Understanding Colorism
For my honor’s thesis, I will compare and contrast the experiences of 10 Afro-Trinidadian women from the University of West Indies in Trinidad with 10 African American women at the College of William & Mary to explore how colorism influences their self perceptions and social interactions with people in their respective universities. My research is important because to truly understand the Black experience we have to discuss issues such as colorism, which is not readily discussed in Black communities in America and other diasporic countries. Last summer I received a Charles Center grant to travel to Trinidad to interview 10 Afro-Trinidadians women. This summer I will gather more literature on colorism and complete the rest of my interviews. I plan to contact my participants through personal emails and the interviews with take place in Blow Memorial Hall room 236. As a result for my project, I plan to create a reading list and website for students and faculty at the College of William & Mary so they can learn more about colorism.
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