Examples Of Colorism In I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

“Wouldn't they be surprised when one day I woke out of my black ugly dream, and my real hair, which was long and blond, would take the place of the kinky mass Momma wouldn't let me straighten? My light-blue eyes would hypnotize them ...”
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
Colorism is a standard of discrimination by which people with lighter skin are treated more favorably than those with darker skin. Colorism mirrors white supremacy in that those with lighter skin are awarded privileges their dark-skinned counterparts aren't, strictly based on skin color. I first became familiar with the idea of shadeism during my first summer at Sadie Nash Leadership project. We watched several documentaries and the concept really touched my
heart. It is proof that racism is still alive and well, and that the oppression set upon blacks during the segregation and slavery era is still being translated It tells me that in 2013, an independent, confident and successful woman of color still struggles to have the confidence to fully embrace the skin she is in. If one of the most powerful women in entertainment feels she has to lighten her skin for projection, what does that say for the rest of us?
Believe it or not, shadeism has been an unpleasant veracity that has not yet been dissolved by the black community. What was first given to us by slave masters in separating the house slaves from the field ones, (Lighter slaves were house worthy, darker ones belonged in the fields) has now taken place in how we objectify women and each other. I cannot begin to count how many rap lyrics point out how fine she is to be a "yellow-bone" or “red-bone” or, as Kanye West lays it in his song “power”, "light skin girls and some Kelly Rowlands" in which the input of Kelly Rowland, a darker shade of female, is to point out the criteria a dark skin girl must face in order to be “beautiful” or rather, to fit his, and many other Americans views on the norm of beauty.
This is pretty problematic in many ways. It's first of all self-loathing and unnecessary for today's times. Women especially, all over the United States are troubled by their self-image, leading to the self- oppressions and insecurities we see in many. Proof of this lies in many sources. For example, in Ode to Dark (Skinned) Girls http://www.crunkfeministcollective.com/2011/06/09/ode-to-dark-skinned-girls/, member rboylorn writes: “My melanin proficiency has often led to color complex(ion) issues brought on by my country (rural) upbringing in a community (and country) fascinated (via the hegemonic influences of beauty) with my yellow-skinned sister with looooooooooooooooooooong hair and generally ambivalent with me (and my dark skin and short(er) hair). They (the adults and other children in my life) always knew my sister was beautiful but for me it took time, years, deep long looks and depth of consideration to finally determine that I was cute, ish, beautiful even for a dark-skinned girl. I have often pondered the implications of those terms of my beauty, put on me by society, community, and sometimes myself (I told you I had color complex, read complexion, issues that resulted from what I was taught to find attractive and desirable).
It is hard to love your black (beauty) when you know Black men who exclusively date nonblack women or who refuse to date dark-skinned Black women because they are not “beautiful.” The Psychology Today article that accused black women of being ugly hit close to home and pushed me back to so many moments of insecurity that I thought I would explode in rage.” Her writing exhibits the troubles of black women everywhere. Denial of dark-skinned beauty enrages me. It constitutes genocidal cultural theft. Society is killing women everywhere with the fraudulence of their words. Furthermore, the only reason why such dishonor in our nation continues is contributed to our own behavior that is shaped by the influential people of color around us. We not only fall victim to these words, but become predators. Hurting other people with the same words that scarred us, years, weeks, or days prior. I definitely think this train of thought is something we’ve internalized. Historically, just through observation we’ve seen that people with more European appearances were getting more privileges (white privilege) in this society. The problems we face are really bounded by us thinking about the basis from which we’re operating. We refuse to see where these ideas are coming from and are unable to acknowledge that they operate from outside of the African American community, and the modern day world. These are concepts that have been projected onto us that are being asserted in our society. The fact of the matter, however, is one cannot assume that in comparison to someone who has darker skin, kinkier hair, and a more African phenotype is less than one with opposing attributes.
This is something we’ve internalized historically. When we look at print media, internet, and television media, who are the Black people that are in positions of power? Who are the reporters? And we see for the most part, particularly women, are lighter skinned with more European phenotypes. Who are the women who are positioned as beautiful love interests in movies and music videos that we’re watching? More often than not, they’re light skinned. When we look into politics, which shade of African Americans, although very few, has historically been in the positions of leadership, including the current President of the United States. We make these observations and we see who is in power and we make the connections of what phenotype is more powerful and valuable in this society, what is better, who is beautiful. It’s one of those things that we didn’t create, but we continue to operate from inadvertently.
