Usually, when talking about racism, prejudice, discrimination and mistreatment, it’s from outside of our own group. But what do you do when the hate comes from within? Well, what can you do?
Colorism is a big underlying problem in the black community. Sometimes people do it unknowingly because we are so used to it. But what is colorism exactly? In short, it is the discrimination of someone in the same racial group as you based off of skin tone. It doesn’t only happen within the black community, in fact, most racial groups deal with colorism. Especially ones that have varies of shades.
Within the black community, colorism can be taken back to the days of slavery. Like most of the problems, black people have start from. The most famous situation being house slaves vs field slaves.
House slaves would live in the house with the masters. Cooking and cleaning for them and taking care of the children. And even though it was illegal for a slave to learn how to read and write, house slave sometimes did because of the children and mistresses in the house. Many considered being a house slave a privilege. Not having to bare the heat from the hot sun and back breaking work like field slaves. Most of the time’s house slave didn’t complain about their positions either out of fear of punishment. They were usually lighter in complexion due to the fact that they were in the sun that much, and because often house slaves were the children of raped field slaves and their white masters. Even though they were still a slave, because their mother was a slave, the master usually wouldn’t make them work out in the fields and brought them into the homes instead. This would lead mistress to mistreat, bully and even beat house slaves because of the relationship they sometimes had with her husband.
Field slaves worked outside. Picking cotton, tobacco and whatever else crops were being grown. They were usually darker skin because of constantly being in the sun. Their living conditions were worst than the house slaves. Living in huts and shacks. Often having to make meals from the scraps of the master’s meals. They were beaten regularly with very little regard for their lives. Field slave could even be forced to have children just so the slave owner could have more slaves for free. They often didn’t receive medical care and were forced to work until they couldn’t anymore. Neither were treated like humans. Slave, in general, was treated like animals, field slaves, though, perhaps even less than that.
Regardless of where you worked on the plantation, women were both subject to rape, men were beaten even killed for just looking at a white man wrong. It was a bad situation either way. But without a doubt, as far as living conditions and treatment, field slave were treated worst.
This were the beginning steps toward dividing black people among ourselves. Was it done on purpose? Did slave master treat house slaves and field slave different on purpose? Who knows. In theory, I would say that making one-half feel less than the other half would probably greatly decrease the changing of a big uprising from occurring. Can’t fight the white man if you’re too busy fighting each other. Both house slaves and field slave were both slaves and were treated as such, in different ways but still disrespected and humiliated. Enduring pain and suffering all the same. But this was just the beginning.
The effects of slavery are still felt today, but, even more so during the civil rights moments. At that time, black people had just started to integrate themselves into society. During Jim crow, a number of laws were put into place to make sure that black people understood that even though they were free, they most certainly were not equals and would not be treated as such. Segregation between blacks and whites were at an all time high. And it wasn’t much better among the black community itself.
The Brown paper bag test was a test that was used to grant privileges to black people. If you were the same color as the bag or lighter, you were good. If you were darker than the bag, you would be denied. This was used on black people, by other black people. Used in schools when accepting students, used at parties to grant access in. It was literally used to determine someone’s worth. Their right to an education and overall their self-esteem. With the entire social system already against us, we were still dividing ourselves, among ourselves.
Fast forward a bit. Even though the paper bag is gone, still terms like team light skin, team dark skin, light skin nigga are still very much alive in the black community. With very little thought about it. Light skin girls are thought to be more desirable but also full of themselves. Dark skin girls are thought to be sassy and angry. Light skin men are seen as weak and “pretty boys”, While dark skin men are seen as ruthless. Now logically, we know that the color or even shade of your skin does not in any way determine someone’s beauty, attitude or worth. But because for so long, we have been conditioned to this way of thinking, we now see it as such.
So first, we are dividing by the white man, then we divide ourselves. And although they started it, we can not use that as an excuse. Colorism is alive today because we allow it to be. I hear people all the time say thing how they hope they don’t have dark skinned children, even though they are dark themselves. People say they won’t date a dark skinned man or woman. I have personally been called stuck up, strictly based on the fact that I am light skinned. People tell me all the time I’m not full black because I’m light skinned.
Is there a privilege to being light skinned? Most certainly. I know that first hand. When people tell me, ” I don’t date black girls, but I would date you, cause you light skinned.” I understand that as a light skinned black woman, I am seen closer to white than a dark skinned woman is. Because we all know the closer you are to white, the more you alright. But I still get mistreated by dark skinned women too. and that hurts. But I can’t be mad because have continued to let colorism live and grow. We have allowed this way of thinking for too long. Allowing light skin girls to believe they are beauty because they are light skinned. Allowed dark skin girls to think that they aren’t enough. Having to hear,” you’re pretty for a dark skin girl. I wrote a post about ” The most disrespected person in America.” it’s the black woman. But maybe even more, the dark skinned black woman.
We have got to stop this now. It has been going on for way too long. We need to unite as a people. with arms wide open and lots of love to spread. There is already too many different things against us right now that we can not afford to be against each other.
If you haven’t already check out documentaries “Dark Girls” which talk about colorism from the side of dark skin girl. Also, Oprah did one from the side of light girls called “Light Girls”. Both are very great at getting in depth on both sides of the coin so to speak.
Outside my mind 