Race and Color: Revisiting Perspectives in Black Education

Abstract

Racial inequities, such as systematic disparities in school discipline and achievement outcomes, are a perennial characteristic of public education in the United States. Although attention to interracial chasms such as the Black–White achievement gap is common, limited efforts are devoted to understanding how and why colorism motivates imbalances within communities of color. In this article, I outline how the color complex relates to racial battles and social perspectives within the nation's educational system. Recommendations for altering problematic norms are presented.

Notes

Dr. Carla R. Monroe is a Former Research Scientist at the Institute for Behavioral Research.

^1. For the purpose of this article the terms Black and African American are used interchangeably.

^2. I thank John Taylor for encouraging my attention to this area.