The Vanishing Half

Allyson Hobbs discusses the phenomenon of racial passing in the United States from the late 18th century to the present.

As part of our Shades of Black series, the Guardian invited eight women to talk about their experience of colourism in their relationships, careers and everyday life.

Colourism is the discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone. This means that darker skinned black people have to fight prejudice even within their own community, where lighter skin is seen as more desirable. As such, darker skinned black people can experience both racism and colourism.

Roundtable discussion. Judged by the colour of your skin – but not just black or white. It’s the shades in between – and the prejudice that comes from perhaps not being what some consider the correct colour. It’s referred to as colourism. Maybe you’re too black, or not black enough – you’re a shade of brown that for some reason makes you popular or more employable. And this form of racism comes from within your own ethnicity.

In the remote Ohio town of East Jackson, which sits in the Appalachian foothills, residents have for decades identified as black – despite the fact they appear white. Tom Silverstone and Francisco Navas visit a place where residents’ racial lines have been blurred to invisibility