can lead to prejudiced attitudes and discriminatory actions, as they oversimplify and misrepresent the experiences and characteristics of black individuals.

💡Redlining

Redlining refers to the systematic practice of denying, limiting, or conditioning loans and other financial services to residents of certain neighborhoods based on their racial composition. In the script, redlining is used as an example of how anti-blackness operates through housing discrimination, with black communities being particularly affected by these practices.

💡White Supremacy

White supremacy is the belief in the inherent superiority of the white race and its interests, which often results in the oppression of other racial groups. The video discusses how white supremacy maintains systems that disadvantage black people and perpetuates anti-blackness. It is a key concept in understanding the power dynamics and racial hierarchies that the video addresses.

💡Proximity to Whiteness

The term 'proximity to whiteness' in the script refers to the societal value and privilege accorded to those who are closer to the characteristics associated with whiteness, such as lighter skin tone. This concept is tied to colorism and antiblackness, as it suggests that value and acceptance in society are linked to how closely one aligns with or moves away from Blackness.

💡Xenophobia

Xenophobia is the fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners, often resulting in discrimination against immigrants or people from different cultural backgrounds. The script mentions xenophobia in relation to anti-blackness, indicating that black immigrants or people of African descent may experience both xenophobia and anti-black racism, adding an additional layer of violence and discrimination.

💡Criminalization of Blackness

The criminalization of Blackness is the perception and treatment of black individuals as inherently criminal or threatening. The script discusses how this perception has persisted since emancipation and contributes to disparities in health and social outcomes for black people, including over-policing and over-surveillance.

💡Liberation

Liberation, in the context of the video, refers to the concept of freedom from oppressive systems and structures, particularly for black people. The script invites viewers to consider their own ideas of liberation and how they perceive freedom, which can vary based on one's proximity to violence and understanding of their value in society.

💡Deconstruction and Undervaluing of Identity

Deconstruction and undervaluing of identity in the script refer to the ways in which anti-blackness dismantles and devalues the identities of black people. This involves the destruction of cultural heritage and the devaluation of black experiences, leading to a lack of recognition and respect for black individuals' humanity and contributions.

Highlights

Structural racism is examined through various aspects, focusing on the experiences of black people with extreme racial prejudice and discrimination.

The institution of slavery and anti-black racial stereotypes are discussed as part of the systemic oppression faced by black people.

Antiblackness is defined as the systematic devaluation of black people's humanity and dignity, affecting their full citizenship.

The anti-blackness paradigm positions Blackness as problematic, ignoring the rich history and contributions of black communities.

Anti-blackness is not only about racial oppression by whites but also by other racial and ethnic groups influenced by white supremacy.

Anti-blackness is a global phenomenon, manifesting differently across the world but consistently devaluing black humanity.

Colorism is closely related to anti-blackness, as it amplifies and prioritizes proximity to whiteness over blackness.

Language and societal constructs often reinforce colorism and anti-blackness, affecting how good and evil are perceived.

The text identifies core components of antiblackness, including the deconstruction and undervaluing of black identity.

Anti-blackness results in over-surveillance, over-policing, and under-protection of black people in American society.

The inability to recognize black humanity maintains white supremacy and systemic racism.

The term racism often fails to capture the unique experiences of black people, conflating it with antiblackness.

Anti-black racism is not only perpetrated by whites but also by other racial and ethnic groups.

Black culture is popular and influential, yet black people do not receive the same value as others in society.

Black people can also be anti-black, reflecting the pervasiveness of anti-blackness in society.

The structures that uphold white supremacy and anti-blackness involve the devaluation of black identity and experiences.

Anti-blackness affects social conceptions of value, impacting how black people are perceived and treated.

The concept of liberation varies among individuals, often influenced by their proximity to violence and societal value.

