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Do light-skinned Black people have an advantage? No. We face a different form of racism
Ebony, Feb, 2008 by Elizabeth Atkins
I'm gonna sneak inside your cabin when you go to sleep," the girl seethed, "and cut off your ponytail!" Hate roiled in her onyx eyes; malice rouged the rich, dark chocolate hue of her cheeks. And her short braids bounced as she punched her hand to her hip.
Her vicious voice and furious face haunted me during that sleepless night at summer camp. While the girls in bunks around me giggled about cute boys and told scary stories, my 10-year-old heart hammered with terror for another reason: Hate from my own race.
Because I was born on the terrain within the African-American community marked LIGHT, and that girl entered the world in the zone classified as DARK.
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She hated me for no other reason.
And so she launched a verbal assault that officially enlisted me in the centuries-old war that Black people wage daily against each other's minds, bodies and spirits.
While my long, curly hair survived the night, her hostility scarred my psyche: Would my appearance always inspire "hate at first sight" from dark-skinned people?
Three decades later, sadly, too many situations affirm that anxiety; like icy glares from strangers or in college, when folks cast evil eyes as I entered a fiat party. As a newspaper reporter, people denied my interview requests for a story about race. And recently, in exercise class, a half-dozen
Sisters actually heckled me.
Thankfully, these haters are far outnumbered by the Brothers and Sisters who love me. Still, my daily navigation through the mine-filled terrain of light-dark relations inspires me to vehemently deny that light-skinned people have it easier. And this is despite popular propaganda arguing that life in the LIGHT zone is less perilous and more privileged than living on the DARK end of the spectrum.
Well, it may appear that way to folks who assume we have better educations, careers and homes. That we're smarter, thanks to more White blood; more attractive for dates and marriage; more celebrated by the mainstream.
But many light-skinned Blacks use these benefits to uplift the entire race. Just look at W.E.B. DuBois, a founding NAACP member. And Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who helped desegregate schools. And many CEOs and politicians commit their power to fostering equality and justice.
Personally, my unique space in our race offers rich perspective and experience that I use in my writing, speaking and daily living to promote human harmony. And every day offers insane new material. Like the Detroit party promoter who offered free admission to light-skinned women. The canceled party reminded me of the algebraic system that rates a woman with long hair and light skin as an L2 or "L-squared." Even better? L3. "L-cubed" means light skin, long hair and light eyes.
This should make a light-skinned Sister feel good, right?
Wrong. Because favoritism at anyone's expense breeds hate. And backlash that manifests in wicked assumptions. A split-second glance at a buttermilk or oatmeal face rouses assumptions that:
We're haughty: "Oh, here comes another light-skinned bitch."
We were born into wealth: "That bourgeoisie snob doesn't know a thing about struggling in the 'hood."
We're oversexed video vixens and boy-toys with no brains or ambition besides being someone's erotic plaything: "Damn, baby, you're so fine, I want to make you mine."
We act and talk "White:" "She hates Black people."
These assumptions inspire a tragic quest for some to prove their Blackness with exaggerated Ebonies, thuggish behavior and militant declarations. The reward? The elusive security of fitting in with the people you love.
Folks have told me: "You should talk more Black." "Go to a tanning salon. You need to brown up." "Darken your hair. You'll be more successful in business with Black people."
This never-good-enough craziness infects families, too.
"That's a whole lot of light skin gone to waste with all that kinky hair," my grandmother snarled when my son was a toddler.
Pity tempered my fury; Grammum was a victim. Despite almond skin, her broad nose made her "too Black" during an era that celebrated Lena Home's keen-featured beauty.
In reality, we are victims of biological warfare unleashed 296 years ago. Said slave consultant Willie Lynch: "... I have a fool-proof method for controlling your Black slaves. I use fear, distrust and envy for control purposes ... You must use the dark-skinned slaves vs. the light-skinned slaves ...
"The Black Slave, after receiving this indoctrination, shall carry on and will become self-refueling and self-generating for hundreds of years, maybe thousands."
Stop proving Willie Lynch right!
COPYRIGHT 2008 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale Group
