DARK/LIGHT...SKIN COLOR.........Is this still an issue? Let's be honest Sorors & SF'

[daruler]

I just thought of something positive that I would like to share on this issue:
Freshmen year my friends and I were trying to weigh the options on which sorority to join. I hadn't been exposed to Greek life prior to this so I kind of based everything off of what my friends had to say. Two of us were light skinned, the other two dark skinned. Well my friends all seemed to think that we light two should be AKA's and the dark two should be Delta's because that is the way things are. But that spring when their new lines came out, there were more brown/dark skinned AKA's than Delta's and more light skinned Delta's than AKA's. I just remember being very relieved. I guess the point is that, no matter what people may have felt at one time about skin tone, educated people have sense enough to put all of that aside. Now we just have to sit back and wait for everyone else.

[deja]

This has truely been an exciting topic to read. One we are of one but with so many different ideas and beliefs.

No matter our hue, we are all Sorors. Now that is beautiful. Oh, yes, and big hugs to my SF's.

Deja

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TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN....MUCH IS EXPECTED.

[Steeltrap]

I decided to kick this one up in view of this news from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Applebee's settles color bias complaint

By TAMMY JOYNER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


A former Applebee's employee who said he was harassed by his black supervisor because of his color has received a $40,000 settlement in an agreement reached between the Kansas-based restaurant chain and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The lawsuit, part of a rare but growing trend of intraracial harassment claims, was resolved through a consent decree filed with the U.S. District Court in Atlanta. In addition to paying Dwight Burch, who worked at the Applebee's in Jonesboro, the company must provide anti-discrimination training to its workers.

Burch said he was called derogatory names by the store manager because he is dark-skinned. The manager is light-skinned. Burch said he was fired when he threatened to report the store manager's behavior to Applebee's headquarters in Overland Park, Kan.

Applebee's spokesman Frank Ybarra said in a statement that the company admits no wrongdoing and settled "to clear the way for the sale of our restaurants in Atlanta to one of our franchisees."

Burch joined the suburban Atlanta restaurant in December 2000 and was fired in March 2001.

"I am grateful that the EEOC filed this lawsuit, not just for me but for other workers, too," Burch said in an EEOC statement. "No one should have to put up with mean and humiliating comments about the color of their skin on the job."

Color bias filings have risen from 413 in 1994 to 1,382 in 2002.

"It's an important case," said Robert Royal, EEOC regional attorney in Atlanta. "People don't realize color discrimination is [covered] under Title VII. It affords protection not only to African-Americans but Hispanics ... and everybody of color."

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

[Exquisite5]

I am glad that article was posted because some of us have been lead to believe that color preference was instituted by the slave master during slavery and that white America then left it alone. That simply is not true. Color preferences are used every day in corporate America. It is probably more common that name-profiling.


Just survey the scene you will find far more A.A.'s in high corporate positions of light to brown skin tones.

My mother, who is "light" by almost ALL standards, but was treated differently as a child because she was the darkest girl in her Jennings, LA native family, has openly told me she would not be where she is today (VP of a major bank/investment firm) had she been darker. My mother doesn't even consider herself light, but she is the color of Tracy Ellis Ross. Her sister is about the color of Vanessa Williams and always got the preferential treatment.

When discussing why her boss, a black male, was a Senior VP and she was not (she has an outstanding record...over a million in sales last year) she said it had to do with his sex (banking is a big boys club) and the way he looked. He is VERY fair with the requisite wavy hair. She said while the face of corporate IS changing (SLOWLY) they just still lean towards blacks who look like them.

So while our self-hatred is depressing and infuriating. Please don't be deceived, even in 2003, it is not only self-inflicted.

[iceandivy]

At least I know now that it isn't just me!!!!

I have been told that I am "pretty for a dark skinned girl."
What the heck does THAT mean?!?

My son is fair-skinned, and people assume so much about us. My boyfriend is darker than him, but lighter than me, and if we go out, people automatically ask him questions about my son (how old is he?) and direct comments to him (oh, he is so cute). And I have to push him aside to say, "4.. and thank you!" The same things happen with my lighter skinned friends. They ask or assume that his father is white (ummmmm.... naw.). We as black people should know that we come in all colors and not assume stuff like that.

Once, a white lady came up to me and said, "Oh, your son is such a pretty color." She expected me to say, "thank you." I just looked at her as if to say, "Soooooooooooo..... my color is what?"
It is a trip.

People still do care.

[iceandivy]

As far as BGLO's go, I think most stereotypes only exist in the minds of non-greeks. (AKA's are light skinned, Delta's are dark skinned, Kappa's are light skinned, Alphas are dark skinned, etc.) I can only think of a handful of campuses who still use the paper-bag test. Very few care anymore. Greeks are always in the forefront, aren't they?!?

[sphinxpoet]

Funny thing is was I was in the bookstore and I was about to pick up the color complex and I said nah I think maybe we have come a little farther since that was written (Sometimes you give people too many compliments) Well being dark skinned myself I grew up with a lot of issues about that and I had to get over that! I think our people still take that seriously until we see more darkskinned women on TV and a more broad based spectrum of people of the African descent then the whole complex will never change!

[miss priss]

Originally posted by iceandivy
At least I know now that it isn't just me!!!!

I have been told that I am "pretty for a dark skinned girl."
What the heck does THAT mean?!?

Thank-you so much for saying this...I have experienced this more than a few times and it pisses me off to no end!

When my daughter was born she was VERY light-skinned, everyone looked at me then looked at her--I sarcastically said her father was white, then they would say "oh that explains it" ;but, I would laugh and say her father was light-skinned. The killer part is they would say oh she is so cute but then turn right around and say she looks just like her daddy---even though I've been told she looks just like me but lighter....

