Colorism And Reversing The Anti-Black Programming

[Pioneer1]

In a conversation with richardmurray over so many Black women dying their hair blonde THINKING that this somehow makes them more beautiful or attractive, the issue of their freedom to do so....to dye their hair whatever color they please....came up.

While I wouldn't take that right away from them.
I do think that one of the major key elements for improving our community and repairing the psychological damage that has been done to our community over the centuries is promoting true Black love and Black pride.

White society.....through it's media, educational system, and even religious art.....has taught AfroAmericans both directly and indirectly to hate themselves and the way they look and associate dark skin, kinky hair, and dark hair with being ugly and demonic.

Instead of ignoring this and letting our community randomly evolve or devolve in any direction, we should have been more pro-active in REVERSING THE HYPNOSIS...as Lauryn Hill would say...and directly countered that racist brainwashing and programing by promoting dark skin and dark hair in OUR entertainment, media publications, and educational curriculum.

The only half-way effort we made in this regard was occasionally painting Jesus and some of the other religious figures as Black.
However that was only one step in a long journey.

The Afros and "naturals" of the late 60s and 70s should have only been the beginning of a self-love campaign....not just a fad to be mocked.

 

Dark skinned AfroAmerican celebrities with strong African features should be celebrated above and beyond White or even light AfroAmericans celebrities in our community.

    

 

Is this colorism?
Perhaps....but it's the type of colorism that is needed to again...reverse the hypnosis.


In 2026 I should see not just White people....but Black people in tanning booths trying to get DARKER.
In 2026 I should see Black people dying their hair.....not blonde or red...but BLACK.

We should have had programs in place to counter the racist conditioning decades ago.

[ProfD]

There have been short-lived movements that promoted Black love & pride.

 

Back in the 1970s, James Brown & Muhammad Ali were heavy promoters of Black love & pride. Movies were made featuring Black folks in our own natural looks, fashion, speech & flavor. 

 

The Native Tongues (Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul) & Public Enemy, KRS-One, Brand Nubian, Nas, Gang Starr, Common, The Roots, & many others within the Hip-Hop commmunity were Pro-Black.

 

Same goes for R&B artists like D'Angelo, Angie Stone, Meshell NdegeOcello, Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, India.Arie, etc.

 

TV shows & movies have been made showing Black beauty & love & pride.

 

The argument can be made that FBA/AfroAmericans have done far more especially through entertainment & education to promote Black love & pride.

 

Surely, we see Black women lightening themselves with cosmetics & dyeing their hair & wearing wigs. In fairness, Black women have been doing this for many decades. It isn't new.

 

Colorism started way back on the slave plantations. Centuries of conditioning & programming. Gonna take a long time to undo.

[Chevdove]

5 minutes ago, ProfD said:

Colorism started way back on the slave plantations. Centuries of conditioning & programming. Gonna take a long time to undo.

 

I agree, it's going to take a long time to undo.

And I applaud all of the efforts too, that have been made to this goal. 

But here is an observation that I see no matter how I try to ignore it; it seems that everything positive that has occurred, there has been a sneaky underlying effort to mock us and attack us, bit by bit and then change and reverse the effort and mostly; downgrade it to a ridiculous event that may not be recognized right away. Let me give you an example of what I mean. In your first comment you said:

 

 

9 minutes ago, ProfD said:

There have been short-lived movements that promoted Black love & pride.

 

And so, no matter how I try to ignore my intuitions and no matter how I try to make myself believe that I am reading to much into it, I still have this lingering thought. The word that you used 'pride' has been systematically exploited, in my opinion, and this is not a light matter. This 'Black Pride Movement' occurred a few decades ago, and now look!!!

This world has been used to promote a global movement among people of African descent and then made to be associated with the entire western and European world!!!

