Black is Beautiful: A Re-Examination of Racial Self-Identification

Abstract

Previous research on racial self-idenrification employing the Draw-a-Person task suggests that black children most often tend to draw persons with Caucasian features (1, 2, 3 ) and also describe these persons in more culturally favorable adjectives than do Caucasian children (3) . Results concerning skin color, however, may have been confounded by the materials and criteria used in determining skin color. In these studies, children were given white paper and a pencil to draw a person and criteria for drawing a black person included shading of the skin surface ( I ) , inclusion of black facial features ( 2 ) , and checking of black or brown skin-color categories (3) . Black children's tendencies to describe their persons as having more culturally favorable qualities than Caucasian children's descriptions may have been confounded by the n a m e of the sample: middle-class Caucasian children and lower-class black children. Black children were thus expected to draw significantly more black persons than Caucasian persons given neutralcolored paper and an assortment of crayons. It was further hypothesized that black and Caucasian children would describe their persons in equally favorable adjectives when both samples were drawn from the lower class. Fifty black and 50 Caucasian children, ranging from 9 to 11 yr. of age, were randomly selected from the total sample. All children attended public elementary schools in Southeastern Michigan and were of lower socio-economic status. Subjects were given a sheet of light blue construction paper and seven crayons: black, brown, apricot (formerly f lesh) , red, orange, blue, and green. Two large boxes of multi-colored crayons were also placed at both ends of the room. A 44-item adjective checklist was attached to the reverse side of the paper; groups of items related to status, physical characteristics, and personal characteristics. Eighty-six percent of the black children drew a person with a black or brown crayon and 70% of the Caucasian children drew a person with the apricot crayon. Chi square analyses indicated that, over-all, black and Caucasian children described their persons in equally favorable adjectives. Black children also described their persons significantly as being harder workers, more attractive, admired, dependable, and having longer and curlier hair than Caucasian children. These findings do not support the previously postulated hypothesis about cultural value in which all children value Caucasian features. The results suggest an updated hypothesis wherein the development of black consciousness within the black subculture has led to improved valuation of black features. Lower-class black and Caucasian children appear to have a race-free conception of those qualities deemed desirable in American culture.