Shadows Don’t have Faces

In The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Dubois discusses two key concepts about being black in America. “Double consciousness” theorizes that black Americans must always judge themselves through the eyes of others. The “veil” is the habit of being conscious of skin color while ignoring a person’s humanity. These concepts highlight the difficulties a black person might face in trying to be true to oneself, “without being cursed and spit upon…[or] losing opportunities.”Literature demonstrates white-dominanted society’s racial discrimination towards blacks, but provides fewer depictions of the racial bias blacks endure within their own community, particularly colorism. Colorism primarily uses skin tones to determine social privilege. Even artists rarely present these difficulties. This study addresses this lack of representation. I researched how blacks have practiced colorism, which motivated my series of digital paintings. These visuals are symbolic representations of colorism and the “veil.” Faceless dark figures, cast like shadows onto simulated brown paper bags, present blackness as a stigma, with no identity. Historically, the brown bag was allegedly a test used to determine privileges associated with light skin. These symbolic approaches encourage people to analyze the effects of colorism both socially and personally. As I continue this body of work, I plan to display it on social media to reach a broader audience. In this way, this study will contribute to the growing conversations about what defines being black and our understanding of racial bias within the black community while finding a path away from colorism