In their home, as in many Caribbean households, a premium was placed on having lighter skin. Centuries of white supremacy and institutional racism led to internalized beliefs that the closer one’s appearance aligned with European aesthetics, the more valued they were as human beings. My mother experienced the effects of this colorism firsthand. She was not the child chosen to represent the family on various outings or community events; her darker hue meant that she was not celebrated for her beauty.