Now, the term 'PRIDE' has been attached to a flag, globally. So now, no matter what, when I think of 'Black Pride' I immediately think about the 1960s and today's Homosexual Movement simultaneously. This government took the late Jesse Jackson's movement and merged it with the Homosexual Movement. No, this was not a coincidence, IMO, this was deliberate. Do I have a problem with this Homosexual Movement headed up by Barack Obama? No I do not. But I do have a problem with Black Americans not dealing with the origins of it and in how it was put upon us during Chattel Slavery times. We are the product of rape here in America. Why is this not being addressed?

 

 

 

 

 

[Chevdove]

 

 

3 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Dark skinned AfroAmerican celebrities with strong African features should be celebrated above and beyond White or even light AfroAmericans celebrities in our community.

 

 

I gotta tell you, I am a little indifferent about this issue. I do not believe that down playing light skinned African Americans is the right thing to do altogether. I believe that we should highlight dark skinned AfroAmerican celebrities more and more, but we should never suppress lighter skinned ones at all. I don't think that we should give into that kind of programming at all. There have been so many times that, had it not have been for lighter skinned AfroAmericans that stood against racism, I would not be here today. 

We don't need to push down one group to highlight another. Let us do both at the same time. Let's work together. However, when it comes to racism and perhaps certain venues, then yes, it may be a good choice to select a darker skinned person for a specific cause. 

 

If a lighter skinned Sista is more brilliant than a darker one, may the best one be elevated, and not based on skin color, but how that person shines in all of her features. If a light skinned Brother is better than a darker one, well, they are both 'Black men' and may the best one be put forth to represent our cause. But yes, when it comes to representation as a whole, the percentage of light skinned versus darker skinned needs to be addressed. Something is wrong, if we are seeing more light skinned than dark skinned people being elevated. But many times, dark skinned people hide their issues with Colorism within and that can be just as bad or even worse.

 

For example, some of the celebrities that you even posted have married White people and so, wouldn't that be counter productive in defining our 'race' without the issue of White Supremacy? And what about the Black beauties that have gotten older and show no sign of getting married and having children. How does that ideal promote our culture? You know, I think education is a major key in the improvement of our existence. 

 

I think blonde hair is a beauty trait, but many of us have no idea of its origin. I think that we have been made to think it is a White trait and therefore obsess over it, but education is key. IMO, to see someone, Black or dark skinned with blonde hair, or grey hair, or White hair, meaning, light colored hair, might be a huge compliment in how they look. So it's not that it is negative, but it is how we have been made to think that it is a White trait. 

[Pioneer1]

ProfD

 

 

There have been short-lived movements that promoted Black love & pride.

 

Back in the 1970s, James Brown & Muhammad Ali were heavy promoters of Black love & pride. Movies were made featuring Black folks in our own natural looks, fashion, speech & flavor. 

 

The Native Tongues (Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul) & Public Enemy, KRS-One, Brand Nubian, Nas, Gang Starr, Common, The Roots, & many others within the Hip-Hop commmunity were Pro-Black.

 

Same goes for R&B artists like D'Angelo, Angie Stone, Meshell NdegeOcello, Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, India.Arie, etc.

 

TV shows & movies have been made showing Black beauty & love & pride.

 

I am grateful for the messages that these celebrities and artists sent, however it still isn't enough.

 

There's a difference between what they're calling Black love/pride...and TRUE love of African Blackness.

What they're expressing is just a love and appreciating for AfroAmerican culture and it's various flavors.
But it still doesn't do much to reverse the self-hatred that has been ingrained in the psyche of Black America.

 

It's like celebrating the institution of marriage and how marvelous it is....without addressing the physical abuse the some spouses inflict upon eachother.

 

 

 

The argument can be made that FBA/AfroAmericans have done far more especially through entertainment & education to promote Black love & pride.

 

We've done more than nearly any other Black community on this planet to, in recent history.
However in my opinion, we STILL haven't done enough.
It hasn't been persistent or consistent.

 

We did a lot in the 60s and 70s to promote Black love and Black pride but then the next few generations got bored with it and moved on.
But guess what?
The White racists haven't gotten bored and moved on.
They are STILL on their agenda of promoting their White supremacist ideology and are training a new generation to do the same.

