Light of the World

It is the past that has brought us where we are today. Colorism–a form of discrimination in which human beings are accorded differing social and treatment based on skin color--began during slavery when white masters gave special treatment to those of a lighter complexion–most of which were often their own children. It was times experienced like these, that we became witness to self-loathing and hatred; hating the shade of your own skin, because of the position it has put you in, in society. This is how the black race has continued to bring the term, colorism, into the generations after slavery. An example would be the past notoriety of sororities, fraternities, and other organizations only accepting those of a lighter skin tone.

From 1900 until about 1950, “paper bag parties” were thrown by blacks domesticated in larger American cities. In order to gain entrance into these parties, you had to pass the “paper bag test”. If your skin was of the same color or lighter than that of the paper bag, you were given admittance to the party. However, if you were darker than the paper bag, you were turned away at the door. This is how light-skinned blacks attempted to distinguish themselves from their own race.

The controversy remains when we look in popular magazines and at BET, a black entertainment television station. One will notice that there are predominantly light-skinned girls gracing the covers, and dancing around in the music videos. Also, it is those who are lighter skinned who are holding these prestigious positions in society, and those of darker skin tones that are populating prisons and employed with jobs that have low qualifications. Having light skin has seemingly always been a passport to special treatment from both blacks and whites, but how do we break through these biases and continuous downtrodden negative images of blacks?