Transcripts

hi

Scholars so by now we have looked at

several different aspects of structural

uh racism we have interrogated a number

of ways in which people of color

generally speaking but black people more

specifically have

experienced uh extreme forms of racial

prejudice and

discrimination uh We've examined the

institution of slavery

we've looked at um uh as of this uh past

week we've looked at some of the

anti-black racial

stereotypes and today we're going to

think about the effects of antiblackness

how to identify it think about some of

the ways that it

manifests um think about it in

relationship to stereotypes uh racial

stereotypes so we're reading a text that

is co-authored by um these four authors

Jen viev Williams comr Antoinette M

Lor Quinn Townsen Riley Jason D

Williamson Esquire um and I put there

basic information like I always do you

know I put the information of folks that

we're reading so that you all are you

all know who you're in conversation with

so this article is called antiblackness

colorism by now we've heard the term

antiblackness a number of times I've

said it a few times in the class it has

come up a number of times in the reading

we've also talked a little bit about

colorism we tend to uh We've mentioned

colorism um and some of you have even

shared some stories about colorism

within your families so we're going to

go ahead and we're going to unpack this

article antiblackness as defined in the

article is the beliefs attitudes actions

practices and behaviors of individuals

and institutions that devalue minimize

and marginalized the full participation

of black people visibly or perceived to

be of African descent it is the

systematic denial of black people's

humanity and dignity which makes black

people effectively and eligible for full

citizenship the anti-blackness paradigm

positions Blackness as inherently

problematic rather than recognizing the

long rich and diverse history of black

people throughout the African diaspora

and acknowledging that black communities

across the you United States and the

world have been severely disadvantaged

as a result of historical and

contemporary systemic racism so

anti-blackness is belief systems its

attitudes its actions its practices its

behaviors we have seen and talked about

anti-blackness uh through housing

discrimination uh we looked at systems

of redlining and while many different

groups of color experience redlining the

most severely undervalued areas were

those that were inhabited by black

people anti-blackness doesn't suggest

that other people aren't experiencing

forms of discrimination and racism it is

to suggest

that there is a particular insistence on

the uh devaluing of black Humanity the

inaccessibility of Blackness into a full

realized valued citizen in the United

States anti-blackness is a global

phenomenon I don't want to suggest that

at this point that Blackness exist

differently in the United States than it

does in other places in the world it

manifest in different kinds of ways in

other places in the world but if we just

take a moment and look we can often

recognize practices of

antiblackness um they go on to write

that anti-blackness is also closely

related to anti- Darkness and colorism

as it amplifies and prioritizes

proximity to whiteness colorism then

they Define the term is used to describe

the unequal treatment of and

discrimination against individuals based

on their skin tone um we've talked about

this in class um there tends to be a

favoring of lighter skin of an alignment

with whiteness I can't remember if it

was in um this particular class or not

but in countries where there aren't uh

people who who in the United States

would be classified as white they would

be classified as some uh group of color

in their countries based on some skin

tone some alignment with whiteness or

assumptions with the conceptualization

of whiteness there is a identification

with whiteness by some groups of people

and they tend to be people of power

right so we see uh regularly practices

of colorism we hear it in some of the

language the black sheep of the family

the White Knight is someone who is going

to rescue you and who has Valor the

black sheep is someone who has who's

who's um got some negative connotations

to who they are and their position in

the world if you want to describe

something as evil it tends to be

described in terms of Darkness if you

want to descri describe something as as

good bringing light to the world it

tends to be aligned in in whiteness are

bringing light uh so uh colorism plays

out not just in our relationships to one

another but also it it's very prevalent

in our language um the ways that we

understand good and evil in the world

you know um the core components of

antiblackness and anti-racism they have

um

defined in this text they defin it on

page

77 and it goes on to the end of the

article so I want you to be very clear

on those um to be clear how

anti-blackness relates to anti- Darkness

and colorism it relates because of the

ways that we're prioritizing a proximity

to whiteness that does not mean that

you'd be identified as

white globally it just means that you

are prioritizing a proximity to

whiteness core quote here hint this is

on page uh 75 hint anti-blackness lives

in values and beliefs that can render

black bodies disposable resulting in

among other things the over surveillance

over policing under protection of black

people and American society this

inability to recognize black humanity is

in part what maintains white supremacy

as long as we structure a society where

it is okay for a group of people to

experience extreme amounts of of

disadvantage to be exposed to extreme

amounts of violence and and it and it be

State violence and it be Federal

Violence you know violence of the nation

and there's not an outcry the fact that

we oftentimes recognize the

disproportionate effects of racism on

black people often times the fact that

we recognize socially that there is a

difference in treatment of black people

and sometimes we say black and brown

people but black people particularly and

there's not a a national collaborative

coming together of people to demand The

Liberation and Freedom the equal

treatment of black people is why they're

able to maintain why systems of white

supremacy are able to maintain I want to

point out that on page 75 they also

Define the term RAC ISM although the

past few years have brought about more

familiarity with Concepts like racism

and white privilege the concept of

anti-blackness is often overlooked the

term racism however fails to fully

capture the experiences of black people

um including but not limited to black

women men trans black people black

gender non-conforming non-binary black

