Comments on: The Blacker the Berry

By: Divina Brossard

Divina Brossard — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:27:34 +0000

lol, Try Kerry. Just try it. With the recent revelations of our climate science and scientists, I believe indictments and testimony probably ought to come first.

By: Hollz

Hollz — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:16:33 +0000

*sigh* what to say what to say lol
well first off im a very dark skinned girl and im not mixed with anything since both my parents are from Nigeria
u know i never thought of myself as “too dark” untill about Middle schol when kids would start making comments.. idk its been a struggle its hard not to want to beg God some days to pls pls let me wake up a few tones lighter. and just last night one of my friends made a comment that really broke me we were taking about a guy i had just met and we were on 3 way and she says to my other friend “D you can get any guy you want but Holly is a difficutl case” and i was lke “why?” and shes all “o cause ur a burnt chocolate skinny something” it was like a slap in the face i couldtn even belive that someone who i thought was my friend would say something like that.. idk and its just amazing how black ppl can hate on each other like this its just.. *sigh* lol anyways thanks for the post its good it educate people

By: AP Gifts

AP Gifts — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:09:00 +0000

Since mention was made of the topic of ‘house
and ‘field’ slave — I just wanted to note
that — actually — this false concept
that so many people have — that the
lighter-complexioned chattel slaves
“had it easier” or “thought they were
better” than the darker-complexioned slaves
– and / or “relaxed in the big house” while
the darker-complexioned slaves “suffered in
the fields” — is very much like the infamous
‘Willie Lynch Letter’ Hoax) all VERY MUCH AN
URBAN MYTH (and is one which, in nearly every
way that’s possible, completely defies
the true historical recorded account.

The historical record shows that
those enslaved people who were of a
lighter-complexion (i.e. mulatto-lineage)
and that were found on the continental
United States during the antebellum
(chattel slavery) era were actually treated
MUCH, MUCH WORSE than were those enslaved
people who were of a darker-complexion.

In fact, record shows that most of the White
people (specially the White women) tended to
look upon the lighter-complexioned slaves
as being mere ‘mongrels of miscegenation’
(resulting largely from the rapes caused
by overseers); in their disgust at the sight
of these slaves — insisted that they be
“banished to the fields”; and also then
purposefully reserved most of the ‘big
house’ positions (ex. mammy, cook, driver,
etc) for the darker-complexioned slaves —
who most of the White people perceived as
being “more loyal, docile, less competitive”
– and, equally important, of a skin tone
which could never cause them to be mistaken
for ‘white’ or a possible member of
the plantation owners’ own family.

And this maltreatment was generally
even much more so the case if the
lighter-complexioned enslaved person
was ’suspected’ (by a wife, sister or
daughter — who ran “the big house”,
while a ‘male’ family member ran “the
plantation”) of possibly being the
offspring of a plantation owner
(or his son, father or brother).

In addition, the few lighter-complexioned
enslaved people that were actually permitted
to do any work within the house were – as
punishment for having the lowly status of
“mongrel” and in order to make sure they
did not become “too uppity” — kept under
much more severe supervision (by both the
White women who ran the plantation household
and also by the darker-complexioned enslaved
people) and under much more severe work
detail than were most of the (more trusted)
darker-complexioned enslaved people.

Books by Deborah Gray White; Paula Giddings;
J. California Cooper; bell hooks’, etc.
expose the truth about the urban-myth and
show that the lighter slaves received NO
special treatment and were (as mere “mongrels
of miscegenation”) usually treated much
worse than were darker-complexioned slaves.

Hope this information is helpful
& that everyone has a great day.

– AP (soaptalk@hotmail.com)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MGM-Mixed
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FGM-Mixed

By: darrin mcniven

darrin mcniven — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:49:01 +0000

i am a left handed artist that excells in creativty of all kinds..i finall y got to date a girl w/ the most hotest features non sexul i loved to draw her before i even knew her name ..she had the most artistic curves on every line god made her to be ..every angle to every line top lip inside and bottom that just her top lip..my point is that every ware i have a muscle she had two..if she were i guy i would have turned gay..she had percing eyes and skin of gold..she was scotish like me.. but after a month w/ her ……i finally was told by her that she is black..i loved her charm so much i didnt see she was black..it has changed my life for ever now as i am just white trash..i all ways loved girls w/ lazy wide eyes and sharp top lips and real curly hair..but stupid white person i am didnt realize till this girl..her dad is a top lawyer and judge.. her family is evry very attrctive looking and smart and non greedy…i belive its been 5 years now and still miss her every much..i not sure if it is right for a white person to love a black girl..as it dilutes and deminishes the black culture..i think it is the strongest smartest culture in the world and should be the leaders of this world..

