Shades of brown: The law of skin color

Because antidiscrimination efforts have focused primarily on race, courts h ave largely ignored discrimination within racial classifications on the bas is of skin color. In this Article, Professor Jones brings light to this are a by examining the historical and contemporary significance of skin color i n the United States. She argues that discrimination based on skin color, or colorism, is a present reality and predicts that this form of discriminati on will assume increasing significance in the future as current understandi ngs of race and racial classifications disintegrate. She maintains that the legal system must develop a firm understanding of colorism in order for th e quest for equality of opportunity to succeed.