The Rwandan Genocide was an example Colorism too. I watched Hotel Rwanda growing up with a "dark-skin" fraternal twin sister. Colorism goes both ways. As an African-American woman, I'm tired of being told the myth that I'm not Black enough, that I'm not dark enough, to also suffer from racial discrimination.
The race/ethnicity options in official forms aren't:
- "Light-skin"
- "Brown-skin"
- "Dark-skin"
On those forms, we identify instead as "Black/African-American/African-descendant". We are all genetically born to look a certain way. That's not our fault, so we don't owe anyone an apology for our complexions.
Stop blaming complexion (Colorism) for the sins and consequences of colonialism's racism. Racial discrimination shouldn't be made into a competition. We're all discriminated against. Stop the Black-on-Black hate and finger-pointing, because unlike post-colonial racism, Colorism is within our (the Black community's) control.
"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Genesis 1: 27 "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
Race is a social construct. Ethnicity is a social construct. Racism is a social construct. Colorism is a social construct. Culture is a social construct. We are all human beings. Let's construct love instead of hate. Let's unify in love instead of bonding in divisive hatred.
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Maturing in Love by Rhizome Olivia Quondam
ChickLitMaturing in Love is an anthology guide of adulthood with poems, stories, essays, and blog posts about mature themes, learning self-love, adult-relationships, social issues, and life lessons from growing older. *The blog posts are topic introductions...
