I wonder if Brother Du Bois knew how relevant his phrase, "the problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line", would be in the 21st century. Especially within the Black community.The styling and profling, young brother to the right, Harold Ford, Jr (peep the side part) came through the office today. He's part of a group of Aframericans, I've dubbed "The Powerful Lightskined Ones". Although meant as a joke, after kidding to one of my sisters that I wouldn't have known that some of the folks at our Episcopalian church were black if they didn't hang out with us so often (nothing is more segregated than Sunday service).
My joke got at something a little deeper than that, it hit at the color complexes that all of us Black and Brown folk harbor after 400 years in the Americas. Colorism is alive and well, with countless stereotypes to go along with it - redbone, high yellow, darkie, light-brite, half-caste, jiggaboo, Sambo, African booty scratcher, midnight, and the list goes on. We can be a creative people when it comes to self-hatred. There are even facebook groups dedicated to keeping colorism on and popping, with titles like; IM BRINGING RED (LIGHTSKIN) BACK,
Brown Skin men Are In (no lighties), and my personal fave - Light-skinned people should have their own race... Called sexy. yikes! That's some real ignant, ish, something out of a damn Nella Larsen novel.
I'm not hitting on any new, revolutionary territory. And I'm sure one of ya'll is sighing as you read, yet ANOTHER diatribe on just how backwards our obsession with skin color actually is. But hear (or rather read) me out. Until we stop hearing parents telling their babies not to play too long in the sun to prevent getting darker, people cooing over "good hair", or light skin folk being called whitey it ain't over.
But the REAL crazy thing is that, white folks, don't care most of the time what any of us is mixed with (they're too busy denying the possiblity of mixed heritage themselves), neither do they know the difference. As so many of us try to impress and ingratiate themselves within the white powers that be, they remind us oh so gently that no matter what amount of Cherokee blood you got, you still black. Does that mean we should deny our heritage and many ethnicites that may contribute to our family tree. Of course not. But must we privilege it over blackness?
Spike Lee needs to get on the ball and make School Daze II or something. In the meanwhile, I'm starting a petition to bring back Kenya dolls.
2 comments:
As I read your latest blog, I was haunted by memories of sweet and sour compliments that ranged from "You're so pretty for a dark-skinned girl" or my personal fave "I never seen a dark-skinned that's fine like you." Apparently unbeknowst to me, being dark-skinned and pretty are mutually exclusive categories! I cringe when the status quo for pretty is light-skinneded (yes, I had to add the exta ed) with long hair (hey, I have 1 outta 2, what does that make me?) sensing that I was being ignored because I fail the paper bag test... I will venture to say that things are improving... slowly. More dark-skin celebrities (dark being Gabrielle Union, J-Hud, Naomi Campbell cuz you know we can't have the Loretta DeVine's of the world as superstars) are getting their shine. People now realize that are ugly light-skinned girls (sorry, please see ur previous remark about therapy) but then again, I will not lie- I look at my boyfriend (who is dark-brown, but lighter than me with high-yellow family members who are what Trinis refer to as coolie-meaning that genetically my child will probably be lighter thant me)happily when I think of the prospect of children predicting our pretty brown babies with good hair. Although, I feel guilty for even worrying about such a trifle, there is some consolation in the fact that perhaps they will be saved from some of the pain that I went through. We have, as a people, come a long way but the self-hatred still exists, so we still have a long way to go.
I'm really feeling this article. We have all been think this but never had the guts to say it.
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