Written By: Da’Shaun A. Joseph (aka Boom)

Colorism isn’t a new topic nor a new issue within the Black Community. Colorism is truly an international problem as lighter skin is almost universally valued among all racial groups.  It is, simply defined by Alice Walker,  the “prejudicial or preferential treatment of same-race people based solely on their color.” We know the history of how colorism stems from our social hierarchy of suffering and sexual exploitation during slavery, we have seen the documentaries and our closet friends have even shared their stories. And of course, I understand that ALL shades of Black have their own personal story of prejudice and trauma associated with any spectrum on the color wheel of melanin. The Brown Paper Bag Test affected us all, light and dark. However, my expertise lies within my own experience as a Black Woman who grew up in New Orleans, LA. The mere fact that my expertise is a product of my own experiences as a youth and research out of desperation to understand why it was so. I dare to say that New Orleans has one of the most toxic colorism viewpoints, but it all feels the same to the disadvantaged.  In my adult years, I was certain I had moved passed my troubled childhood of bullying and disrespect but a question from my therapist in 2020 resurfaced this buried trauma  and revealed my limiting belief. “When did you first believe you weren’t good enough; why do you feel hidden?” Now this has been a lot to unpack but something new hit me this week.

As I write this piece, I am still mourning the recent announcement of the death of Cicely Tyson. Now any melanin hued girl can tell you her beauty and grace inspired us all. However what really got to me was an Instagram post from Viola Davis.

“…….In a world where there is STILL the Cloak of Invisibility for us dark chocolate girls” That line , that sentence, that thought struck a cord with me. 

Despite the black girl magic praise, the dark skinned documentaries, the fame, the fortune, the representation in media, the darker the berry references, WE STILL FEEL INVISIBLE. Viola Davis, one of the highest paid Black movie stars, on screens all across the world….. .when paying her respects to one of her muses, note that she…………. stills FEELS INVISIBLE based on the darker hue of her skin.  

I thought it was just me. With every raise, every blessing, every opportunity, every encouraging word….. I still FEEL INVISIBLE. For most of my life I have felt hidden and in my adult years transitioned that negative thought to a more positive interpretation of God’s protection. “ I am not hidden, I am being protected” was my new mantra.

But at the end of the day, I still felt invisible. 

Protected but invisible. Blessed but invisible.

Joyful, but invisible. 

POWERFUL yet STILL INVISIBLE.

No matter how I SPEAK UP, how I SHOW UP, how I BOSS UP, I still can’t seem to shake this cloak of invisibility.  A cloak that I did not pick, choose or even put on willingly. To hear Viola still reference her invisibility, reminded me that Colorism is still alive and well. So to answer my therapist’s question : The Black Community told me I wasn’t good enough when I was a child….then tried to take it back when Society permitted

After hours of reflection, I realized I wasn’t a true believer of the society’s sudden infatuation with sun kissed melanin. My childhood trauma couldn’t accept society’s acceptance. It is as if the WORLD decided one day to give us permission to be beautiful, to be loved, to be seen. To allow us to PEEK from under the cloak for a few hours a day then back we go.

And I have a problem with permission I didn’t ask for.

What the world gives, the world can take away too. The world can define, set boundaries and even scale based on its comfort level. It is still in control.

Those that have been bullied and harassed or ignored due to colorism, have a hard time accepting and believing the hype. As if we are waiting for the world to say “JUST KIDDING” and place the cloak back on us until it decides we are worth a 2nd look.

Praise doesn’t negate trauma. To ignore the underlying issue of colorism is just as hurtful as its meaning. We don’t need apology but accountability and equity would be a start in the healing process. Colorism is to the Black Community what Racism is to Humanity.

Colorism is internalized white supremacy.

A preference rooted in hate is discrimination. 

Colorism and Racism are not the same but they are more connected than most would like to admit. This is more than preference of a mate or standard of beauty, colorism in its truest form affects the quality of one’s life. Darker skinned inmates receive higher prison sentences than their light skinned counterparts for the same offenses. Darker skinned women are less likely to marry. Hiring managers in a 2006 study admitted to any remembered light skinned candidate in the interview process. Dark skinned children are 3 times more likely to get suspended than their lighter hued classmates. This is MORE than beauty and likes on Instagram, this is an INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL form of discrimination, prejudice and self hate. Color psychology does not favor darker hues. 

I repeat, preference rooted in hate is discrimination.

So while awareness of this conscious bias is key, it is only a small step in fixing the problem.

To be honest, I don’t know how we truly fix colorism in the Black Community until we tell the truth about it. Until we are real with ourselves and reflect on WHY we feel the way we do in the first place. Racism won’t get fixed by ignoring its inception and neither will colorism.  But unlike racism, once we solve the internal hate, we then have to fight against the external hate along with Racism.

Discrimination lies within conscious and unconscious bias. PERIOD

As the old saying goes, it’s time to clean OUR own house first. Our elders are moving on to glory but the fight still continues. Cicely Tyson broke many barriers in her 96 years of living on this earth, and we owe it to her lineage to burn this cloak of invisibility, once and for all.  So my melanin hued sisters near and far, remember what she taught us:

“The moment anyone tries to demean or degrade you in any way, you have to know how great you are. Nobody would bother to beat you down if you were not a threat.”   - Cicely Tyson

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