Symposium Year
2020
Preview
Start Date
2-8-2020 12:00 AM
Description
Artist Statement
Colorism is a persistent problem that plagues the black community from within. Colorism is defined as the tendency to attribute light-skin people with positive virtues and dark-skin people with negative ones. I am extremely passionate about this issue because it is something that I have lived through as well as witnessed up close and personal. I have seen how discriminatory remarks can damage a person’s psyche and cause their self-esteem to plummet to all-time lows. I wanted to bring attention to an issue that often goes unnoticed. What you see before you: a magazine with personal testimonies, statistics, and cold hard facts regarding colorism and the effect it has on people. For this publication, I accumulated hours of research to bring credibility to my argument. My words would not be enough, so I sought out to hear the words of others. I conducted interviews with African Americans who have experienced colorist behavior. Through talking to them, I gained a new perspective on resiliency. It takes tremendous courage and strength to persevere through those adverse conditions. What started off as a simple poster, blossomed into an entire campaign. I designed shirts, organized photoshoots, designed the magazine from cover to cover, and passed out flyers. A strenuous process but the main goal was accomplished. I am excited to share my artwork with the world. The main goal is to spark the conversation about an uncomfortable topic.