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In the 1930s and 1940s, social psychologists Mamie and Kenneth Clark conducted a series of experiments with black children aged three to seven. The experiments tested the psychological effects of segregation on African-American children.
Each child was given four dolls that were identical, except for colour. They were asked questions like ‘Which doll is pretty?’, ‘Which doll is ugly?’, ‘Which doll is bad?’ and ‘Which doll is good?’ The children overwhelmingly rejected the black dolls, which was the doll that looked most like them.
Video transcript
1. Conversation between Anderson Cooper (CNN) and a black girl (1st child) and a black boy (2nd child)
A.C.: Do you remember, what skin colour do you want? Do you remember what you said?
1st child: Yeah, that one (pointing at the doll with the lightest complexion)
A.C.: Which one?
1st child: This one (pointing at the doll with the lightest complexion)
A.C.: Why do you want that skin colour?
1st child: Because… I don’t know. I just…
A.C.: You’re not sure?
1st child: No.
A.C.: What do you think of that skin colour?
1st child: Well... it looks kind of whitish… and that’s all I remember.
A.C.: Yeah?
1st child: Yeah.
A.C.: What about you?
(2nd child pointing at the doll with a light complexion)
A.C.: Why do you want that skin colour?
2nd child: Because it looks lighter than this kind, because this look a lot like that one. And I don’t like the way brown looks cause brown looks really nasty for some reason, but I don’t know what reason. That’s all.
A.C.: You think it looks nasty?
2nd child: Not really, but sometimes.
A.C.: And what colour don’t adults like? Do you remember what you said?
(2nd child pointing at the doll with the darkest complexion)
A.C.: That one? That’s right. Why do you think adults don’t like that colour?
2nd child: Dark.
A.C.: You think adults don’t like dark?
2nd child: Well, maybe some adults do, but maybe some of them don’t.
2nd Conversation between Anderson Cooper (CNN) and a white boy (3rd child)
A.C.: And then which was the ugly child?
3rd child: That one (pointing at the doll with the darkest complexion).
A.C: A.nd why was he the ugly child?
3rd child: He was the ugly child because when he tried to go to school sometimes all the white kids would make fun of him.
A.C: Why were they making fun of him?
3rd child: Because of the colour of his skin.
A.C.: Does that happen sometimes?
3rd child: Not now, but back then it did.
A.C.: Back in the old days?
3rd child: Hmm.
A.C.: Why did that happen back them?
3rd child: Because the people in the school didn’t think that black kids should get an education like the white kids did.
A.C.: Do you see differences now between black kids and white kids?
3rd child: No.
A.C.: Do you think some kids do see differences?
3rd child: Yes.
A.C.: In what way?
3rd child: Well, maybe some people still think that blacks are ugly and whites are nice and handsome.
A.C.: Why do you think they think that?
3rd child: Maybe because of things they heard, maybe.
A.C.: Why do you think things have changed? You were saying that kids in the olden days people with different skin colour were treated differently.
3rd child: Because Martin Luther King Jr. helped make blacks and whites go to the same schools and bathrooms.
A.C.: And you think this changed people’s opinions?
3rd child: Hmm. Some, but some didn’t change their opinions.
A.C.: So do you see differences today? Is there a difference between a black person and a white person?
3rd child: Not really.
A.C.: Pretty much the same?
3rd child: Yeah. They are people, they are the same thing.
3rd Conversation between Anderson Cooper (CNN) and two black girls (4th child and 5th child).
A.C.: They were asking about skin colour. When you think about skin colour, what do you think?
4th child: I think it’s kind of magical, because we are not all the same, we’re different. It doesn’t matter what colour you are, it just matter what you’re like inside.
A.C.: Do you think some people think it matters what skin colour you are?
4th child: Yeah, some people do. I wonder why they think that.
5. child: The colour is kind of who you are, it makes you you.
A.C.: Do some kids treat kids differently because of the skin colour?
4th child: Probably because they are not like them, so they probably don’t like them so they don’t want to be their friend.
A.C.: And one of you were asked about the skin colour that most teachers think look bad on a girl, and you said I don’t think it matters, they want to help you learn. It doesn’t matter what’s on the outside, only on the inside.
4th child: I said that.
A.C.: You said that. Explain that. What do you mean?
4th child: I think teachers are mature, like they don’t really care what colour you are. They just want you to get a good education.
A.C.: Did you see any difference between those girls?
4th child: No. They all looked pretty friendly.
A.C.: They all looked pretty friendly? Do you think some people would see a difference or do you think most people would say that they looked pretty friendly?
4th child: I think most people would say they look pretty friendly.
5th child: That’s the right thing to do. You don’t judge people on how they look, you judge on how they act.
Conversation between psychologist and various children
Psychologist: Show me the dumb child.
6th child: Dumb child (pointing at the doll with the darkest colour).
Psychologist: OK. Why is she the dumb child?
6th child: Because she has black skin.
Psychologist: Show me the bad child.
(7th child pointing at the doll with the darkest complexion).
Psychologist: Why is he the bad child?
7th child: Because he’s dark.
Psychologist: Show me the dumb child.
(8th child pointing at the doll with the darkest complexion).
Psychologist: Why is she the dumb child?
8th child: Because she looks black black.
Psychologist: Show me the good child.
(8th child pointing at the doll with the lightest complexion).
Psychologist: Why is she the good child?
8th child: Because she looks whiter.
Psychologist: Show me the child you would like to have as a classmate.
(9th child pointing at the doll with the lightest complexion).
Psychologist: Why would you like to have him as a classmate?
9th child: Because he’s white.
Psychologist: Show me the child that has the skin colour most adults like.
(9th child pointing at the doll with the lightest complexion).
Psychologist: And show me the child who has the skin colour most adult don’t like.
(9th child pointing at the doll with the darkest complexion).
Psychologist: Show me the ugly child.
(10.th child pointing at the doll with the darkest complexion).
Psychologist: And why is she the ugly child?
10th child: Because she’s black.
Psychologist: Show me the good-looking child.
(10th child pointing at the doll with the lightest complexion).
Psychologist: And why is she the good-looking child?
10th child: Because she’s got light skin.
Psychologist: And show me the skin colour you believe most teachers think look bad on a child
11th child: I don’t think it matters.
Psychologist: You don’t think it matters?
11.th child: It doesn’t matter what they look like on the outside, it only matters what you look like on the inside.
Psychologist: Can you show me the child that has your skin colour?
(12th child pointing at the doll with the medium dark complexion)
Psychologist: Show me the child that has the skin colour you want.
12th child: I want that one. (pointing at a lighter complexion).
Psychologist: OK. Show the child that has the skin colour you don’t want.
(12th child pointing at the doll with the darkest complexion).
Psychologist: Show me the child you would like as a classmate.
13th child: All of them.
Psychologist: You want all of them as classmates? Why do you say all of them?
13th child: Because I don’t really care what colour they have.
Pick one of the tasks and write a longer text.
Use the information you have gained through the blog post and the tasks you have been working with. Write a text where you reflect on the reasons for and the consequences of colorism in our society today.
Feel free to include numbers, statistics and information from different web-sites. Remember to cite your sources.
Find out if racism and colourism limits opportunities for people of colour in the USA today. Write a text where you discuss if everyone in the United States has the same opportunities to succeed and achieve the American Dream.
Use numbers, statistics, and information from different websites. Remember to cite your sources.