 

So you're back to seeing Black people as the first to die in Hollywood movies again, Jesus and David and other religious characters being portrayed as White again, and using terms like "dark day" and "dark mood" being popularized again after we pointed out how psychologically racists those terms were.

 

 

 

 

Surely, we see Black women lightening themselves with cosmetics & dyeing their hair & wearing wigs. In fairness, Black women have been doing this for many decades. It isn't new.

Colorism started way back on the slave plantations. Centuries of conditioning & programming. Gonna take a long time to undo.

 

Facts.
And either we're serious about undoing it...or we're not.

 

We can NOT be serious about it and just say "black love" mockingly with a sly grin on our face as we go about our daily business, but just be prepared to face the consequences of this indifference for generations to come.

Black women dying their hair blonde and our people getting "processes" and Jheri curls is just the type of the iceberg.
The desire to marry outside of our race and have children that don't look like us in hope that they will have a better life will be one of the end results.

 

[Pioneer1]

 

 

Chev

 

And so, no matter how I try to ignore my intuitions and no matter how I try to make myself believe that I am reading to much into it, I still have this lingering thought. The word that you used 'pride' has been systematically exploited, in my opinion, and this is not a light matter. This 'Black Pride Movement' occurred a few decades ago, and now look!!!

This world has been used to promote a global movement among people of African descent and then made to be associated with the entire western and European world!!!

Now, the term 'PRIDE' has been attached to a flag, globally. So now, no matter what, when I think of 'Black Pride' I immediately think about the 1960s and today's Homosexual Movement simultaneously. This government took the late Jesse Jackson's movement and merged it with the Homosexual Movement. No, this was not a coincidence, IMO, this was deliberate. Do I have a problem with this Homosexual Movement headed up by Barack Obama? No I do not. But I do have a problem with Black Americans not dealing with the origins of it and in how it was put upon us during Chattel Slavery times. We are the product of rape here in America. Why is this not being addressed?

 

Dang....it took you half a page just to get around to saying THAT???

Lol...I agree with you.
I thought that was where you were going....but it seemed as if you started there, then went into another direction, then came back, then left again, and then finally said that the LGBT movement stole our symbols and terms from our movement with the "rainbow" and the "pride".

 

Not only that.
I notice a lot of gay White men call themselves mocking Black women when they get "sassy" and wiggle their heads and say "gurl" to eachother.

They are taking AfroAmerican culture and attempting to ridicule it by attaching it to the degenerate aspect of their community.

 

 

 

 

I gotta tell you, I am a little indifferent about this issue. I do not believe that down playing light skinned African Americans is the right thing to do altogether. I believe that we should highlight dark skinned AfroAmerican celebrities more and more, but we should never suppress lighter skinned ones at all. I don't think that we should give into that kind of programming at all. There have been so many times that, had it not have been for lighter skinned AfroAmericans that stood against racism, I would not be here today. 

 

I understand where you're coming from.
We don't want to denigrate or play down our lighter skinned brothers and sisters or cause more division in our community.
I myself am what most would consider light skinned....although not high yellow, lol.

 

However sometimes a very aggressive COUNTER has to be done to reverse and BALANCE generations of unfairness and injustice.

You can't balance out hundreds of years of White and light skinned being praised and promoted with a few decades of applying everything equally.

Some wounds are so deep and severe that you must apply medicine in them in order for them to properly heal.

 

 

 

 

We don't need to push down one group to highlight another. Let us do both at the same time. Let's work together. However, when it comes to racism and perhaps certain venues, then yes, it may be a good choice to select a darker skinned person for a specific cause. 

The same argument could be made by Whites regarding Reparations.
No need to give one more than the other.
No need to elevate one over the other.
Let's all just "be the same" now and start over.

 

But that doesn't repair the damage done.

 

 

 

If a lighter skinned Sista is more brilliant than a darker one, may the best one be elevated, and not based on skin color, but how that person shines in all of her features. If a light skinned Brother is better than a darker one, well, they are both 'Black men' and may the best one be put forth to represent our cause. But yes, when it comes to representation as a whole, the percentage of light skinned versus darker skinned needs to be addressed. Something is wrong, if we are seeing more light skinned than dark skinned people being elevated. But many times, dark skinned people hide their issues with Colorism within and that can be just as bad or even worse.

