The Melanin Millennium

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

   PDF

2. The Bleaching Syndrome: Western Civilization vis-à-vis Inferiorized People of Color

   • Ronald E. Hall

   Pages 1-18

3. The Historical and Cultural Influences of Skin Bleaching in Tanzania

   • Kelly M. Lewis, Solette Harris, Christina Camp, Willbrord Kalala, Will Jones, Kecia L. Ellick et al.

   Pages 19-38

4. Pathophysiology and Psychopathology of Skin Bleaching and Implications of Skin Colour in Africa

   • A. A. Olowu, O. Ogunlade

   Pages 39-48

5. An Introduction to Japanese Society’s Attitudes Toward Race and Skin Color

   • Debito Arudou

   Pages 49-69

6. Mapping Color and Caste Discrimination in Indian Society

   • Varsha Ayyar, Lalit Khandare

   Pages 71-95

7. Indigeneity on Guahan: Skin Color as a Measure of Decolonization

   • LisaLinda Natividad

   Pages 97-104

8. A Tale of Two Cultures

   • Eneid Routté-Gómez

   Pages 105-113

9. Where Are You From?

   • Stéphanie Cassilde

   Pages 115-138

10. Social Work Futures: Reflections from the UK on the Demise of Antiracist Social Work and Emerging Issues in a “Post-Race” Era

    • Mekada J. Graham

    Pages 139-149

11. Shades of Consciousness: From Jamaica to the UK

    • William Henry

    Pages 151-167

12. Fanon Revisited: Race Gender and Coloniality Vis-à-Vis Skin Colour

    • Linda Lane, Hauwa Mahdi

    Pages 169-181

13. Pigment Disorders and Pigment Manipulations

    • Henk E. Menke

    Pages 183-205

14. Skin Color and Blood Quantum: Getting the Red Out

    • Deb Bakken, Karen Branden

    Pages 207-218

15. The Impact of Skin Color on Mental and Behavioral Health in African American and Latina Adolescent Girls: A Review of the Literature

    • Alfiee M. Breland-Noble

    Pages 219-229

16. Characteristics of Color Discrimination Charges Filed with the EEOC

    • Joni Hersch

    Pages 231-246

17. The Consequences of Colorism

    • Margaret Hunter

    Pages 247-256

18. Navigating the Color Complex: How Multiracial Individuals Narrate the Elements of Appearance and Dynamics of Color in Twenty-First-Century America

    • Sara McDonough, David L. Brunsma

    Pages 257-272

19. The Fade-Out of Shirley, a Once-Ultimate Norm: Colour Balance, Image Technologies, and Cognitive Equity

    • Lorna Roth

    Pages 273-286

20. What Color Is Red? Exploring the Implications of Phenotype for Native Americans

    • Hilary N. Weaver

    Pages 287-299

In the aftermath of the 60s “Black is Beautiful” movement and publication of The Color Complex almost thirty years later the issue of skin color has mushroomed onto the world stage of social science. Such visibility has inspired publication of the Melanin Millennium for insuring that the discourse on skin color meet the highest standards of accuracy and objective investigation.

This volume addresses the issue of skin color in a worldwide context.  A virtual visit to countries that have witnessed a huge rise in the use of skin whitening products and facial feature surgeries aiming for a more Caucasian-like appearance will be taken into account. The book also addresses the question of whether using the laws has helped to redress injustices of skin color discrimination, or only further promoted recognition of its divisiveness among people of color and Whites.

The Melanin Millennium has to do with now and the future. In the 20^th century science including eugenics was given to and dominated by discussions of race category. Heretofore there remain social scientists and other relative to the issue of skin color loyal to race discourse. However in their interpretation and analysis of social phenomena the world has moved on. Thus while race dominated the 20^th century the 21^st century will emerge as a global community dominated by skin color and making it the melanin millennium.

• Barack Obama’s lighter skin color
• Bleaching Syndrome
• Colorism
• Discrimination
• People of color
• Skin Color
• biological determinants of skin color difference
• color caste hierarchies around the world
• implication of skin color for education
• issues of skin color discrimination
• melanin millennium
• psychological underpinning of skin color discrimination
• skin color as status symbol
• the cost of color
• understanding skin color discrimination

• School of Social Work, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA

  Ronald E. Hall

After graduating with distinction, Dr. Hall’s professional career began as a clinical social worker. His professional role encompassed the practice of individual and group psychotherapy with schizophrenic and manic-depressive clients. Subsequent to numerous clinical observations, Dr. Hall incorporated the notion of skin color, among people of color, as a critical dynamic of mental health. Having written his dissertation on skin color, in 1990 Dr. Hall testified as expert witness to America’s first skin color discrimination case between African Americans: Morrow vs. IRS. Dr. Hall later devised the Bleaching Syndrome to explain discrimination among people of color and Identity Across the Lifespan as an alternative biracial identity model. Dr. Hall’s work includes over 150 (co)authored publications, interviews, and presentations on these topics including Justice Clarence Thomas and President Barack Obama via TIME magazine and Oprah Winfrey via The Color Complex. His previous book is titled: An Historical Analysis of Skin Color Discrimination in America (2010). His most recent is titled: Rooming in the Master’s House: Power and Privilege in the Rise of Black Conservatism (2010). Dr. Hall’s has lectured on skin color both locally and internationally including the U.S. Congress and Oxford University. His most recent event took place in Suriname, South America in November of 2010 where he was the keynote for a medical convention. There Dr. Hall advised an organization of European doctors of the Bleaching Syndrome. Dr. Hall is associated with numerous professional organizations including the National Association of Social Workers, the National Association of Black Social Workers, the Michigan Association of Black Social Workers, and the Council on Social Work Education.

Policies and ethics