Between Black and White: Red-Brown Color Consciousness

Monday, December 18, 2017

By Roberto Rodriguez, Speakout | Op-Ed

The large banner outside the prestigious National Museum of Art in Mexico City reads: "Discursos de la piel." Translation: "Discourses on skin." The accompanying image is that of a mulatta from Mexico's colonial era. When I first saw the banner, my mind automatically added the word "color" after the word "skin." I assume that my mind did that because the topic of skin color in Mexico during that era was very pronounced. That is code for a society that was very racially stratified.

Going in, what I wanted to know is whether the exhibit also examines the post-colonial era, including present-day Mexico, a society that continues to be very color conscious. For the rest of the column, please go to: http://www.truth-out.org/speakout/item/42955-between-black-and-white-red-brown-color-consciousness