 

Again, the same thing can be said with racism in general.

Some Whites will make the same argument about Black people being jealous of them or even accuse them of being racist when we point out the generations of injustice and favoritism that was bestowed upon them.

 

The resentment dark skinned people feel is a REACTION to the generation of mistreatment and unfairness they've had to endure, especially in their childhood.

One of the reasons why many of our Civil Rights leaders in the AfroAmerican community have been light skinned is because our people tend to praise and elevate those WITH light skin more than others.  Listen to them and respect them more.

 

Light skinned people often love the AfroAmerican community because they GOT so much love from the AfroAmerican community where as when they go among Whites....they are treated like "any other nigga".
That light skinned affords them no privilege there.

 

 

 

I think blonde hair is a beauty trait, but many of us have no idea of its origin. I think that we have been made to think it is a White trait and therefore obsess over it, but education is key. IMO, to see someone, Black or dark skinned with blonde hair, or grey hair, or White hair, meaning, light colored hair, might be a huge compliment in how they look. So it's not that it is negative, but it is how we have been made to think that it is a White trait. 

 

I don't know about blonde hair, but I've had many women compliment me on my grey hair....lol.

I don't care how many compliments I get though, I still wish it would turn back black.

But that's a different subject.

 

[frankster]

The Best way to destroy colorism is through Education

Create systems that promote celebrate and  reward all skin tones hues and shades...

Accentuate the positive and ignore or confront the negative.....

Saturate Mass Media with the Spectrum of all shades ....as equally as possible.

Demonstrate the necessity of variety..

etc

[Pioneer1]

frankster

 

 

 

The Best way to destroy colorism is through Education

 

Not so fast.....lol.
An argument can be made against that being the "best" way...........
 

Colorism isn't a LOGICAL issue that can be resolved simply by appealing to people's intellect and reasoning.
It also involves deep seated psychological and emotional factors that are often found in people's subconscious.

 

If a woman feels that she's ugly or undesirable because she's dark skinned and has been bullied over it since childhood....getting a PhD isn't going to help resolve that issue.

Black history course alone will not be enough to resolve her issues.

 

This is why ENTERTAINMENT and RELIGION must also be incorporated in healing and repairing the damage.
These are activities that involve the emotions at a deep level.

 

 

 

Create systems that promote celebrate and  reward all skin tones hues and shades...

 

No, medium and dark skin specifically.
We've had hundreds of years of a society and media promoting white and lighter skinned shades.
They're going to continue to do so.
We...as Black people....need to COUNTER that with the OPPOSITE.

 

 

 

Saturate Mass Media with the Spectrum of all shades ....as equally as possible.

 

What you're saying SOUNDS fair...but it's not.
When things have been so lop sided for centuries....equality isn't "fair".
The OTHER side must be given priority for a period of time to balance things out.

 

This is the reasoning behind Reparations.

AfroAmericans need EXTRA and MORE than the Whites in order to REPAIR the damage and balance out the historic injustices.

 

So the logic goes with promoting dark skinned and other African featured standards of beauty.....AND HANDSOMENESS.

Dark skinned Black men with strong African features have also been shaded in this society for a long time.
Not as much as women...but still.

We should also know that a lot of the colorism in America today isn't coming from the Whites OR the AfroAmericans, but from immigrant groups like Latinos and Asians and Indians.
 

[ProfD]

2 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

If a woman feels that she's ugly or undesirable because she's dark skinned and has been bullied over it since childhood....

If a Black man steps up & loves that woman...problem solved.

 

2 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

This is why ENTERTAINMENT and RELIGION must also be incorporated in healing and repairing the damage.

These are activities that involve the emotions at a deep level.

Entertainment & religion both try to get people to see themselves & each other in a better light.

 

2 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

No, medium and dark skin specifically.