By: DoesDreamsComeTrue?

DoesDreamsComeTrue? — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:44:21 +0000

its funny how some black people say “I’M BLACK AND I’M PROUD”…but are u really Proud…because if u were, we wouldn’t have these black on black skin stuff….anyhoo im dark skinned and i get complements on my skin tone all the time at school and outside off school.people always ask me how come i don’t get breakouts? idk the answer.when i’m in the locker room changeing for soccer, some of my friends ask me how come i don’t have stressmarks? i reply ” i guess its b/c of my skin tone”, but not everyone get stressmarks…lol..even tho de light skin girls r in, people always comeup to me and say that im cute and pretty. when walking down the hallways guys be hallaing at me..but i don’t stop, lol…has a 16 year old girl i always tell myself “DO NOT LET NO ONE BRING YOU DOWN”..lol…i guess i don’t really care too much about that light vs dark thing…because people who see between them and care so much about the color, are people who have complextion problems, and issues…lol..^_^

By: Manyara

Manyara — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 04:56:26 +0000

I think that ALL women of ALL shades are beautiful. I have a cocoa-brown skin tone and im proud of it. Its ridicious that ppl are discriminating against their own RACE!!!! who cares if light skinned ppl get more attention? It shows that people are hating on their own roots-from where they come from. from where their ancestors come from AFRICA

By: Eloise

Eloise — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 20:33:09 +0000

Perhaps if we American women of African/European descent would focus more on things that matter we would matter more to everyone. Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder and as long as “Black” is embedded in the collective consciousness worldwide as “evil” we will have colorism. Colorism will also fade if Africans should ever stop dueling and step up to the plate to take their resources back from colonialists of all races these days. Colorism exists as an extension of power; who holds it, who wields it. It’s not an arcane notion, really. Whoever gets to kick your butt gets to define you and everything around us. Think outside of the box. Stop making it matter and it won’t. I’m called “caramel” colored, have “white” features so to speak and I really don’t see color among my people at all. I see the spirit, the aura and I behold how one treats other people. It sounds sort of new-agey but it really is an inside job. I’m reading all of the Western Civilization history that I can get my hands on. It’s a project…..I need to know where the notion of superiority comes from. Again, I think that whoever gets to kick your butt gets to be your king, lol.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:46:41 +0000

You’re a gem…afrobella. And to all my afrobellas of the world, y’all are gems too. Sisters, we have so much work to do. It is time for us to check our self-esteems and really heal ourselves. We’ve been conditioned to hate our God-given gifts and we’ve been brainwashed into hating each other too. Indeed our brother’s are suffering from LOW self-esteem as well, which in many cases, has caused them to really hate on us. The scars run deep. I’ve been labeled black gal, chocolate,sexy black, dark butt (by the rapper with a lisp , and I’ve also been called the most beautiful girl in the world. I come from an array of colorful people, and I’m fortunate to be considered the special–and the blackest one. We’ve got to start with the babies. The color complex is not limited to skin tone, it includes hair and facial features. Please elevate your thinking. Black women (of all shades) shine like no other.

By: lee

lee — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:54:42 +0000

This post was a very interesting read. The comment section was also eye opening, down to the last post by Kim. It seems like every nationality is infected by the “fairest of them all” syndrome. It’s a shame too because variety is what makes like more beautiful and interesting. From the darkest to the lightest, we all have so much more to offer others than our skin color (which is truly something that none of us have control over).

By: kim

kim — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:56:01 +0000

hi, i was reading this and thought it was very interesting…I didn’t know about this darker/lighter thing that goes on. anyway, i’m white with almost black hair and dark eyes and as a kid i always wanted to be the blondest blond with blue eyes like my neighbor and like all the dolls, and the brady bunch kids. and i went to an almost all white school and some kids would ask me if i was asian or spanish knowing full well i wasn’t. but i’m struggling to accept myself as i am despite seeing the beauty of others all around me, and trying to incorporate the fact that there is so much beauty in the diversity in this country…there really is. i guess i’ve been envious of others all my life, too, of blond girls and the really black black girls whose skin is just so amazing to see(especially when you grew up around mostly whites) and asian girls with their perfect black straight hair and cool eyes. it can all be beautiful, but the magazines and the videos always try to push one ideal that isn’t helping.