The skin that you’re in
It was another perfect day at the summer camp where I worked. The kids started to arrive around eight o’clock in the morning, and the teachers and I were ready to take on the day. As an intern, I tried my best to interact with the children to see what I could learn from them. At the specific camp I interned at, it was predominantly Caribbean influenced, so I did strengthen my Spanish and learned more of their culture.
For numerous years, I learned that working with children is an interesting task, but working with young children is completely different. Younger children imitate what they see, hear and observe to be true. Their young minds are easier to mold, and they attach quickly to those who influence their lives. It is utterly heartwarming when the children run up to you screaming your name and wanting you to participate in their activities and games. The children played, danced, learned, and played some more.
After their nap, they were allowed free time before their parents came to pick them up. I agreed to read stories, and play dolls with the girls. I was playing with two chocolate little girls, let’s call them A and B. Child A had two dolls and didn’t want Child B to play with the dolls. I asked Child A why she did not want to play with Child B, and she told me because she has dark skin and she only like playing with her friends who have light skin. Soon as those words left her mouth, my heart dropped. Child A was technically a shade lighter than child B, but both of the children were the same ethnicity. I didn’t know what to say, but “She is beautiful and you’re beautiful because you’re both girls so you have to be very good friends.” She probably did not understand me, but her young mind could tell that I was very distraught.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time I heard something like this before. Before I graduated high school, I had the privilege to watch a documentary called “Dark Girls.” "Dark Girls" explores the many struggles dealing with colorism, including self-esteem issues, which occurs to every woman of all ages and their emotional expression would often get neglected. Interviewed African American men even who claim they could not date a woman of dark skin. One young man interviewed saying “The dark girls look funny beside me.”
Watching “Dark Girls” and realizing the painful reality of colorism within the black community is heart aching. Especially when black men do not want to be with dark black women because of the stereotypes and the myths that their child would not be as beautiful as the child with a light skin woman. I believe if we don’t encourage our young girls at an early age that what they have is beautiful then any and everything will be able to tell them that they are less than great such as the media, and other people. We have to teach our young girls that every shade and color is beautiful, and educate our young men to uplift women because our women are being devalued and unappreciated every day, and soon we will lose the image of what a strong black woman looks like, or any strong woman. Interviewed on National Public Radio, Filmmaker Bill Duke described a reaction he received at another screening, which indicated that colorism is not easily discussed and was asked by someone, “Why are you airing our dirty laundry?”, and His answer was, "Because it's stinkin' up the house.”
