Dark-skinned Latinos face more discrimination, study finds| Breaking News Updates

PHOENIX (AP) – Skin tone has an impact on the daily lives and long-term success of Latinos in the United States, according to a finding from the Pew Research Center that comes as the issue of colorism has become more common.

The non-partisan research center surveyed 3,375 Latinos who live in the United States, finding that 62% say having darker skin harms their chances of moving forward while 59% say having fair skin helps them. . The study was published Thursday.

It comes just a few months after colorism – discrimination based on skin tone, often within someone’s own ethnic group – gained wide attention with the release of the film “In the Heights”, which starred. been criticized for his lack of dark-skinned Afro Latinos in the lead roles. the roles.

Over the past two years, racism has been at the forefront of the nation’s attention, but colourism is not as often deliberate.

Some social scientists believe this is in part because colourism highlights divisions within racial and ethnic groups. Others add that colorism is an age-old global problem that is notable in Latin American countries colonized by Spain and where white skin has long been considered superior to dark skin and native features. Many Latinos in the United States may have these internal biases.

The Pew study found that 57% of Latinos say their skin tone affects their daily lives, and the majority of dark-skinned Hispanics have been discriminated against because of it.

Nadia Y. Flores-Yeffal, associate professor of sociology at Texas Tech University, said the findings are supported by years of research that shows people with darker skin make less money and face more fanaticism.

The problem is not confined to the United States. In Mexico, people with indigenous features are looked down upon, while white-skinned Mexicans are among the most powerful politicians, businessmen and celebrities.

The way dark-skinned people are portrayed in movies and on TV – if at all – also has an impact on how we perceive them, Flores-Yeffal said. “In the Heights” was hardly the exception – in most American media, the darker Latinos are overrepresented in background roles or as gangsters, while the lighter ones are more likely to be. ” have leading roles, even though Latinos in general are under-represented.

Flores-Yeffal says colourism has been around for centuries. “And it looks like it’s not going anywhere,” she said.

Laura E. Gómez, law professor and author of “Inventing Latinos: A New Story of American Racism,” praised the Pew study, saying it was based on rigorous data.

For Gómez, even talking about colorism is a good step towards solving the problem. While some Latinos may not feel comfortable talking about internal divisions, they are synonymous with racism in general, she said.

“You can’t choose one or the other. In order to fight anti-Latino racism, we need to talk about racism within the Latino community, ”said Gómez.