Professional Documents
Culture Documents
he Colorism Chronicles
news was like a daggar to the heart. I am "darkskinned" and her mother is "brownskinned", but my
daughter took ater me. You see, I was raised in the
70's by parents who were very involved with the
Black Panther Party so I didn't ever have doubts
about my appearance. My parents required that my
brothers and I watch Roots, Shat and other African
American shows to boost our self esteem as men. But
as a man, I don't know how to help my daughter find
the beauty in her skin color or help her build her self
esteem. Especially, with the lack of new age productions with darkskinned, let alone, African American
women who aren't a sex symbol or treated in a way
Colorism is an issue that many people don't acknowledge until it directly eects them or their families.
Your daughter is experiencing backlash from peers
who have been taught culutrally that they are superior to her but of course, that is not the case. Colorism
has plagued the African American community for centuries and unfortunately, we still have leg work to do
before it can be cured across the board. These
lessons start at home so its impossible to change
your daughter's conditions at school without contacting the parents of the bullies. This may upset your
daughter because she will feel this will make her even
more popular but it has to be done. Speak with the
bullies' parents and peacefully let them know that
the attitudes and actions of their children are negatively aecting the well-being of your child. While
these infractions are verbal, bullying almost never
stays that way. So you need to express your direct
concern for the future of both your daughter and
their daughters.
Got Melanin?
There are various approaches you can take to help
your daughter cope with the bullying and encourage
her at the same time. Her preference change in television shows could just be a means to try to fit in at her
new school. Taking into account that she's being bullied, she wants to familiarize herself with the things
that bing their group together so she can feel that she
is not dierent in other aspects of life. I suggest a
"family night" including you, your spouse and her
brothers. You should order food and sit down as a
family to eat dinner. Discuss your history as African
Americans by researching kingdoms and customs of
your African ancestors before the Middle Passage and
Slavery. Make sure you touch on all the issues you
want to be clear in her mind. For example, how slave
owners chose Africans as concubines and produced
mixed race children, the history of colorism and the
reason that lightskinned slaves were treated better
than darker skinned slaves. This is so your daughter
can understand that she isn't being bullied because
of the way she looks but because of a societal norm
that isn't openly discussed. Then, move to a movie
marathon. As you mentioned, your parents required
that you watch empowering television shows and
movies. This is a simple gesture but it is the reason
you grew up so secure and confident in yourself.
There's also nothing wrong with digging a few classics out of the attic. Rodger and Hammerstein's Cinderella with Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother is a great alternative.
Other options are The Wiz, the 2014 version of Annie,
Double Platinum, "Coy", Princess and the Frog and A
Dierent World. The Color Purple is a great choice for
4 Struggles of being A
Dark Skinned African
American Woman
1.The word "Dusky" and "You're pretty for a
darkskinned girl."
Calling someone "dusky" is not a giving them a compliment. When you watched television, its not common to see dark skin characters. But the ones that
are on television are portrayed as sex symbols or
promiscuous. They are labeled as "hot" or "sexy" and
made to fill those roles because their skin is no longer
referred to as dark skin, but as "dusky". And unfortunately, the word has some degree of acceptance by
people because it is seen as "exotic". "Dark" doesn't.
For the people who use it, their objective is to say
soemthing nice about the person's dark skin. Though
some may appreciate their intent and understand
their lack of better words, dusky is a euphemism for
dark. Its a descriptive way to say, "I know you are
darkskinned but I still think you are beautiful." Which
is an extension of #1.
Being told you are pretty to be a darkskinned girl is
one of the lowest things anyone could say to someone. Not only are you insulting them but you are
telling them that they would have automatically been
ugly because of their dark skin otherwise. Or even
that a person is not attracted to darkskinned people
regularly but you are some type of exception. Every
person is entitled to their preferences but that
doesn't give them the right to shade someone else's
view of themselves because they have been conditioned to think this way.
2. Darkskinned Jokes
Jokes about dark skin are oensive because deep
down, some people with darkskin think that having
dark skin is a shortcoming. The jokes make it acceptable to mock a certain skin color and therefore devalue a certain identity. Jokes about dark skin contribute to oppression in many ways. They exploit how
dark skin is perceived by society and they permit the
perpetuation of how dark skin is perceived by society
and thus, hinder any change.
Also, there are also lightskinned jokes that are oensive and should not be told or laughed at! Even if one
were to tell a joke about fair skin, the intent and reason will not be the same behind telling a joke about
dark skin. In a colorist society, those jokes, if and
when told, have the undertones of a compliment.
Colorism is not humor. There are some darkskinned
people who joyfully take part in the delivery of the
joke. Their act of a "good sport" demands other darkskinned people to be like them, to learn from them,
to be as mature as them...to simply have a sense of
humor. But to me, its an act of dehumanizing a person and fooling yourself to believe it's just a joke.
Finding a passable foundation color is another hardship that darkskinned women endure. The lack of
variety in make-up is an issue that has been talked about for decades.
Academy Award Nominee, Gabourey Sidibe, when asked if she is aected by backlash about her dark skin
online.