Red & Yellow, Black & Brown

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Joanne L. Rondilla, Ph.D.

RYBB

Hello Everyone!

I greatly apologize for my negligence with respect to this website. A LOT has happened in 2017 and when I finally have the chance to catch my breath, I’ll update you and let you know all about the craziness of my life, and how that will impact the future of this blog. (It’s good news, I promise!) For now, I want to let you know that my newest book project has just been released! I am very fortunate to have worked with Rudy P. Guevarra and Paul Spickard on Red & Yellow, Black & Brown: Decentering Whiteness in Mixed Race Studies. You can purchase it directly from Rutgers University Press here. (Pssst. For 30% off, please use discount code: 02AAAA16. Shhh. You didn’t hear that from me.)

Maraming Salamat,
Joanne L. Rondilla, Ph.D.
Tempe, AZ

unfair and lovely

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Joanne L. Rondilla, Ph.D.

Photo series, “Unfair and Lovely” was created by Pax Jones.

When your work is on colorism and skin color hierarchy, it’s always a treat when you find gems like this – especially when it comes from the people in your world. Recently, several people sent and/or tagged me in this (and other related stories) story on Facebook. What started as a photo series evolved into a hashtag campaign, #unfairandlovely. I highly recommend that you check out your social media outlets and contribute (respectfully) to the conversation.

While most of the current photos under #unfairandlovely feature South Asian women, I do hope to see people from other racial and ethnic backgrounds represent what it is to be #unfairandlovely. In particular, I am curious to see how #unfairandlovely is represented in the LGBTQ community. Though social media has its limits, I also see its potential to inspire conversation (which will hopefully lead to action) about these issues.

Kudos to you, Pax Jones, for creating art that makes a difference!

Maramang Salamat,

Joanne L. Rondilla, Ph.D.

Tempe, AZ

Light and Shadows

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Joanne L. Rondilla, Ph.D.

uganda

Many thanks to my dear friend Margaret for sharing this article with me. (The image is from the article.) Sadly, skin bleaching/skin lightening/skin whitening is something that is common all over the world (yes, even Asia). Photographer Anne Ackermann has a series that looks at women and skin bleaching in Uganda. The article points out that there is an idealized type of dark skin – one that is caramel colored. It is this idealized shade that these women aspire to have when they get bleaching treatments. This logic is a new twist on an old idea: that lighter is better. The words are just different now. Instead of expressing desired whiteness, many people (mostly women) express a desired lightness. In my research, I illustrate that many point to this distinction to avoid accusations of racism and self-hatred. Though the words are different, at the heart of it all, it means the same thing. Wanting to be a lighter shade of you is the new (yet still old) colorism.

Maraming salamat,

Joanne L. Rondilla, Ph.D.

Mesa, AZ