The Blacker The Berry The Sweeter The Juice

It's almost 5am & I've been up since almost 1am thinking about this and trying to let things resonate in my mind and also make sense of it all. According to Google the definition of colorism is " prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group." It's so habitual that when people think of the topic of " colorism " the thought of underrated, under appreciated darker complexion people come to mind but what about the other side of the spectrum? You realize that colorism can work both ways when you're haunted by the thoughts of not being black enough or by people making the assumption that you are mean or stuck up just based off the complexion of your skin. Or the famous misleading compliments like " you ______________ because you're light skin." There's also even been a documentary titled " Light Girls " where actress Raven Symone admits to her tanning addiction because she always had the feeling of not being black enough. Only recently has things really start to get to me. It made me feel like I didn't belong or fit in and it leaves you with a feeling of being alienated cause if you don't belong with the blacks then who else would take you? Since I'm already up so late and not to mention wide awake I decided to do some research on the topic. How many famous, powerful lighter complexioned black women actually existed in history? The answer is millions. I couldn't believe all the information I found. From the self made, entrepreneur Madam Cj Walker to the young, driven leader and strategist of the SNCC, Diane Nash. There are so many beautiful, influential lighter complexion women who made great names for themselves and legacies within the black community. These women have made such powerful impacts and I wonder if the darker complexion folks back then consider them any different or any less black. Probably not, they all were fighting for the same cause. This information has done tremendous things for my confidence. I am a lighter complexioned woman but I am also just a black woman, and a black woman who is powerful. Light skin girls have probably been struggling with this internal conflict for years, and the light skin women of the future may also struggle with this problem. But one day I hope as a race the African American community can uplift each other and come together as a whole rather than dividing this country more than it already has been. Colorism has not only broken the African American community but it has also a fractured the Dominicans and many countries in the continent of Africa. I know a woman who is less respected for being a Dominican women cause she's extremely darker than the normal. She claims that she is hounded with comments such as, " you're not Dominican, you're just a black girl who taught herself Spanish" or " how come you don't the curly Spanish girl hair." Comments like that takes a toll on a persons ego. It hurts feeling like you don't belong with the people you came from. I want an end to colorism. I'm out the make all races on the earth come together but first the races must come together amongst their own people.