We've had hundreds of years of a society and media promoting white and lighter skinned shades.
They're going to continue to do so.
We...as Black people....need to COUNTER that with the OPPOSITE.

Black folks definitely have the resources to make it happen.

 

 

2 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

So the logic goes with promoting dark skinned and other African featured standards of beauty.....AND HANDSOMENESS.

Dark skinned Black men with strong African features have also been shaded in this society for a long time.
Not as much as women...but still.

Dark-skinned should be leading the charge in keeping themselves pumped.

 

2 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

We should also know that a lot of the colorism in America today isn't coming from the Whites OR the AfroAmericans, but from immigrant groups like Latinos and Asians and Indians.

Black folks definitely should not put up with shade from anyone especially immigrants.

[frankster]

21 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

frankster

 

 

 

The Best way to destroy colorism is through Education

 

Not so fast.....lol.
An argument can be made against that being the "best" way..........

Okay...

 

21 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Colorism isn't a LOGICAL issue that can be resolved simply by appealing to people's intellect and reasoning.

Educations is more than Intellect and Reasoning

 

21 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

It also involves deep seated psychological and emotional factors that are often found in people's subconscious.

That is also part of and a form of Education....And they also involve Reasing and Intellect - but not limited to 

 

21 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

If a woman feels that she's ugly or undesirable because she's dark skinned and has been bullied over it since childhood....getting a PhD isn't going to help resolve that issue.

Depends on what she gets a PhD in...

 

21 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Black history course alone will not be enough to resolve her issues.

For some it is....

Others may need more...

 

21 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

This is why ENTERTAINMENT and RELIGION must also be incorporated in healing and repairing the damage.

True

 

21 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

These are activities that involve the emotions at a deep level.

True

 

21 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Create systems that promote celebrate and  reward all skin tones hues and shades...

 

No, medium and dark skin specifically.

I think the word "medium" was a mistake and you meant to type "focus"...

If that is what you meant then I disagree...

Then you run the risk of the other hues tones and shades developing that which we are trying to Eradicate and Elliminate

 

21 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

We've had hundreds of years of a society and media promoting white and lighter skinned shades.

That is true

It is also true....that each individual is born without real cognizant memory of the past - and hence must be indoctrinated introduces socialized  or taught about these things.

 

21 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

They're going to continue to do so.

Yes

 

21 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

We...as Black people....need to COUNTER that with the OPPOSITE.

Yes

 

21 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Saturate Mass Media with the Spectrum of all shades ....as equally as possible.

 

What you're saying SOUNDS fair...but it's not.
When things have been so lop sided for centuries....equality isn't "fair".
The OTHER side must be given priority for a period of time to balance things out.

True

Sounds reasonable....

But I would I would not recommend such actions

 

21 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

This is the reasoning behind Reparations.

AfroAmericans need EXTRA and MORE than the Whites in order to REPAIR the damage and balance out the historic injustices.

If this is so....

Show where USA Paying Reparations will negatively affect any individual financially?

 

21 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

So the logic goes with promoting dark skinned and other African featured standards of beauty.....AND HANDSOMENESS.

Dark skinned Black men with strong African features have also been shaded in this society for a long time.
Not as much as women...but still.

I have no problem with promoting "Black and African is beautiful"....

But not to the point where one may come away with or begin to believe that white indian or asian is ugly.

We all Beautiful....Vareity

 

21 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

We should also know that a lot of the colorism in America today isn't coming from the Whites OR the AfroAmericans, but from immigrant groups like Latinos and Asians and Indians.

Some or most learned it during their Colonial Experience

[Pioneer1]

ProfD

 

If a Black man steps up & loves that woman...problem solved.

 

If...
But if "if" were a "fifth"....a lot of people would walk around fucked up, lol.

 

 

How can a man love a woman who really doesn't love herself?
Because of her low self esteem, she will act in a way that PREVENTS him from "loving" her and getting too close.

 

 

 

Entertainment & religion both try to get people to see themselves & each other in a better light.

 

True.
Also, it brings out the "child like" raw emotions that make people vulnerable to influence.

