Colorism

Colorism can be defined as the discrimination of someone based on their skin complexion. This usually occurs within people of the same racial group. Colorism is prominent in black and Asian communities. I am mainly going to focus on colorism in the black community, particularly against black females. I have addressed this topic in previous blog posts but want to dissect this topic on a deeper level.

Recently the rapper Ghetts made a tune called 'Black Rose' which addresses the issue of colorism. I will quote some of his lyrics throughout this post.

The genesis of colorism occurred when Europeans colonised numerous countries where the native people were of a darker complexion. There was also the enslavement of African people. During this time, Europeans imposed their white supremacist ideologies and beliefs on the native people. This included the belief that white women were the epitome of beauty and femininity whereas darker women were not.

We have been conditioned to believe that the closer you are to whiteness, the more beautiful you are. We are also taught that dark skin, kinky hair and African phenotypes are “ugly”. In our communities mixed raced women (black & white) or light skin black women are deemed to be more beautiful. This is due to their proximity to whiteness. The more white you look the more beautiful you are, the more black you look, the uglier you are. That is why females who have lighter skin, lighter eyes, looser textured hair and European features are deemed more beautiful by society's standards than those who look more "black". There also seems to be a fetishisation of mixed people. There are even people out there who purposely choose partners that will give them mixed race children.

"they’ll be brothers same colour as her Pappa who will not be showing any sort of interest"
What saddens me is that many black men perpetuate and reinforce this narrative. They make comments such as “dark skin girls are ugly” “I only like lighties” “I only date light skin women” (things I've heard first hand from dark skin men). Many black men in music praise lighter skin women and make references to this in their rap lyrics . Some black men say that light skin females are just their preference, but the question is where did this preference come from? Why do some black men only see beauty in lighter shades and not in darker shades? How can a dark skin black man look at a black women of the same shade and have the audacity to say that he could never date her because of her skin color? This is clearly a sign of internalised self hatred because he refuses to date a woman who is a reflection of him.

"Disrespecting women who remind them of their mothers...sisters...cousins"
There is also the normalisation of disrespecting dark skin black women. There seems to be a trend of people whose old tweets come to light when they had said very disrespectful things about dark skin black women, but then justify it by saying “I was young” . This is not an excuse. Why is it that it is a "phase" to disrespect black women? why are people so comfortable with disrespecting dark skin women? why is it acceptable? this should never be normalised. There seems to be a hatred towards dark skin women in society (I talk more about this my blog post 'Misogynoir')

"These Kayne's have not become important to the Kim's yet"
In the media we constantly see successful Black men parading their light skin or non black partners more than we see them parade a dark skin partner (though there are some that do). It seems that amongst some black men having a lighter skin partner is a trophy. There are some black men who desire mixed/light skin women over a dark skin woman. This constant portrayal makes some dark skinned women feel undesirable and unattractive. I'm sure there are many dark skin females who have experienced being overlooked by guys for their lighter skin friend.

"Brothers back home using cake soap"
There is also light skin privilege, in the entertainment industry it is evident that lighter skinned women are more successful than their darker skinned counterparts . Beyoncé's father had stated that part of Beyonce's success is due to her being light skin. Most black women who are at the top tend to be of a lighter complexion. It is much harder for a dark skin women to achieve the same level of success despite the hard work they put in. Having lighter skin gives you more opportunities. Therefore, some people try to obtain this standard by lightening their skin to fit into society's standard of beauty.

"So who’s fighting for the sisters then? When their own brothers keep on dissing them"
When black women try to speak out about colorism we are told that we are bitter and angry. Our feelings are dismissed as if our experiences aren’t important. We are not “angry” women, we are hurt and trying to explain how we feel. We have emotions, we feel pain, we feel hurt we feel undesired. We live in society where being black and being a woman makes us deal with discrimination at a higher rate and puts us as the bottom of western society's totem pole. But some black men are not willing to listen and actually understand where we are coming from. From what I've seen, black women tend to defend black men more than black men will defend black woman. This is why I respect Ghetts for making Black Rose as it highlights the colorism issue in our community. Hopefully, it will challenge the thinking of black men, especially those with colorist ideologies.

"I love all types a women, Variety is ok"
I see beauty in all shades of women. I am not against black men dating lighter skin women, I only have an issue when black men refuse to see the beauty in women share their complexion and put them down while uplifting lighter skin women.

"Eww his black and his ugly Naaaahh I’m black and im lovely"
Dark skin is beautiful skin, black people should not put down another black person just because their skin is darker. There is no such thing as being "too black" or being "too dark", if you believe there is then you are clearly part of the problem and a colorist. We need to embrace ALL shades of black within our community and help to uplift and support each other.

