The terms refer to specific language used in Haiti to describe individuals with mixed heritage and light skin tones.
“Reds” (Wouj)(Redbone)
In Haiti, “red” or wouj (sometimes referred to as redbone in the broader Caribbean) generally refers to individuals of Afro-descent who have a very light, reddish-brown or “warm” skin complexion. It is used to describe specific skin tones and is not exclusively a slur.
High Yellow
“High yellow” is a historical and colloquial term used to describe very light-complexioned people of African descent who possess a pale, almost yellow skin tone. The phrase originated in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to describe individuals of mixed Black and white ancestry.
In the Haitian context, the term relates directly to the island’s complex history with race and colorism. In Haiti, the historical legacy of the French colonial “mulatto” elite (sometimes historically referred to by French observers as an aristocracy of “high-yellow” skin) resulted in a societal hierarchy where lighter-skinned individuals historically held greater wealth and political power.
Thank you for posting. My Haitian girlfriend was as dark as campfire coffee. Still, the blacks would harass her and derisively call her “red.” Proving once again that there is little room for nuance in the black racist culture.