 

 

 

 

 

Dark-skinned should be leading the charge in keeping themselves pumped.

 

....instead of trying to marry as many White or light people as they can and "mate out" their dark genetics, like so many of them do.

A lot of dark skinned bruthaz get with White women because of how the sistaz treated them in childhood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

frankster

 

 

Educations is more than Intellect and Reasoning

 

True, but those are the primary factors for education.

 

 

 

Depends on what she gets a PhD in...

 

Lol, ok......

So what PhD program do YOU know of that will correct the low self esteem of growing up as dark skinned Black female in this society?

 

 

 

I think the word "medium" was a mistake and you meant to type "focus"...
If that is what you meant then I disagree...
Then you run the risk of the other hues tones and shades developing that which we are trying to Eradicate and Elliminate

 

No, I meant medium.

The point isn't to simply promote jet Black people as ideal.
That's not realistic because the majority of our people (African people) aren't jet Black.

 

The goal is to promote the "norm" with in our community.
The HISTORIC norm....not the current "norm" which involves a lot of admixture.

 

We should be promoting Black people who look like Black people have traditionally looked through out time, and that ranges from medium brown to very dark brown (almost jet black).

 

 

 

 

That is true

It is also true....that each individual is born without real cognizant memory of the past - and hence must be indoctrinated introduces socialized  or taught about these things.

 

While you're correct....THIS society as it is currently constructed IS teaching many children to cherish and desire white and light skin and hold it as the standard of beauty.
We don't have to worry about that.
This is why there must be an active campaign to teach the OPPOSITE in order to balance it out.

 

It's not like from history up until now CLEAR people were being promoted....so now we must promote the various hues of light and dark.
Light skin has BEEN promoted and is BEING promoted.
We don't have to worry about them having a seat at the table, lol.

 

 

 

 

Sounds reasonable....

But I would I would not recommend such actions

 

To be honest, I'm still not completely sure if we SHOULD right now.
It would undoubtedly lead to more division in the community and we'd have to weigh THAT against how long it would take to see the benefits of it.

The benefits may take a generation or two, but the division and backlash from not just light skinned AfroAmericans but even brown and dark skinned AfroAmericans who would take offense to their light skinned friends and family members being "shaded", would be seen immediately.

 

 

 

I have no problem with promoting "Black and African is beautiful"....

But not to the point where one may come away with or begin to believe that white indian or asian is ugly.

We all Beautiful....Vareity

 

You're right, there is beauty in variety.
However when it comes to culture and society....there is usually only ONE established aesthetical standard.
One for males.
One for females.
....everyone is measured against that.

 

So if YOU don't promote YOUR OWN as being the most beautiful or as being the standard, then another group will surely promote THEIR OWN.
....and your children and their children will be forced to live with it.

Currently, it's about White skin and blonde hair and blue eyes.
But think of one generation after another of Black children growing up sad or angry or resentful because their skin ain't yellow and their eyes aren't slanted.

If SOMEBODY has to be the standard of beauty, I'd rather it be US and not somebody else.

[ProfD]

16 minutes ago, Pioneer1 said:

If a Black man steps up & loves that woman...problem solved.

 

If...
But if "if" were a "fifth"....a lot of people would walk around fucked up, lol.

That's a variation of one my favorites..."if was 5th we'd all be drunk".

 

 

16 minutes ago, Pioneer1 said:

How can a man love a woman who really doesn't love herself?
Because of her low self esteem, she will act in a way that PREVENTS him from "loving" her and getting too close.

No doubt.  It takes the *right* man & a lot of patience.

 

 

16 minutes ago, Pioneer1 said:

A lot of dark skinned bruthaz get with White women because of how the sistaz treated them in childhood.

That's one *excuse*.  Most often, dark brothas want the lightest woman they can get.  It doesn't get any lighter than white. 

 

Then, those brothas feel 1) validated from any childhood trauma as a result of being dark & 2) *won* in the system of racism white supremacy if the white woman looks good.

 

Straight from the proverbial Willie Lynch letter, colorism has done a bang up job on many Black folks.