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These background photos were chosen to conceptualize the different ethnic groups and individual colours, skin colour that is, that do indeed exist within the plural societies that forms the basis of our identity as a Caribbean region.

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Dear black woman,

You were made in God’s likeness,

Embodied in your silkily smooth skin, you are a Goddess,

Your melanin too strong, for the sun smiles upon your body,

Tell the lighter ones to stay indoors while the drop of oil runs right off your body.

Dear black woman,

Why do you bathe in these poisons?

For these soaps only wash away your beauty,

My black woman, I cannot understand your plea,

For you are a special fruit, fully grown from God’s tree,

Filled with melanin and an everlasting flavour,

A fruit blooming with confidence, confident of being savoured,

I promise you Black woman, they all want a bite, but they are too scared to taste,
For they sit back and watch you, but are too scared to chase,

And so, they condemn you, they make you feel minute,

But little do they know, that the blacker the berry the sweeter the juice.
Sincerely, all caring men.

Dear all men,

Why can’t you recognize me for me? A black lady,

For all you do is force me to rub away at my body,
I colour myself with these pastes until I’m left
colourless,

If it hurts me, it’s okay, I’ll risk it regardless,

Without it I feel as though I lose myself,

Almost like I’m soulless as I feel so less of
myself,

I do this, all for you and your attention

I’ll keep the layer on my skin 60 seconds longer,
just to get a minute more of your attention

Growing up they showed me the most beautiful black
woman that placed last to women of 1st degree lightness,

So does white mean beauty? Am I not of likeness?

Questions that I wonder

Do it for style, or do it for fun,

While my sisters keep doing it to receive an income,

All this makeup yet I cannot cover up the insecurities that I feel,

Without this paste, it’s almost as though that I am concealed,

And so, I paste and I rub away, hoping to be seen,
hoping to be hailed,

Waiting for the day to come, when me and all my sisters
are equally loved.

Sincerely, all Black Women.

-Shazir A. Ali

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Social Stratification On Contemporary Caribbean

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Social Stratification On Contemporary Caribbean

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It must be noted that there has been an evolution in social stratification throughout time, however, although slavery does not exist, the social classes still divide, however, there are more factors considered now such as education and financial status as this now allows for a limited degree of social mobility. As such, as observed in the pyramid above, few educated blacks have been able to reach the upper strata to an extent, as even the upper strata is divided to keep restricting persons based on their skin colour. Additionally, it must be noted that through indentureship, various cultures and ethnic groups are seen in contemporary society (e.g. Syrians & Chinese substitute for whites ). (Bissessarsingh, "Social Stratification" 4)

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This is who a person is, such as the qualities of a person or group that make them different from others.(CambridgeDictionary.com

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Being dark skinned in the Caribbean has always been a challenge. Dark skinned persons , regardless of race are all treated differently through colorism.  Everyone's skin colour is very much indeed a part of their identity, for each shade makes you unique and different from another. However, the grave mistrust and intolerance shown to persons of a darker skin throughout history, have these darker skinned creations of God depressed as they are abominated. As such, this difference in treatment has been so detrimental to a person's identity, it has reached a point where they attempt to lose themselves and part of their identity through these products in order to fit in with the status quo. On the other hand, as aforementioned, it is seen time after time that lighter skin persons are identified as wealthier and hence more privileged, as this has been the case throughout the history of the Caribbean.

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Education- Children of the wealthy such Syrians and Lebanese, of lighter skin complexions tend to go to the denominational schools rather than government schools in Trinidad and Tobago.

Justice System- Crime is perceived to be committed by the lower class while white crimes are rarely pursued. (Bissessarsingh, "Social Stratification" 6)

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This is the unwillingness or refusal to respect opinions or beliefs contrary to one's own,
to respect persons of a different social group.(Dictionary.com)

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Defined as having no trust or confidence in or something, or to doubt the truth, validity, or effectiveness of something.(Merriam-Webster.com)

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Contact Dermatitis-inflammation of the skin.