Shadeism’s history is fascinating. Fair-skinned slaves automatically enjoyed plum jobs in the master's house, if they had to work at all. Many voyaged throughout the nation and overseas with masters and their families. They were exposed to the “finer things”, for a slave, and many became educated as a result. Their darker-tone peers labored in the fields. They were the ones who were permanently condemned to be the lowest of the low in U.S. society. When slavery ended, light-skinned blacks established social organizations that barred darker ex-slaves. Elite blacks of the early 20th century were fair-skinned almost to the person. Due to this, as previously mentioned, today, most blacks in high positions have fair skin tones.
These days, although racism isn’t explicit, it still occurs. However, what if dark-skinned and light-skinned people really weren't able to acquaint without facing some kind of ridicule? What if to determine whether you were socially acceptable, you had to be either lighter than or the same color as an object? This concept existed in the early days of Howard University, and many other HBCU’s but with much social renovation, it has been exterminated, leading to the astonishment many face when educated about the circumstance.
Earlier, I spoke about my experience at Sadie Nash. One day, we were subjected to a test that left us in disbelief and wonder. They called it the paper bag test. In the years following World War I through the 1950's there was an unofficial/official rule that limited access to Night Clubs to Blacks that were lighter than a standard paper bag.
The brown paper bag test was a ritual once practiced by certain African-American sororities and fraternities, clubs, and parties who discriminated against people who were "too black". That is, these groups would not let anyone into the sorority or fraternity, party, or club, whose skin tone was darker than an average brown paper bag. Similarly, pencil and comb tests were once used to determine one's acceptance into certain places and the nature of one's being. This test involved inserting a pencil in a person's hair to determine if the hair was kinky enough for the pencil to get stuck. If the pencil remained stuck in a person's hair, the person was 'black.' Similarly if the comb got stuck then the person was considered to be 'black.' It is interesting the lengths people will go to divide themselves into ever smaller groups, even at a time when they should have been as connected as ever.
This division exists in our communities, schools and even families. It's ridiculous that we as black people do the very thing to each other that was done to us. Instead of dividing, we need to unite to address more important issues in the black community, like homelessness, drugs, violence, HIV/AIDS and poverty. We need to build stronger communities and help instead of judge each other. We all deal with some sort of racism daily - whether it's racial profiling or an old lady clutching her bag tighter in an elevator. We shouldn't discriminate against each other. More attention needs to be paid to a person's character rather than the shade of his or her skin. After all, the famous Martin Luther King Jr. did say “Don’t judge me by the color of my skin, but by the context of my character”.
Shadeism is real. Color has always been the isolating line to make African Americans feel less commendable of a sincere social identity than Euro-Americans and less preferred over those with lighter skin within their own race. Accordingly, this color line between light and dark complexioned African Americans has caused division, schism, and conflict among themselves that still exists today. Most African Africans have accepted the ideology of the white racial frame that lighter skin tones and straight hair makes one more acceptable to dominant group members without the intent of doing so. Majority of advertising companies and groups sustain delicate self-differentiation based on color preferences for African Americans. A case in point, L’Oreal was recently denounced for making Beyoncé’s skin lighter than what it really is in their new series of L’Oreal product ads, according to an article. Although the company contradicted the allegation, the fact that it raised a racial issue is evidence of the on-going contention that the color of one’s skin constructs different realities for African Americans and other social groups. There is a general compromise that the color division among African Americans has caused self-hatred between those with lighter skin and those with a darker hue, self- oppressions, and interpersonal conflict.
President Barack Obama. Although he embraces the African heritage and his wife is African American, he nonetheless is biracial. I believe that if he addressed the racial issue in America, he would be tormented. He would probably be told to focus on creating jobs, and the economy rather than racial issues because America is not interested in black problems anymore, we have fought that battle already, and today is a new day. Anthony Williams said, “You have to almost change yourself, dilute yourself, to live in a white society.”
So the opinion you now have to create for yourself is the answer to a particularly controversial question.
Does racism still exist in America? That will all depend on your definition of racism. Some will say, racism is a very strong word to use. This will be because they are speaking in terms of the racism we learn about in schools. This is the racism that involves whipping, and chains, and derogatory comments, and cotton picking. These people are referring to the times when racism was explicit, and the use of words like Nigger were no big deal ( although in today’s society it is considered nothing more than a derogatory term of endearment among African Americans, another issue to be raised when dealing with the issues of prejudice and unfairness). I speak of the times today, when racism is implanted into our minds implicitly, with the use of Barbie dolls, media, and social norms. There have been a lot of injustices and discriminations occurring throughout the years in America, but not many are hidden so obviously in the way shadeism is. That is what made me so interested in this topic. The obvious unfairness people receive from other people because the color of their skin, the racism, the injustice, all so perfectly disguised that we brainwash each other, and absorb the nonsense so easily. Now I must say that despite this notion, America remains a hypnotized society where skin color and race still
matter.