Disclaimer: I obviously can only speak from my own point of view- which is that of a light-skinned woman-yet I encourage a young lady of a dark-skinned shade to comment with her point of view to gain a clear understanding!
I know what you're thinking...are we still on this?? How do I know this, because that's what I think daily. My Dorothy Dandridge post really got my wheels turning after reading up on her struggle in the entertainment industry simply because she was a light-skinned black woman--and it made me want to explore whether or not we've made any strides both intra-racially and within society as a whole. At first glance--HELL NO--and its quite sad.
For clarification, I am in no way speaking of preferential things, such as dating- I am speaking of the way that people truly judge a person based on their shade.
For starters (and I plan to be very candid and honest) from youth to my adult years I do believe that when dealing with the Caucasian race, I can without a doubt say that I have considerably been treated better than fellow darker skinned classmates and/or colleagues when placed in the exact situations. From my perspective it seems as though they are more comfortable with dealing with lighter-skinned African-Americans because stereotypically we are perceived to be more easy-going and softer spoken. In reality- this stereotype is absolutely absurd and has no basis, but we are a part of a society that has such deep rooted stereotypes that typically began in slavery that at this point it's almost a lost cause.
Now with that said, I do think that some individuals--weak individuals--allow this to dictate how they identify with society. In my younger years it made me more comfortable with having more of a diverse group of friends, which in some ways stemmed from the fact that other children in my elementary (mostly darker skinned children) seemed to always have some type of unwarranted disdain for me, so it caused me to almost have to play more with the white kids in order to have a set group of friends. But as an adult- to still hold this as a reason to place myself above or even below someone else would be ridiculous and senseless.
It's certainly obvious where most of this comparison stems from, but it's not obvious why we continue to live within these unspoken boundaries.
I can't explain how annoying it is for EVERY single person to take one look at me and immediately label me as booshy or conceited because I have light-skin-light eyes-and not to mention a small frame. (THIS IS A WHOLE OTHER POST FOR ME...I HATE THAT PEOPLE THINK IT IS OK TO CONSTANTLY DISCUSS HOW 'SKINNY' I AM-NOW IF I TURN AND SAY HOW FAT YOU ARE WOULD WE STILL BE SPEAKING?? I'M JUST SAYIN...OK BACK TO THE POST)
It appears that this topic will forever be a sore spot. Many would say that the dark-skinned will continue to feel neglected as long as the lighter-skinned are subconsciously celebrated; the lighter-skinned will continue to feel persecuted by their darker siblings merely for being so.
Time will tell if we will ever overcome this nonsense-but I think it begins with each of us individually looking at a person for who they really are, and not the shade of their skin!
Peace Love and Soul
(was that Black enough for ya! LOL)
-LDL
