The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Colorism is expressed through the differences in the way that those with lighter skin were treated differently than those with darker skin. Black people with lighter skin were afforded more opportunities, and they were often able to "pass" as whites, which meant that they were given preferential treatment. Quotes to support this are as follows;

Ethel had “a complexion that was light enough to pass” and was given a job as a teacher.

“The colored man Lander, who had been a slave himself, was a few shades darker than Cora. He had been the one to tell her that she could pass for white, and he had been the one to give her the idea of running.