I just completed a feminist class, and this issue was one I found very hard to explain to my white female counterparts. America is still shielded with the concept of race.
But ya know even today color is still an issue...it's so sad

[Steeltrap]

Originally posted by sphinxpoet
Funny thing is was I was in the bookstore and I was about to pick up the color complex and I said nah I think maybe we have come a little farther since that was written (Sometimes you give people too many compliments) Well being dark skinned myself I grew up with a lot of issues about that and I had to get over that! I think our people still take that seriously until we see more darkskinned women on TV and a more broad based spectrum of people of the African descent then the whole complex will never change!

Thanks for posting this. For years, I thought that the dark/light skinned issue always slammed women in a disproportionate manner, as you alluded to when you mentioned that we need to see more darker-skinned women on TV, etc.

[sphinxpoet]

Originally posted by Steeltrap
Thanks for posting this. For years, I thought that the dark/light skinned issue always slammed women in a disproportionate manner, as you alluded to when you mentioned that we need to see more darker-skinned women on TV, etc.

Soror,
I can honestly say this plays a great part in self esteem. Growing up darkskinned in America can be difficult for both men and women. Rarely do we see positive images of both sides of the fence even today. BET plays into that in their original programming!

[1savvydiva]

@ ST, this was a very interesting article! Do you think it would apply to my situation? Actually, I was very heated when I wrote that HC this morning, I have calmed down considerably. I talked to my Auntie about it and she said that maybe I shouldn't say anything. I have basically chalked it up to ignorance (on her part of course), but I still don't feel comfortable (actually it burns me a bit) that she is so incredibly uncouth. Honestly, now that I am sitting here writing this, there have been occasions where she's made little inuendos about me going to RN school and "being so proper", and that makes me uncomfortable. I guess she may be jealous because I am trying to do something with myself, but I think sometimes she just does stuff for shock value. I really need to think about this before I proceed, but I do want to report it, (at the very least, it is just inappropriate), I am just weighing who I should report it to first. The first person that I actually SHOULD report it to is the ER RN Manager, but like I said, she is their little 'mascot' so I may have to take it elsewhere.

[Steeltrap]

Originally posted by 1savvydiva
@ ST, this was a very interesting article! Do you think it would apply to my situation? Actually, I was very heated when I wrote that HC this morning, I have calmed down considerably. I talked to my Auntie about it and she said that maybe I shouldn't say anything. I have basically chalked it up to ignorance (on her part of course), but I still don't feel comfortable (actually it burns me a bit) that she is so incredibly uncouth. Honestly, now that I am sitting here writing this, there have been occasions where she's made little inuendos about me going to RN school and "being so proper", and that makes me uncomfortable. I guess she may be jealous because I am trying to do something with myself, but I think sometimes she just does stuff for shock value. I really need to think about this before I proceed, but I do want to report it, (at the very least, it is just inappropriate), I am just weighing who I should report it to first. The first person that I actually SHOULD report it to is the ER RN Manager, but like I said, she is their little 'mascot' so I may have to take it elsewhere.

It might apply to your situation. I would check with the HR people at your hospital, too. If it were me, I'd report it. She needs to keep her tacky comments to herself.

As an aside, it seems like your co-worker is putting her lack of self-esteem, etc. on you. Classic crabs-in-the-barrel syndrome.

[exquizit]

Originally posted by miss priss
Thank-you so much for saying this...I have experienced this more than a few times and it pisses me off to no end!

When my daughter was born she was VERY light-skinned, everyone looked at me then looked at her--I sarcastically said her father was white, then they would say "oh that explains it" ;but, I would laugh and say her father was light-skinned. The killer part is they would say oh she is so cute but then turn right around and say she looks just like her daddy---even though I've been told she looks just like me but lighter....

I just completed a feminist class, and this issue was one I found very hard to explain to my white female counterparts. America is still shielded with the concept of race. And within the Afro-American

But ya know even today color is still an issue...it's so sad

I had the same problem with the brat when she was born. What kills me is that they act as though they're giving you a compliment by commenting on how pretty their light skin is , or just how much they look like a white baby...WTF?

I also feel it's stupid of them to say........"Oh she must have gotten her color from her daddy"

Does it matter? I mean we're beautiful no matter what shade we're in!!!

[1savvydiva]

Originally posted by Steeltrap
It might apply to your situation. I would check with the HR people at your hospital, too. If it were me, I'd report it. She needs to keep her tacky comments to herself.

As an aside, it seems like your co-worker is putting her lack of self-esteem, etc. on you. Classic crabs-in-the-barrel syndrome.

You know, what's sad is that Pastor spoke briefly about this on Sunday. He was saying that basically: My blessing is not predicated upon your failure. This is not a see-saw world...you don't have to go down before I can rise up. We do this, I don't know why! Everything that I am blessed with, God will do the same for you! Don't hate on me, just get YOURSELF on point.

ETA: I don't think that her comment this morning was so much directed at me, but it just made me uncomfortable. (I just wanted to clarify for someone who pm'd me last night )

[FeeFee]

Originally posted by 1savvydiva
You know, what's sad is that Pastor spoke briefly about this on Sunday. He was saying that basically: My blessing is not predicated upon your failure. This is not a see-saw world...you don't have to go down before I can rise up. We do this, I don't know why! Everything that I am blessed with, God will do the same for you! Don't hate on me, just get YOURSELF on point.

ETA: I don't think that her comment this morning was so much directed at me, but it just made me uncomfortable. (I just wanted to clarify for someone who pm'd me last night )

Even though her comment wasn't directed at you, your reaction to the comment is what's important. Same thing for sexual harrassment, it's not just what was done or said (directly or indirectly), it's also a person's reaction/comfort level with it.
I must agree, she is facing some serious self-esteem problems here, and she' projecting them on you.