Summary
A television news program recently did a story on colorism within the Black community. They looked at the stereotypes associated with different shades of brown within the Black race. Lighter skinned blacks are perceived to be smarter, more educated, more successful. Those with darker skin are seen as less attractive and less educated. Surprisingly, these stereotypes were not just made by those of other ethnic groups, but by African Americans as well. The perception is that the darker you are, the worse you are. Hollywood also reflects this mentality. The lighter actresses fequently get the roles of successful or beautiful women, while the darker actresses are often offered the roles of prostitutes or crackheads. Comedian Paul Mooney sums it up in this fashion: "If you're brown, hang around. If you're yellow, you're mellow. If you're white, you're all right. If you're black, get back."
This type of mentality has been around for a long time. It dates back to slavery times. The lighter skinned slaves were allowed to work in the house and were favored by their masters. The darker skinned slaves did the harder labor in the field and were beaten more readily. This brought about division in our race. Even as children, we were aware of the color differences. When my wife was in school, other girls wanted to fight her because she is fair-skinned. The opposite is true as well. In many instances, darker skinned girls are teased and picked on because of their skin tone. They are called names like "tar baby" or told that they are pretty "to be dark."See the full content of this document
Extract
Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
Being on the receiving end of prejudice is a devastating thing. I am sure that most of us have experienced being prejudged or labeled based on the color of our skin. Perhaps someone assumed you could sing or play basketball because you are Blac...
See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
