August 4, 2015

 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Remarks

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had privately described then-candidate Senator Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign as a black candidate who could be successful because of his "light-skinned" appearance and speaking pattern "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one".

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

Here Reid employs narratives of racial superiority, determining that the greater the proximity to whiteness, the better the candidate. This form of colorism has a long history in the US. During the 20th century, a practice called the "brown paper bag test" was commonly used to determine which African-Americans would receive favorable consideration; if their skin color was darker than the bag, they could be excluded from social gatherings and institutions.

For more Reid's remarks see, " Reid apologizes for racial remarks about Obama during campaign ".