COLORISM + HISTORY

Why The Brown Paper Bag Test Still Matters

An essay about proximity to whiteness

Woman in black spaghetti strap dress standing on brown grass field | Photo by PNW via Pexels

In New Orleans, you will find Black people of every shade and hue, but few understand the cultural significance of these differences. Many of the city's upper bourgeois belong to secret societies called Krewes, where membership is tightly scrutinized. They are the ones who…