youth black girls black boys black

families black black immigrants black

communities Etc often times when we talk

about the term racism it gets conflated

with

antiblackness and and and so that

there's a kind of universalism for

everyone experiences racism in the same

ways and and we don't we don't

experience racism in the same ways we

don't experience racism across groups in

the same ways and I often say you know

we all are racist but I mean that in a

very um attit udal racist discriminatory

kind of way the racism that actually

holds power that's not based in attitude

is really important for our

understanding the racism that holds

power that is xenophobic and that is

anti-black and that is anti-immigration

to certain immigrant groups that's Zen

xenophobic to certain groups of people

to be clear those experiences are

specific to those groups of people you

can have black people who are

experiencing antiblackness and

xenophobia you can have black people who

are experiencing anti-immigration and

anti-blackness at the same time if we

look at the situation that is happening

in Palestine right now if you pay

attention to the stories black

Palestinians are experiencing an

additional level of violence against

them if you look at afro Latinos if you

look at different groups of people who

have an additional who have a black

population we see an additional layer of

violence that other groups of people are

not necessarily experiencing in the same

ways when you think about colorism when

you think about colorism in a

prioritization or an aligning with

whiteness it is also a prioritization of

moving away from Blackness right it is

also about it's not just about aligning

to whiteness it's about not being black

as well and don't get me wrong um this

is not to say that there's not like

black culture is not popular black

culture is very very popular black

culture is abundant in the United States

and globally especially us Black Culture

us Black Culture produces and reproduces

quite a lot of of contemporary moments

in any given time if we look at protest

movement most people will say that they

took the tactics from the civil rights

movement in order to determine how they

would do their protests if we look at

music if we look at entertainment if we

look at the ways that people who want to

articulate their particular suffering

often times it comes in terms with an

aligning of Blackness there's a

discourse of Blackness that is pervasive

um so Blackness is everpresent but black

people

do not have the same kind of value that

other groups of people even those who

experience racism even those who

experience xenophobia even those who

experience anti-immigration uh might

have and it's not to say that black

people aren't anti-black too black

people can very well be anti-black um

that's how pervasive anti-blackness is

it's not something that black people are

immune from no more than white supremacy

is something that any of us are immune

to or from there's another key quote on

page 75 at the bottom it reads in fact

anti-black racism is not just about

racial oppression of black people by

whites but by other racial and ethnic

groups as well all of which have

themselves been heavily influenced by

white supremacy indeed anti-blackness

and anti-black racism reside and Thrive

within institutions and ideologies of

white supremacy

whiteness and the fear of Blackness and

have a profound effect on anyone forced

to engage with those institutions and

ideologies irrespective of their own

racial and ethnic

groups anti-blackness and white

supremacy inform and shape Our Lives all

of our lives and in no one group is

immune to it um we're all participating

in a system that is structur on this

hierarchy creating a binary between

whiteness and Blackness with groups of

people falling in between and your

alignment with whiteness can look

different and there's many black people

who make a consorted effort to align

with white sentimentality or white

supremist

sentimentality and to disassociate

themselves from Blackness further when

we start to look at the core components

are the structures that uphold a white

supremist and anti-black regime we see

that there is a deconstruction and

undervaluing of identity now I can show

you a host of people who have

experienced

stereotypes the pervasiveness of

anti-black stereotypes cannot be

understated right so the destruction and

devaluation of identity are important

the criminalization of Blackness

Blackness has been

criminalized um since emancipation like

just in your skin you are considered a

threat right there is a disproportionate

or disp there are disparities in in

health that is

psychological physical

emotional um black people's Health

outcomes uh the physical the emotional

and the

psychological um are often times below

the national average and it's not that

black people are more inherently sick

it's that there is an a lack of a

particular level of humanity and care

that black people experience it is that

often times the overstress of being over

policed of being over surveilled or

hyper surveilled has negative Health

impacts the social conceptions of value

I want you to remember to think iology

the things that we hold value to um this

one is very important anti-black racism

affects social conceptions of value in

in a myriad of ways just means in a

number of ways black people were abuse

rape castrated malnutrition among other

things throughout the nearly 250 years

of slavery in this country after

enslavement there wasn't a reprieve from

the violence in fact the violence just

took different kinds of forms and that

and again when we're talking about

violence we're not always talking about

those of overt acts of violence we're

talking about the violence of not being

able to secure a space to live being

forced into spaces where there's no easy

access to food food deserts being forced

into areas where a hospital won't

provide care for you being forced into

condition that are below the human

standard and we begin to create value

around those things think about the doll

test how we perceive who is good what is

good what is a value versus what is not

valuable and it starts to happen at a

very young age right and then the final

one is Liberation one of the most

interesting questions that I've heard

ask is when someone asks what's your

idea or concept of freedom because the

question the answers often differ and it

really does depend on oftentimes on your

proximity to violence how you understand

that violence how you understand your

value in the world ask a couple of your

friends and family what do they

understand as Liberation and freedom and

think about or look at the differences

and how they perceive those things so

I'm going to end this one here and

and