Exogenous ochronosis - skin disorder that causes blue-black pigmentation.

Nephrotic Syndrome is a kidney disorder often caused by damage to the blood vessels in your kidneys as it causes your body to excrete too much protein in your urine. Many skin lightening creams containing mercury have been associated with nephrotic syndrome. (Healthline.com)

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Skin bleaching refers to the use of products to lighten dark areas of the skin to achieve a lighter complexion. These products include bleaching creams, soaps, and pills,etc. (Healthline.com)

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Investigating Colourism - Why Do Persons Skin Bleach?

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Investigating Colourism - Why Do Persons Skin Bleach?

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Historically, "brown" Jamaicans were the product of relationships between black Jamaicans and white slave-owners as they often received greater access to land and resources due to their white ancestry. Today, lighter brown skin is still read as a marker of privilege and access where classes as mentioned are divided among racial lines, with wealthier and more powerful Jamaicans generally being white and brown, while poor Jamaicans are mostly black.(MarieClaire.com) As such, it is seen where persons of lighter complexions easily attain greater privileges such as wealth, land and power. As such, if it were a person of darker skin colours, they would not have been afforded any of these mentioned privileges.

Jamaican novelist Nicole Dennis-Benn, whose book Here Comes the Sun features a teenage character who bleaches her skin, wrote on how the fair complexions of most of the winners of the Miss Jamaica pageant influenced her ideas of beauty as a child in Kingston.  Meanwhile, darker-skinned Jamaican women like Grace Jones—though famous internationally—were relative unknowns at home.Again, we can easily see how persons of a darker complexion, although beautiful, their beauty did not matter as they were judged based on their skin tone and colour. As such, this privilege given to the lighter skin persons was so apparent, it influenced the way by which persons thought, and in this case, it influenced what young women and men viewed as beauty or beautiful. Thereby showcasing how persons of darker skin tones were in-tolerated and frowned upon.

In a report by MarieClaire.com :"When you black in Jamaica, nobody see you," Cooper explains. However, many people who bleach their skin, are rewarded for it. People often tell them that they are beautiful as they are validated, hence there are social benefits to having light skin, as stated by Cooper. This thereby indicates that there is little to no confidence and respect given to those of darker skin, as there is grave mistrust and intolerance depicted.

"They hear the ill effects, but as far as many of them are concerned, this is their way of being able to get a job."says Cooper. She says that bleaching her skin was something she did to get more work as no one would entrust their hair to her if she was not bleaching, "When you're in the hair industry," she explains, "you have to look the part." (MarieClaire.com) As seen, persons of darker skin tones are evidently mistrusted quite often in Jamaica and by extension, in the Caribbean. Their jobs are not based on qualification and skill or talent, but rather is based on the lightness of their skin.

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It is evident that since the 1640s, a privilege had been given to those with a lighter skin complexion, and as such, this privilege is still observed today, whilst persons of darker skin tone face various trials of mistrust and intolerance on a daily basis.
Through the examples mentioned, it is easily seen that persons of a darker skin tone face battles for jobs, appreciation and recognition, and simply to be treated equally in societies. As such, they would go risk skin disorders and even fatal kidney disorders, simply to make themselves known in societies .

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Proof Of Social Stratification On Contemporary Society

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Proof Of Social Stratification On Contemporary Society

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Skin Bleaching in the Caribbean as persons believe that lighter skin complexions can afford them greater privileges.

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Social Stratification On Contemporary Caribbean

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Social Stratification On Contemporary Caribbean

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How Have Things Remained The Same?

Persons still adhere to the ideology that colour plays an instrumental role as to who occupies the positions of higher statures just as it was in the plantation society.

Social Constructs such as race and colour boundlessly continue to determine social status where Whites are ranked the highest through wealth and colour.

