Internalized racism

Internalized racism is loosely defined as the internalization by people of racist attitudes towards members of their own ethnic group, including themselves. This can include the belief in ethnic stereotypes relating to their own group. In her study The Psychology of Racism, Robin Nicole Johnson writes that this definition does 'not provide a sense of the complexities or dynamics of racism', and proposes the definition be 'an individual's conscious and unconscious acceptance of a racial hierarchy in which whites are consistently ranked above People of Color'. This definition is notable in that it does not take a 'colorblind' approach to racism, and articulates an uneven power dynamic between white and non-white people (people of color).

Internalized racist attitudes in individuals present barriers towards achievement of racial equality, as somebody with internalized racism may believe that they are inferior to people of other ethnic groups and that equality is therefore not a logical goal; according to Suzanne Lipsky, 'It (internalized racism) has proved to be the fatal stumbling block of every promising and potentially powerful black liberation effort that has failed in the past'.

In an article called Colorism: A Darker Shade of Pale, Taunya Lovell Banks discusses colorism and how it has been internalized by the Black community, leading to a racist hierarchy that privileges lighter skinned black people over darker skinned black people within their own communities.

The 'black is beautiful' cultural movement fights the internalized racism experienced by African Americans specifically with regard to beauty standards.

'Sambo' is an epiphet used by black people towards other black people who are perceived as being overeager to be accepted by white people, demonstrated by apparent internalization of white values. A related concept is the house slave mentality, which is interpreted as internalized racism. Other acts of internalized racism among African-Americans is the common desire to have light-skinned children with "good hair", good hair meaning a child with non-kinky hair, hair usually genetically correlated with non African-Americans.

An empirical example of internalized racism is Kenneth and Mamie Clark's doll experiment, which was done in America at a time when black and white children were segregated. It involved an African-American child being presented with two dolls that were identical apart from skin and hair color, one doll being white with yellow hair and the other being brown with black hair. The child was asked which doll they would prefer to play with and why. All children in the study expressed a clear preference for the white doll.

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