In this video I talk about what it means to tell a child they are beautiful because they have ‘light skin’ and ‘blue eyes’ and are able-bodied. I reflect on colorism, ableism, and how a parent with mixed children (who have ‘black’ and ‘white’ parents) can explain to their kids that ‘beauty’ and ‘lucky’ should not be conflated with being ‘lighter than a brown paper bag’ and able bodied.

Books

The Color Complex.





Contours of Ableism