It is not by coincidence that this entry is written at the
start of black history month. It is sad that in the year 2014 there is still
need to address the issue of racism. It is even more shocking that the racism
being addressed exist within people of the same race.
I know I don’t understand it either, black people are being
racist against yes you guessed it other black people.
Growing up I always thought being racist was something white
people did to other people that weren’t white. It wasn’t until a 4th
form history class and an episode of Tyra Banks that I realized that black
people are racist against other black people in that they think the ‘lighter’
shades of black somehow make them better than the darker shades.
We know the root of this is coming from the plantations
where the “light skins” were made house
slaves or shop keepers which placed them higher on the social ladder. It
appears that we haven’t realized that we are no longer on the plantations and
we do not need to get our social validation from being the ones that looked
most like the masters.
It is upsetting to think that after all these years and
after all that our ancestors have put into fighting for not only our freedom
but for equality we are the ones that will be working to regress , working to
break down everything that was fought for , that we will be the ones supplying
the ammunition for this racist war .
this has gotten so out of hand that people nonchalantly include
#teamlightskin in their tweets. Its frustrating to watch people become so out
of touch with common sense that they find no harm in doing to each other what
was done to their own people for years.
The whole issue of #teamlightskin and #teamdarkskin has become so common place that it is obvious
that people don’t understand what they are actually doing. If black people are
degrading other black people because they are ‘blacker’ than them then what do
we expect from other races ? if we who were born black into a black family with
black friends and inherited the black history find it in ourselves to degrade
the colour are we really allowed to look at the white man in dismay when he
does the exact same thing? Its interesting to see that the same people putting down the black colour and thinking that they are superior dont realise that to other races they are still simply a black person and will be treated as such.
We are all too quick to judge the people that bleach but we
do not even realize that their reason might have nothing to do with approval
from the white man , they just want to fit in with the #lightskins. I was
talking to my friend’s 10 year old niece when she asked me “ my aunty bleach
her face , why do they do that? Because them too black and its ugly? “ is this
the message we want to send to our dark skinned beauties? That if we are too
black we are ugly? If our hair is too nappy we aren’t cute? That only light
skin girls can do certain things and its socially acceptable just because they
aren’t that black?
We might find these practices harmless and just for
entertainment but what we don’t see is the damage that is being done when we
make comments like “ only brown girls should wear that colour” and I am sure we
have all heard the famous “ you are pretty for a black girl” as if it is the
general understanding that black girls aren’t pretty and you are a rare
occurrence.
It is the year 2014 and my only advice to us as a race is to
leave the colour of your skin alone. Stop making it define who you are and
dictating what you deserve. If you are light skinned you go ahead and take your
selfies with your cute little straight
noses and if you are dark skinned you go ahead and take you selfies with you
cute little flat noses . And may both dark skinned and light skinned be able to
use their umbrellas in the sun without backlash from society.
HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH !!!!!
On a lighter note look out for the A-Team’s A-Dream
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