Exploring Colorism with Dr. Sarah L. Webb | TIS E. 54

March 30, 2022 the-introvert-sisters Show Notes Comments Off on Exploring Colorism with Dr. Sarah L. Webb | TIS E. 54

Episode Summary:

It’s Dr. Sarah L. Webb everyone!! The Introvert Sisters sit down with fellow introvert Dr. Webb and get into what it really means to start the journey of healing from colorism. She’s the founder of Colorism Healing, so you know she has a lot of gems to drop! As always we get into the details and share our experiences as well as hear some truly moving stories from Dr. Webb herself. 

The Introvert Sisters Podcast is sponsored by All Things Equitable: We make it Easy to be Equitable. All Things Equitable Inc.

The beauty is in the details. For full show notes and transcript click below.

Previous Episode: Introverted, Caribbean, and Black

Find Us: Listen on Substack or add our podcast feed to your favorite player. | Transcript

10 Big Takeaways:

  1. What is colorism?:  “Colorism is a system where people with lighter skin tones are at the top of the social hierarchy. And people with darker skin tones are pushed to the bottom of the social hierarchy.” -Dr. Webb
  2. On a study of colorism in families: “The sibling with a lighter skin tone was the more likely one to graduate from high school and then go to college.” -Dr. Webb
  3. On family: “Everybody in our immediate families is a slightly different shade. Lisa and I, I mean, you can see are different shades and people have even questioned our parentage as a result of that.” -Sharon Hurley Hall
  4. On colorism: “There’s so many times when you know, people say oh, your sister, she’s the pretty one, right? Because you know, you’re dark skinned, so you automatically have to be less pretty, right?” -Sharon Hurley Hall
  5. On the Great Baby Hair Conundrum: “Aesthetically say, in terms of style, nothing wrong with it. But if you feel like you can’t leave the house unless your edges are asleep?” -Lisa Hurley Hall
  6. On sisterly love: “ I accept that she is a minimalist. And she accepts that, you know, I love all the frou frou in the world. And we support each other.” -Lisa Hurley
  7. On taking mental health seriously: “You get to a place where the balance of feeling good days starts to exceed the balance of feeling bad days. And I think that that was a practical way for me to start measuring my progress.” -Dr. Webb
  8. On agency: “For Black women, the audacity to think you’re worthy of one, having your photo taken and posting it and allowing the world to enjoy it like as a Black woman, having the audacity to think that about yourself is revolutionary.” -Dr. Webb
  9. On ex-plantocracy societies: “In my grandparents’ era, you had to be a certain way, you had to be a certain skin shade to get a job as a teacher or to work in a bank, or otherwise, you know, it was the agricultural sector for you.” -Sharon Hurley Hall
  10. On colorism in action: “There’s a school in Barbados that recently sent out a notice,, and this is aBlack majority country, Saying, if you’re here, your hair has to be quote, unquote, “tidy”.” Lisa Hurley

5 Juicy Quotes: 

  1. “Colorism has frayed the fabric of our communities and frayed the fabric of our families.” -Dr. Webb
  2. “I think that’s why selfies are so powerful for Black women, because it’s the image created on our own terms.” -Dr. Webb
  3. “Speaking of filters, right, white supremacy, anti-blackness is a filter that people have had over our perceptions of ourselves.” -Dr. Webb
  4. “There’s this overarching mantra, “follow all hunches and pull no punches.” -Dr. Webb
  5. “We need to heal from [colorism], we need to get beyond that.” – Sharon Hurley Hall

By The Numbers:

    • 0:30 – Sharon introduces Dr. Sarah L. Webb
    • 2:18 – Dr. Webb educates us on colorism. 
    • 5:28 – Dr. Webb tells us about her business, Colorism Healing. 
    • 10:59 – The sisters share their personal experiences with colorism.
    • 19:06 – Dr. Webb discusses her struggles with mental illness. 
    • 23:34 – The group discusses the idea of self portraiture as a Black woman. 
  • 37:43 – Dr. Webb shares her experience with racism in the workplace and northern vs southern America. 
  • 46:07 – The group discusses being introverted. 

Resources:

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