LSE - Small Logo
LSE - Small Logo

Dipa Patel

March 18th, 2021

Colourism: An interview with Beatriz Cantada and Natalie Petit

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Dipa Patel

March 18th, 2021

Colourism: An interview with Beatriz Cantada and Natalie Petit

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

In the second episode of Can You Hear Us?, the CYHU team takes a step back to critically tackle a system of oppression embedded within the identity politics of many women of colour in some shape or form: Colourism.

Inspired by current events and Professor Akousa Adomako Ampofos Cutting Edge lecture on decolonizing academia, we welcome two guests all the way from Boston to begin deconstructing colorism and the ways in which it operates in social movements and community-building: Beatriz Cantada, Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement Leader at MIT, and Natalie Petit, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Education in the MIT Sloan School of Management.

“Growing up I didn’t use the word Colorism, we just said oh you’re lighter darker skinned” – Beatriz Cantada

“Let’s not wait for another Tsunami like George Floyd when we could have just handled the rip tides […to…] avoid the aftershocks.” – Natalie Petit

Can You Hear Us? is a podcast affiliated to the LSE’s first society dedicated to Women of Colour in Consulting (WoCo), created by the 2020/21 Cohort. Find them on the LSE ID SoundCloud every other Thursday: https://soundcloud.com/lse_id/sets/can-you-hear-us.


The views expressed in this post are those of the author and in no way reflect those of the International Development LSE blog or the London School of Economics and Political Science.

About the author

Dipa Patel

Dipa Patel is the Communications and Events Manager for the Department of International Development at LSE. She is also the Managing Editor of the ID at LSE Blog.

Posted In: Featured | Podcasts | Student Experience

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

RSS Justice and Security Research Programme

RSS LSE’s engagement with South Asia

  • Making Sense of Khan-era Politics in Pakistan
    How does one understand the enduring popularity of Imran Khan, Pakistan’s erstwhile cricketing hero and currently imprisoned former Prime Minister? Ayaz Ahmed Siddiqui argues that understanding Khan-politics requires an acknowledgement of a politico-scape where populism is not necessarily extremist, and one that is fundamentally changed by the political quotient of social media. * It is […]
  • B. R. Ambedkar and a Legacy of Labour Empowerment
    As the 75th anniversary of the Constitution of India — with which LSE alumnus Dr B. R. Ambedkar’s name is indelibly linked — begins, Praharsh Prasoon draws attention to a lesser discussed contribution of Dr Ambedkar —  the empowerment of workers/labourers in colonial India.   * Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is most popular for being the architect […]