Skin Color as a Factor in Negro Preschool Children’s Racial Identification

The Article: Understanding Skin Color and Its Impact on Preschool Children

The article is about how preschool children utilize their skin color to identify their classmates’ races. Skin color is classified into three categories: light, medium, and dark. The other options are white and colorful. The goal is to reduce color tension among preschool children. Following data analysis, it was shown that the likelihood of a light skin child choosing a boy of color is 36.5%, whereas the likelihood of a white boy selecting a white boy is 56.4%. (Clark & Clark, 1940).

Introduction

The article was written in 1940 when racial segregation was very high, not only in the United States but globally. Ethnic identification over a long time has been perceived as an indicative segment in progress of self-consciousness (Clark, 1940). In the study, the children use the color of their skin as a factor to racial identification. Clark argues the fact that the white kids selected white boys more times than the boys of color indicates the identification of a person. The story claims that social groups were highly determined by the race where the boys of dark skin hang out together while the white kids do the same. Kids grouped themselves according to their race. As the kids grow, the medium boys increased their likelihood to choose the white boys more than the colored boy. At the same time, the colored boy raised the possibility picking a medium and a white boy. From the study, it is clear that the kids develop awareness of their skin color at a tender age during the self-realization stages. These perceptions tend to change as they grow older; however, the medium colored kids regard themselves as light and not medium later in their development stages. Thus they develop a tendency of picking white kids.

Relationship between Race and Sensitivity of Racially Related Stimuli in Children

Pervasive and differential preference in humans develops at very early stages of life. As a result, kids build sensitiveness towards their appearance at a young age trying to compare their looks with that of their peers. The kids in most cases tend to grasp what they are told, whether positive or negative. They tend to have a fixed mind on the idea of color in reference to other kids (Stabler, Johnson, Berke & Baker, 1969). As they grow up during preschool stages, children are in a position to distinguish between different colors. They can group themselves according to the color of their skin. Some children feel inferior to the others due to their skin color, especially the black kids. From the age of 3 years onwards, most of the black kids incline to be powerless and at the same time inferior when they realize they are black (Stevenson & Stewart, 1958). These children view themselves as ugly and unwanted in the society. In the late 20th century, most of the children born of color in a community containing white kids lived in denial. This is because the black color was used in the illustration of bad things, ugly or even dirty with 86.5% of the black kids scoring in a prejudice direction (Stevenson & Stewart, 1958). On the other hand, white was regarded as clean, happy, and beautiful. The two description of the white and black color devastated the black child. Similarly, the frustration on the black child and the white supremacy among the children also starts with the filming. The evil characters are shown in black while the heroes and good characters are viewed in white color. This is one of the beginnings of the discrimination of color among the children when they start seeing black as evil and white as all nice.

Racial profiling from the grownups

Racial profiling from the grownups is another factor that makes the children learn their races and the differences in the color of the skin. This causes children to learn and hold the negative attitude towards members of a given racial group which is not their race. As a result, the kids start to identify one another with the physical appearance hence profiling any other race. The black child in most cases stands on the grounds of being discriminated at school and in the neighborhood by the white more than the medium skin complexion. Since the kids learn very fast from the adults, they are at risks of acquiring all forms of racial biases from them. Since the child believes what adult has to say, they come to learn that the skin tones are different from the rest, their cultural practices are different and eventually arrives at a conclusion that they are different from the rest. The race, therefore, becomes a form of social segregation with some feeling more superiors while others feel inferior. Conversely, some research says that some of the children gain racial awareness from their peers who racially influence them in forming groups of the kids that are only identical leaving the other kids behind.

Skin Color and Effect among Children

Skin color over a very long time has been the key feature on the study of racial prejudice and identity among children (Clark & Clark, 1940). While all the children were pretty much aware of their skin color, the discrimination and the way society takes the matter affects these kids directly and indirectly. Most of the kids from the African American ancestry are faced with the self-esteem issues (Kowalski, 2003). This is mainly because, at any given point, people always prefer the white children leaving blacks behind. In other words, the black kids in one way or another feel unwanted in the society (Kowalski, 2003). As they grow up, some of them get into other activities to prove their worth in the community, some of these events are sports and the entertainment industry. The unlucky ones find themselves abusing drugs and other substances.

The skin color directly affects the performance academically. Due to humiliation from being black, it becomes difficult at times to perform in school to give the desired results (Stevenson & Stewart, 1958). The poor performance is likely to be evident in the dark-skinned student due to the feeling of inferiority from their white counterparts. This will translate to the leadership roles where some of the blacks may shy away from taking various leadership roles despite possessing leadership skills.

Hatred towards other races is another effect of skin color among children. The childhood experiences of racial discrimination are likely to create an inner negative attitude towards other races to adulthood. To illustrate this, some of the adults in the present still proclaim to hate other sports due to childhood experiences they had in school. Denial and hatred of oneself is another effect of skin color among the children who realize that their skin color is different from the majority Klein, Levine & Charry, 1979). The fact that black is associated with the wrong things and ugly, the children from the black ancestry often feel sick of their skin, though some of them accept their skin tone, others live in denial and wishful thinking to transform their color. Conversely, the white kids feel superior over those of the African American ancestry. This is mainly because of the appraisals and the fact that they are mostly associated with the good and the beautiful.

Conclusion

Parents play a significant role in racial profiling and stereotyping. They are the most significant contributors to how kids from one race think and perceive others. Similarly, leaders play a vital role in uniting the society regardless of the race as we are all human with different colors. Instead of understanding an individual as black, white, medium or Indian, parents should teach their kids to view a person as an individual. When the child begins to become more curious about the surroundings, the caregivers or the guardians should be extra careful about what they feed them. The teachers should encourage a peaceful coexistence among the pupils and especially to the young ones at preschool.

Reference

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Klein, P. S., Levine, E., & Charry, M. M. (1979). Effects of skin color and hair differences on

facial choices of kindergarten children. The Journal of social psychology, 107(2), 287-288.

Kowalski, K. (2003). The Emergence of Ethnic and Racial Attitudes in Preschool-Aged

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Stabler, J. R., Johnson, E. E., Berke, M. A., & Baker, R. B. (1969). The Relationship Between

Race And Perception Of Racially Related Stimuli In Preschool Children. Child Development, 40(4), 1233.

Stevenson, H., & Stewart, E. (1958). A Developmental Study of Racial Awareness in Young

Children. Child Development, 29(3), 399. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1126353