Racial Discrimination and Dilemma of Colorism in Afro-American Drama

Abstract

African, black, coloured, Negro, and, more recently, Afro-American, or African-American, was the most often used and accepted terminology. These phrases were included in legislation limiting people's freedoms and human rights. So, racial discrimination is one of the most discussed topics nowadays and throughout history. It means the denial of opportunity for a specific group of people. It is usually based on a number of factors, such as race, the color of skin, social class, and religion. The present research aims at showing racial discrimination and the dilemma of color in two Afro-American female and male playwrights. They are Zola Neale Hurston (1891-1960) and Langgston Hughes (1920-1967). In her play Color Struck (1926), Hurston sheds light on the problem of colorism and its effect on women. It deals with the dilemma of Emma, a young black lady whose deep color-consciousness leads to an inferiority complex under miners in her own life and future. Hughes also addresses the realistic source of conflict in Mulatto (1935), which is the color line that individuals must transcend in order to embrace each other as human beings. The study concludes with a conclusion that summarizes the findings.