In “Black Behind the Ears”, Ginetta E.B. Candelario brought up an interesting point about how Dominicans in America used a tactic of embracing their “Latino identity” in order to combat “anti-black racism” and to distance themselves from their African heritage. Giving an example of this, Candelario writes, “Doña Campos clearly understood that she and her children could be taken for African American…Through her use of Spanish, she actively resisted the social and spatial restriction African American identification implied, and she taught her children to do the same” (67).

Reading this, it made me wonder why the people who were of Afro-Latino often times would try to do what they could to distance themselves from being associated in any shape or form with being black. I think much of it does have to do with not wanting to face the same discrimination that blacks do, but there may also be other reasons why the practice of having to define/portray oneself in a certain way still exists. Perhaps it is fear of subordination or being marked as a second-class citizen. Or maybe having dark skin is an indication of possessing or being something that is frowned upon in society.

The idea of distancing oneself from “blackness” does not just occur in Hispanic communities. I read a book in high school called Passing by Nella Larsen. The book describes how in the 1920s African-Americans would practice something known as “passing” in which, if they were light-skinned enough, they would pass for a white person. This would allow them to associate more easily with whites and to attain higher social status. This ideal of having light skin is still prevalent in the African American community today in which some see having light skin as better or more attractive than having dark skin.

There’s also an avoidance of being dark among Asians as well. On a recent trip to Thailand, I was shocked at how many times I saw an ad for skin whitening products or an ad for surgical procedures costing near the thousands to whiten skin and maintain a degree of whiteness. Often times, Thais will judge other Thais based on the complexion of their skin. Among Thai people, there seems to be a negative view of those who have darker skin. They are seen as poor and uneducated and are given a term which Thai people use often which translates to “from the countryside”. Even if none of those things are true, they will still be judged based on their skin color during a first impression. Additionally, in recent years there has been a preference for those who are half-Thai and half-white. It’s rare that a Thai movie or TV show will have a protagonist who is fully Thai anymore. Many times, those who are biracial are given priority over those who aren’t when it comes to acting or singing.

It’s interesting to see how historically set views on “blackness” is no longer just between those who are white and those who are black. It has now become an issue in other races that one usually would not immediately think of such as Hispanics and Asians. I think in every race and community there is a tendency to avoid blackness in favor whiteness because it is now ingrained in our society that white is good and black is quite the opposite.