Light Skinned Vs. Dark Skinned African American Women

 Conflict between dark skin and lighter skinned African American women is an quietly disscussed topic that effects male and female students at Texas Southern Univerisity.

In the African American society it is a rarely discussed topic of the discrimination of African American women who have light skin verses African American women who have dark skin but it is factual. As a unit African Americans have dealt with the color of their skin being so controversial, and for years issues among Black people have risen.

 Back in the slavery days, the man divided the blacks into two parts Light Negro and Dark Negro. The light negro was closer to white, the only thing acceptable for the white man, so they got to work inside. While the light skinned individual worked inside of the plantation, cooking for the master, and  cleaning the master's dirty clothes; the darker skinned slave worked outside in the field, picking cotton, hanging laundry, and helped grow the crops.

“ Back in the day, when you could pass for white it was easier because you looked the part and it was easier for people to look at you and deal with you.” said Whitney Connor, a Curvy Couture model.

It was proven that then the darker person was treated like nothing while the lighter one was treated better and worshiped secretly by the master as she became his secret mistress. Those same ideas about praising light skinned women have continued on today.

“ More attention seems to be focused more on light skin than dark skin women when it comes to men, it seems that beauty is focused more on tall light with a nice shape to get some attention” said Jaterria Brooks a graduate of TSU.

Now today , that same discrimination is being used among African American’s themselves. Even at Universities Sororities and other organizations are being accused of discrimination against women with different shades of skin.

Stereotypes are made about certain organizations that lighter or darker skin women are more likely to join certain organizations.

“ I disagree, I don’t believe things like the paper brown bag test are still effective . Back then it was very much alive, but at this time sororities criteria for membership is strictly by the book” said Jermaine Russell a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.

The idea that lighter complexioned black people are smarter, more desirable, or attractive is something that seems to permeate the black community, and still manages to strike many nerves. Conclusions are drawn about your skin tone before even speaking and darker skinned people are less likely to be considered better.

“People make assumptions that just because I am a dark skinned women that I am ghetto and I am being supported by the government” said Connor.

At Texas Southern , women and men are aware of this issue and are taking initiative to address the problem and work out solutions and common ground. Talking about the situation can be beneficial to those dealing with the controversy and inform people that self importance is key.