Right Color, Wrong Shade | Sanjana Rajesh | TEDxUCSB

Being told she never had light enough skin, Sanjana Rajesh grew up feeling the full force of colorism. Using her personal experiences she discusses how discrimination based on the shade of her skin can profoundly affect mental and physical health. She also looks at how colorism is different from racism in terms of how much people understand it and are willing to support those affected by it. Sanjana Rajesh is a first year pursuing a major in Economics and a minor in Statistics at UCSB. She embraces her Indian heritage by being a part of multiple South-Asian clubs on campus and as a dancer on UCSB Taara - a competitive Bollywood dance team. Aside from that, some of her other passions include photography, art and politics. Sanjana is also interested in social activism and philanthropy and was able to help underprivileged students receive an education during her time as president of the non-profit Shooting Stars Foundation. Moreover, she hopes to bring more awareness to social issues such as colorism, and partake in movements with similar goals. Sanjana is planning on completing her studies at UCSB and eventually going to law school. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx