Colorism Exposed

I caught a discussion recently involving Juan Williams of NPR when the subject of colorism came up about the term "light skin". As Mr. Williams said colorism is a hot topic within the black community as it relates to the days of slavery when "massa" had free rein of black women that explains why so many light skin blacks exist today. However, the discussion came to Haiti in which a light skin elite there is responsible for the poverty of dark skin blacks (by the way AP has reported that voodoo practitioners are cursing light skin elite blacks for the earthquake in Haiti) and that such racism exist in the Dominican Republic as well toward dark skin blacks from the light skin elite. The reason we see such racism among blacks is the conflict of this colorism that divides blacks due to so-called feeling of superiority and inferiority that blacks have toward each other. Now, throw in IR of blacks and whites, it makes distrust even more because of that belief that a drop of white blood make you more acceptable to the white majority or that choosing a white mate means you hate your own. I find this subject of colorism the defining issue that impacts us involved in IR.

 

Colorism has been going on since the Europeans came to the New World and started the slave trade. I don't think it will ever end but we must teach our children to respect all people regardless of race and color.

 

If it's not one thing, it's going to be the other. Man kind will always find a way to divide and classify one another, whether by color, money or how many stones I have in my cave compared to the stones you have in your cave.