Light Skin vs. Dark Skin

I'm sure all of us have heard of the stereotypes associated with light-skinned blacks as well as dark-skinned blacks. For example,the assumption that light-skinned people are pretty but stuck-up and that dark-skinned people are less attractive simply because of their complexion. However, where do these stereotypes come from? Some might date it back to the days of slavery when light-skinned blacks worked in the "master's" house while dark-skinned blacks worked in the fields signifying that dark-skinned blacks weren't considered "good enough". Others might say that such stereotypes are just another way to keep us from growing as a community. I agree with both. Yes, slavery might be where it originates but such views towards our own people only hinders our growth as a whole. We shouldn't discriminate against our own rather, we should help build each other up. Look at who a person is as an individual not at their complexion or the stereotypes that follow. -Gia


When we are asked to describe someone, for most of us, the first thing we think about is a person's complexion. The easiest answer is "She was light skinned or he was dark skinned". I don't believe that there  is anything wrong with that. The problem occurs when complexion is used to separate our race not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. It is not o.k. to make a party flyer with the title "Red Bone vs Dark Skin girls" nor is it  o.k. to assume that someone is stuck up or cocky just because they are light skinned. It is bad enough that our complexion has been used to separate us from the rest of the world, now we are using it to separate ourselves within our own race. I will admit that I have used this stereotype before to judge someone. Because of society, I believe that in some point of our lives we all have. This is something that we all need to work on as a race. How can we get other races to accept us if we can't accept ourselves? -Bonny