Caribbean societies continue to represent a White - Black Hierarchy, where the Upper class is still occupied by persons of light skin complexions such as the Syrians and Lebanese, where they have the greatest share of national income, educational opportunities and share of land. Evidently, it is rare to see a white person at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder.

The non-white population continue to be situated at the lower end of the strata as public work servants and unskilled labourers. (Bissessarsingh, "Social Stratification" 5)

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Characteristics Of The Stratification System

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Characteristics Of The Stratification System

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Rigid and Closed Stratified System- Class Boundaries(Upper, Middle, Lower) were fixed and inflexible formed on the basis of colour and race and wealth which governed social and economic relations. Also no social mobility could have occurred as class location was ascribed.

Hereditary Status- A person in born into a social group (rather than earns a position based on their efforts).

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Plantation Society And Social Stratification (1640s)

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Plantation Society And Social Stratification (1640s)

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The Plantation society ensured that one's race became inextricably linked to one's skin colour.
As such, the Colour White, became assocaited with wealth, power, prestige and Upper-Class Status.
However on the other hand, Black Skin meant that you belonged to the labouring class at the Lower Classes, and were  deemed as "property."
As such, even if you belonged to the same racial and ethnic groups, if you were of a lighter skin complexion, you were offered more privilege than that of a darker skin person.(Bissessarsingh, "Social Stratification" 2-3)
This was seen quite often on the plantation society, as although the workers were mainly enslaved Africans, through miscegenation-mixing of races through sexual unions- persons of lighter complexions such as the mulattoes who were the children of the Europeans and enslaved Africans, they would be given tasks such as house work(considered to have been more privileged) as opposed to field work that was given to the enslaved of darker skin tones. As such , a pigmentocracy had evolved where where persons of fairer complexions wielded more prestige and power in society than others.  (Thompson et al. 132-134).

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Social Stratification can be argued as the basis of Colourism that occurs within the Caribbean.
Social Stratification refers to the presence of distinct social groups ranked above one another based on a perceived social or economic rank such as race, colour, wealth, power or prestige, as this determined a group's status. This unruly phenomenon exists when inequality becomes institutionalized, as occupants have unequal access to opportunities, as rewards and privileges are relished only by persons of the upper strata.(Bissessarsingh, "Social Stratification" 1)

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The Plantation society formed an environment for the growth of various processes and institutions of the Caribbean Region, such as Creolization and Hybridization, which then later led to social stratification, which is seen in our contemporary Caribbean today. (Mohammed 45)

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The basis of wealth gained by the Europeans depended on the enslavement of persons who were regarded as property, as there were values stressing exploitation of the people and the environment for economic gain, as the ideology of European superiority reigned as part of the system of production. (Bissessarsingh, "Social Stratification" 2-3)

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What Is The Plantation Society And What Occurred During This Time?

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What Is The Plantation Society And What Occurred During This Time?

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The Plantation Society was a method of production implemented by the Europeans in the Caribbean, where large, various plots of land were used to grow crops such as sugar cane, tobacco and cotton on a large scale for export and also one that employed enormous labour forces. (Thompson et al. 133).

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Colourism is said to have originated from the days of the Plantation society, as far back as the 1640s.

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Colourism is defined as the prejudice and discrimination especially within a racial or ethnic group, where persons of lighter skin are favoured  over those with darker skin.(Merriam-Webster.com)

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“When you black in Jamaica, nobody see you,” “I hear the people that say bleaching is bad, but I’ll still do it, this fair pigment could mean my entry ticket to a better life,” says Cooper (MarieClarie.com) and  23-year-old Mikeisha Simpson(BleuMag.com). Even in a post colonial era, why does “whiter” still mean “better?” This can only be explained through the mistrust and intolerance that was created hundreds of years ago by our European conquerors, that still plague our contemporary societies. As such, these Eurocentric views will be discussed and examined through historical and societal implications of colourism that still rule our societies today.