The Color Complex--Part Two
When Kathy Russell and Midge Wilson, a DePaul University professor, wrote "The Color Complex" in 1995, black people were outraged that the women--one white, one black--exposed the black community's "dirty little secret."
But instead of the pair shaming blacks into working harder to eliminate this unseemly bias, a lot of black people cursed the messengers and denied that color discrimination exists among blacks.
Yet --we all know some blacks are still coveting "lightness" and are still judging other blacks by the color of their skin. And there is still a lingering perception that lighter skinned people are favored over darker-skinned ones.
Only now, black women are more likely to challenge anyone--including black men--when they perpetuate the negative stereotypes about darker-skinned women.
Last week when a Detroit DJ had the audacity to promote an event where all-night free admission would be given to black women with fair or light skin, dark-skinned sisters apparently spoke up.
The Associated Press reported that the party promoter, Ulysses Barnes, thought "it was a brilliant promotion."
"I didn't anticipate any type of feedback. It was just a party thing," Barnes told the AP. Barnes The DJ got so much feedback, he had to cancel the party.
All black women--of every hue--ought to be offended by this black man's insensitivity.
