Meghnaa Tallapragada, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at Temple University, and the founder of Project Colorism. Having experienced colorism herself, she is dedicated to building a community that addresses the negative effects of colorism and finding strategies people have used to not let colorist experiences affect one’s self-worth.
Dilara Eran was a second year Global Studies and Spanish student at Temple University when she joined PC. Originally from Istanbul, she is of Turkish and Persian descent and found a love for learning about new cultures, after spending her childhood traveling the world wherever her spread-out family lived. As an aspiring immigration attorney and an immigrant herself, she has an affinity for marginalized communities and a passion for their recognition and upliftment. She wishes to analyze the contemporary conditions surrounding colorism, which continue to plague the Black and POC communities, in order to strategize methods of best combating it.
Mikayla Renwick was a student at Temple University, majoring in Communication and Social Influence when she joined PC. Going to a predominately white school from K-12, she was always aware of her skin color and had a passion for social change. With ambitions to travel the world speaking about social justice, and wanting to teach in the communication field Mikayla’s desires for change is rooted in her background. She wishes to examine how colorism has grown and affected people in every aspect. Colorism has tortured US Afrikans and POC for generations and she considers this project only the first step to tackling this issue.
Kynaat Mirza was a junior Communication and Social Influence major with a minor in Sociology when she joined PC. As a teenager, she has always been interested in social issues and the conversations surrounding them. This has led to her pursuing activism and advocacy to create a more inclusive and just community. Growing up as a daughter to Pakistani immigrants, she has witnessed first hand how deeply embedded colorism is into culture. Due to this, she has set out in studying methods to change this narrative and deconstruct the current ideals that are so tied into society.
Rjaa Ahmed was a rising senior, majoring in journalism when she joined PC. As an international student from Pakistan, she grew up observing colorism and the far-reaching impact of colonialism on Pakistan’s society. Rjaa has always been interested in learning more about the roots of racism and understanding the impact of various forms of bias on minorities. She is interested in observing colorism from a post-colonial lens and finding ways to counter it.
Dipanshi is a master’s candidate at VCU Brandcenter, studying copywriting. Originally from India, she is an international student who has been lucky enough to experience American culture and the people from an outsider’s perspective. As someone who has faced colorism herself and has seen her loved ones be affected by it, she is interested in understanding how other people define their self-worth after experiencing it and what steps we can take to dismantle this subconscious system.
Cassidy McLaughlin was a third year Public Relations major and Art minor at Temple University when she joined PC. Throughout her life she has always had an interest in social activism and learning more about how to fix many systemic social issues. As a bisexual woman she plans to focus her research on the intersectionality of gender identity and sexuality and how that effects how colorism is experienced in Black and POC communities.
