Washington University Global Studies Law Review Volume 14 Issue 4 Global Perspectives on Colorism (Symposium Edition) 2015 "If You Is White, You’s Alright. .” Stories About Colorism in America Kimberly Jade Norwood Washington University in St. Louis, School of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_globalstudies Part of the Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons, Human Rights Law Commons, International Law Commons, and the Law and Race Commons Recommended Citation Kimberly Jade Norwood, "If You Is White, You’s Alright. .” Stories About Colorism in America, 14 WASH. U. GLOBAL STUD. L. REV. 585 (2015), https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_globalstudies/vol14/iss4/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School at Washington University Open Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Washington University Global Studies Law Review by an authorized administrator of Washington University Open Scholarship. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. “IF YOU IS WHITE, YOU’S ALRIGHT. .”† STORIES ABOUT COLORISM IN AMERICA KIMBERLY JADE NORWOOD I. INTRODUCTION In a land that loves its blond, blue-eyed children, who weeps for the dreams of a black girl?1 I am well into my fifties now and yet I can still remember vividly interactions with complete strangers, at a very early age. Whenever my mother and I were out in public together, I almost always felt that something was wrong with me. You see, I have the same skin color as the current First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Michelle Obama. My mother has the same skin color as the actress Halle Berry.