Picture from: https://www.nccj.org/colorism-0
What is your relationship with colourism? Do you even realise that you have one?
Can it be that deeply concealed within us that we’ve created a whole unconscious bias, without even realising that we have these isms and schisms?
How do you feel when they say that something is for black women but the woman on the box is ‘light’?
Are you the person that says, come on you’re not even black though, to the light-skinned or mixed-race woman?
The majority of respondents to our 2020 survey stated that Colourism was towards darker skinned people. If that’s the case; are the lighter skinned ladies being shunned, because they already have favour/preference and so they don’t need the love?
Are we making assumptions that they’re story isn’t so bad or ignoring their opinions because they’re light skinned?
Are lighter skinned/mixed race sistas feeling picked on or left out and as such are stand-offish to darker skinned sistas?
We have to get honest with ourselves, brutally honest and ask ourselves why do we feel this way? Have all of this group of people treated me this way or is it that I assumed they would, so actually I unintentionally - or otherwise - gave off a vibe?
It’s a lot of questions I know but only when we know the why can we start looking at the how we can change?
Yes we all have an understanding of why colourism exists, but these outdated theories of privilege, due to shade, only further blur the lines of injustice and increase the levels of animosity within our community (note the singular there). No matter where you are in the world, divide and conquer is the true history of colourism. It may have been X number of years ago but the consistent abuse and use of psychological warfare that has been rained down upon us, means we still carry scars, burdens and open wounds which cannot be healed until we heal each other.
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another”. 1 John 4:11 (NKJV)
So let's drop the shade/tone/complexion card and pick up the we are one of many.
Picture from: https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/colourism-22068
I am ready to stand tall with my red skinned, dark skinned, light skinned, chocolate, coffee and caramel skinned sistas, stand in unison and declare my worth both individually and collectively.
We have been given colourism and we hold it up like it’s a trophy that we should share with each other, but this is not a race that we won, we are The Race that MUST win.
Rulers, role models, managers, enablers, creators, we are all of these things in our societies NOW!!! So why can’t we change this? It’s not about white people, men etc., we can do all things so we can change this, but what do we need to do?
If we role model being ‘unshade-ish’ like I don’t even see your shade, that may sound funny but why don’t we take it to a vote? Let’s replace this cloak and dagger title for a functional positive. One we can quote when we catch ourselves or others falling down the rabbit hole and needing a way out.
If my shade is going to do anything for me; let it be hope, that the gift of melanin is celebrated however much we have.