Students Taunted for Having Light Skin SC State women say they're tired of negative comments

February 5th, 2009 Jernai Ellis, Chassidy Hinton - Black College Wire

"Light Bright," "White Girl," "High-lighter," "High Yellow," "Red Bone," "Mulatto," "Light-skinned-ed," "See Through," and "Transparent;" these are names one would think were heard 50 or more years ago, or even on a playground. But they are names that we have both been called since we started our matriculation at South Carolina State University.

Neither one of us knew the extent to which we would be singled out just for the color of our skin, especially at a historically black university. One would assume that being at an HBCU, students of African-American descent would unite because of a common ancestry. Instead, people seem to look at the smaller things that divide us, rather than the much larger things that unite us.

Jernai Ellis:
I am from farther north, from the suburbs of Bowie, Maryland, and I have never had to deal with what is being called a "Color Complex." When I first got here, I did not really enjoy being referred to as a "high-lighter" or "light-bright." It was annoying, because there is so much more to people than what they look like.

Chassidy Hinton:
Coming from Raleigh, N.C., I have had more encounters with this complex, but never to the extent that I have experienced it here at SC State. It definitely agitates me when people, specifically those whom I am not well acquainted with, begin conversations with, "What's up, white girl?" Even though I may have been called these names before, I will never grow accustomed to it. Neither of these nicknames have any positive attributes. I will never acknowledge them as being comical.

One could look no further than the history books than to see where the dividing factor between African-Americans of a light complexion and those of a brown or darker complexion began.In an article written by Hazel Trice Edney, in the Louisiana Weekly about prejudice against light skinned persons, the author discusses the source of this divide.

"The white slave master showed preference to light-skin slaves, giving them jobs as 'House Negroes' while their dark-skin counterparts labored in the fields. And more often than many people would like to admit, slave owners and their sons would take sexual liberties with defenseless black women, producing near-white off springs that were neither acknowledged nor accepted by the slave owner's family."

Julia Hare, a psychologist and executive director of the Black Think Tank, a web resource to discuss black issues in San Francisco, notes that the issue of color is still very prevalent."You would have thought that this thing would have ended after the so-called free movement and slavery supposedly was over," Hare writes. "But black people have taken on the same patterns as the slave master. Wherever you go, I don't care if it's in the church, I don't care if it's in the bar, I don't care if it's in the corporate rooms, I don't care if it's on a cruise, color still comes up among black people."

Through our experiences and observations, we find it ironic that light-skinned males seem to not experience as much negativity as light-skinned females. Females are often deemed as "stuck-up" or "snobbish." Unfortunately, going to a school in the South, [we see] this idea permeated much further than either one of us had imagined.

It is a common notion that people often judge others as a method to "save" the time that it would take to get to know the individual. When one chooses to judge an individual, specifically in the black community, solely on the basis of skin color, they show that they are unaware of the progress that black society must continue to make. As black Americans, we must strive towards success, instead of continuously looking for means of improperly judging and holding each other back.

Jernai Ellis and Chassidy Hinton are students at South Carolina State University. They wrote this article for The Collegian, the SC State student newspaper, which originally published it. Article courtesy of the Black College Wire.

Comments

[Mixie Pixie]

I understand that this can be a painful experience and I've gone through similar things. I hate being called out by my color even by closer friends. I think it's important to have a voice regarding these issues and to call it out that this kind of skin color referencing is completely inappropriate. However, let's not forget that some of these references call attention to lightskin privilege which is another issue. It's pointed out not in the way that someone would say something about a person having 2 heads but because lighter skin very tragically still functions as a form of currency, especially for women but also men among black folk (among everybody in fact). Some of these comments sadly show how people are buying into the status quo rather than challenging definitions of beauty and value. I'm looking forward to hearing the other side in an upcoming film called Dark Girls and from the preview here: http://www.vimeo.com/24155797 it seems like there is a lot more pain behind some of these issues that most people express on a day to day basis. Even though these comments and references are disturbing I feel the pain of our darker complexioned sisters is an equally serious issue that needs to be addressed in the same discussion.

[Flyasthesky100]

To me skin color does not really matter when choosing a women. Although, an African American women would be most ideal for me. I could care less about the light skin women or the darker skin women. Both women are refereed to as being Afican American. Their both the same!! Both of their forefathers orginated from Africa! Eventhough, it's an old article, students being taunted becuase of their light skin need to stand up and tell those who are hating to "stop hating". Their hating lighter skin indiviuals becuase their jealous!!They probably envy them more becuase they don't have light skin and want it!! This best way to end the taunting is to confront it! Let them know that you have had it with the taunting and you would like them to stop! I'm sure those persons who are doing the taunting will stop!! If that does not work, then find a legal way to end the taunting!Case closed!!

[BI]

This sounds so rediculous. Its posts like this that make you guys a target. You'd best be served by being a bigger person and sucking it up. Maybe you should think about how people valuing you makes everyone else feel. It may not be your fault but you have to be understanding just like white people who say it isn't their fault they get advantages because of their race. Just stop talking about it and be empathetic to others. You are only perpetuating the stereotype.

[Bree]

This is so sad, but a reality for many women (myself included). I have thrown my hands up on this issue, as I've spent about twenty years, in vain, trying to understand and change the thinking of such individuals. If people really thought before speaking, perhaps this wouldn't be the case, but unfortunately this is the ignorance spewn at mixed race women of color more often than should be tolerated. All we can do is keep our heads up and our eyes forward (Oh, but then we would be accused of having our noses in the air. Can't win.)

[myphilosophy]

I feel your pain. It is is very painful to deal with these issues on a constant basis. Unfortunately light skin black/biracial women/men have to deal with prejudice from all ethnicities. We are isolated, envied and hated because of our uniqueness. Our uniqueness continues to grow a races continue to mix. Hopefully the more of us there are, the more accepted we will become. For now, lets embrace the fact that we stand out from a crowd.

[SolShine7]

What a bummer.