From Black Consciousness to Black Lives Matter: Confronting the colonial legacy of colourism in South Africa

abstract The systems of oppression that plagued South Africa’s recent history worked on two distinct yet intertwined levels – race and colour – and as a result, colourism, or intra-racial discrimination, remains a complex phenomenon in the country. Colonial rule and racial segregation established a problematic relationship between skin colour and access to socio-economic opportunities and this not only encouraged a yearning for white skin (or light skin) among many Black, Coloured, and Indian South Africans, it also led to the emergence of a local, highly profitable skin-lightening industry. However, colourism and skin-lightening practices have been met with significant resistance: the Black Consciousness Movement raised public awareness on the dangers of skin-lightening practices and successfully pressured the South African Government to regulate the manufacturing and retailing of skin-lightening products in the country. More recently, the Black Lives Matter movement sparked global conversations on racism and other inequalities faced by Black people and other communities of colour. This article employs a Black feminist lens to trace the history of colourism and skin-lightening practices in South Africa and to highlight the importance of Black national and transnational activism in the fight against colourism and skin-lightening.