So to my dark skin queens out there:

"No matter what they say you are beautiful"

Black Panther - For the Culture

I have been waiting to watch Black Panther since I saw the official trailer which was released 8 months ago. I had the opportunity to watch Black Panther the day it was released in the UK. To see such a huge film (marvel studios) with a black director, black lead roles and a majority black cast makes this a culturally significant film.Especially coupled with the fact that it is a film about a technologically advanced African country that has never been colonised or influenced by Westerners.

Representation is important and the characters in this film are not portrayed in subservient roles or as criminals, slaves or ghetto as western media usually portrays black people. It allows viewers to see black people in a progressive perspective. I love the fact that the lead women in this film are dark skinned black women with African features. They play such a pivotal role in this film. They convey intelligence, courage and leadership. These women are strong, fierce warriors, this is reflective of the female warriors who have existed in African culture for centuries. In the media when it comes to the representation of black women, we are used to seeing lighter skinned or mixed black women taking lead roles and the darker skinned females playing subordinate roles. I am glad to finally see females who look like me being the face of such a huge film.

There are many themes that are explored in this film. One of the themes is the segregation within the African community. In the film T'Challa states that only Wakandans are his people. Initially, he only cares about helping and preserving Wakanda. However Killmonger challenges this notion and tells T'Challa that all black people are his people. In the scene where Killmonger visits his father in the ancestral realm, his father tells him "They (the Wakandans) will never accept you." Tribalism is very real and reflects the way some Africans think, anyone who is not a part of their tribe or country is an outsider and is treated differently. People like that do not see the benefit of progressing Africa and those of African decent but rather their own tribe as they tend to feel their tribe is more "superior". This is a mentality that needs to change but is unfortunately deeply ingrained in some cultures and results in discrimination. Fortunately there are some African leaders who believe in working together to help the continent as a whole and those who are part of the diaspora.

Another theme explored is the plight of African Americans and their disconnect with their African ancestry. This is personified in the character of Eric Killmonger. He is the son of a Wakandan prince and an African American woman. He has been taught about his Wakandan heritage but has never had the oppurtunity to experience it or connect with the Wakandan side of his family. Though he is of Royal blood, he lives in the ghetto of America as a poor black man and experiences institutional racism, violence and poverty. This is the reality for many Black Americans. Killmonger is angry at the system, he is angry that his African side have completely neglected him and wants revenge. Though Killmonger is a villain I saw him as a revolutionary who wanted black people everywhere to have the power and resources to fight systematic oppression.

People from the African diaspora have lost their connection to Africa through slavery. Slavery robbed africans of their identity including their names, languages, religion and culture. One of the most powerful lines in the film that touched me was when Killmonger said "Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from ships, because they knew death was better than bondage." Killmonger spent his life trying to build a connection between his American side and his African side and even in death he wanted to be with his african ancestors. . There needs to be a discussion amongst the black community regarding how we can build this bridge with africans and africans from the diaspora. I am aware that there is some division between Africans in America and African Americans. However I am glad this film is creating a conversation which needs to be had and is helping to build this bridge because black people all over the world have come together to support this film, regardless of whether they are African or American.

What makes Wakanda so great is that it has not been influenced by westerners. Wakanda has a natural resource called vibranium. Wakandans know that if the West find out about this they will steal this resource and destabilise the country, creating war and poverty (this is reflective of what is happening currently in Congo in regards to Coltan) . Previous kings of Wakanda have done all in their power to prevent this from happening. Africa is a land rich in resources which has continuously been pillaged leaving many of it's people left behind living in poverty, while other nations benefit. This still goes on till this day and not by just the west but also China. The characters are aware of the detrimental foreign involvement in Africa. For example Shuri refers to Ross as a "coloniser". In the scene at the Museum, Killmonger tells the museum worker that her ancestors stole all the African artefacts in the museum. I do not believe that any country outside of Africa will ever have the interests of Africa at heart. It is only africans that can do that.

Overall Black Panther is a great film and Ryan Coogler has done an amazing job (he is only 31!) I am happy to see the support black people are showing to this film on a global level. Records have been broken despite the notion that black films do not sell. Black people have turned up to the cinema in their African attire to show their support. I hope this sets the precedent for more black films to be made on a major level. I also hope this creates more opportunities for black directors and more roles for black actors. I would like to continue to see more films with Africans portrayed in strong lead positive roles (I'm hoping the next film is about Mansa Musa!).

WAKANDA FOREVER!