The DuBoisian Talented Tenth: Reviewing and Assessing Mulatto Colorism in the Post-DuBoisian Era

Abstract

The overt racism existent during the DuBoisian era superseded the urgency of colorism, which rendered colorism an unspeakable taboo in the Black community. The crux of colorism is an intra-racial byproduct of inter-racial racism. It characterized the implications of skin color for the social interactions between Duboisian era Black Americans. While it was well-known among Blacks, Whites were unaware of its existence. Exemplified by DuBois’ notion of the Talented Tenth of Black Americans who would rescue the race colorism was a pseudo version of White racism. It facilitated rigid class divisions among and between Black Americans. The subsequent idealization of light skin and the denigration of dark skin as pertains to colorism was rationalized by reference to the mulatto hypothesis. Said hypothesis suggested that light-skinned Black Americans were morally, physiologically and intellectually superior to the dark-skinned masses. Eugenicists devised the mulatto hypothesis as an explanation for the existence of exceptional Blacks. Evidence of the mulatto hypothesis persists in the post-DuBoisian era.