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Is LIGHT SKIN the Right Skin for the Presidency?
Published by Travers on Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 2:33 pm.Posted by Travers Johnson for BET You(th) Vote: 5/29/08 @ 2:33 p.m. 
I was talking with a close friend of mine recently and she said something that both pissed me off and made me think at the same time. We were discussing how well Barack Obama was doing thus far in the campaign, particularly among white voters, when she said, “Well, you know the only reason Barack even has a chance is because he’s light-skinned.”
My mouth dropped open. I immediately began to argue that his popularity was due to his message of change, his charisma, his clean record, etc. Obama had given Americans the audacity to hope again and that is why he was winning primaries.
My friend nodded her head in agreement with all of that, but then said, “But do you think that another brotha, even if he had all those great characteristics, would be the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination if he was as black as Wesley Snipes?
I then took a trip down memory lane. Up until I entered Morehouse as a freshman, the concept of the African-American color complex was completely foreign to me. Growing up in a town with an approximate black population of no more than 5%, there weren’t enough of us to even think about dividing ourselves over something as petty as skin complexion. Besides, I’ve always believed that no matter how light or dark my skin is, the world would still see me as black.
But when I got to college it all changed. I would see Facebook groups entitled “Light Skin Will Never Go Out of Style” and “Dark Brothas Run This.” The subject always seemed to come up in forums about black issues and I read about the history of the “brown paper bag test”, creoles, and mulattoes. When watching the Spike Lee joint School Daze some of the most memorable scenes were between the dark-skinned “jigaboos” and the light-skinned “wannabes.” So with this fascination with skin complexion in almost every other aspect of black life, I can kind of see how it could spill over into politics.
But I still think that this issue is one that is solely on the minds of black people and no one else. I have never been in a situation where I thought that a person of another race favored or disfavored me because of my complexion. I think that whether your skin is “light bright” or “black as night,” at then end of the day other races just see you as African American (for good or bad). I can’t say the same about black people though.
But when it comes to politics, is it just a coincidence that the only two black U.S. Senators since reconstruction, Edward Brooke and Barack Obama are relatively light-skinned? Is it a coincidence that the two most successful black presidential candidates, Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama are relatively light-skinned? Is it a coincidence that the first black male and female to serve as U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice, are relatively light-skinned?
So tell me: Do you think non-black voters consider African-American skin complexion when casting a ballot?
Do light-skinned blacks have an advantage in the political arena?
Does the fact that Barack Obama is light-skinned have anything to do with his success?
Does the fact that Obama is half white have anything to do with it?
Will Black Americans EVER get over this color complex?
Hit me up to break it down.
In the spirit of GETTING OVER THIS CRAP,
—TRAVERS
I would first like to start out by saying i am so glad someone has brought this topic up! Growing up i was often ridiculed in my home town of Baton Rouge, Louisiana 4 being light skinned with hazel eyes! i was called names such as mixed breed and uncooked. It is a shame that we as blacks as much as we are oppressed and down-graded by others that we still continue to bring one another down instead of lift each other up. Things like this keep our race dwindling in this place we call “the land of the free” I personally have never thought nething other than they were just colors of skin they didnt hold ne value or divine secret they were just colors! As far as President Obama goes (yes i did say president!) I do not believe his color plays in affect when it comes to caucasian voters because most true white democrats really dont care about his color but what he is going to do to help the economic system and our childrens futures!
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I am sorry but the color of someone’s skin doesn’t determine their character, nor does it make them more…or less… qualified for commander in chief. If anyone black, white, hispanic, etc. votes for anyone because of the color of their skin they are a racist. Period!
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Since mention was made of the topic of the ‘house’
and the ‘field’ slave — I just wanted to note that
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 largely “relaxed in the big house” while
the darker-complexioned slaves “suffered
in the fields” — is very much (just 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 WORSE than were those enslaved
people who were of a darker-complexion.
In fact, the record shows that most of the White
people (especially the White women) tended
to look upon the lighter-complexioned slaves
as being mere ‘mongrels of miscegenation’
(resulting largely from the rapes caused by the
plantation ‘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 had perceived as being “more loyal,
more docile, less competitive, etc.”, and, even more
important, they were also of a skin tone which
could never cause them to be seen as being
any part-’white’ (and even worse, perceived as
“possibly” also being “a member of the family”
–as it were– of a given plantation ‘Owner’).
And this maltreatment was generally even much
more so the case if the lighter-complexioned
enslaved person was even remotely ’suspected’
(by, say, 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 given plantation
‘Owner’ (or his son, or father, or brother, or any other
male found in the plantation ‘Owners’ White family).
In addition, the few lighter-complexioned enslaved
people that were actually permitted to do any work
in the “big house” were (as a punishment for having
the lowly status of “mongrel” and in order to make sure
that they did not become “too uppity”) kept under a
much more severe work supervision (by both the
White women who ran the plantation household and
also by the darker-complexioned enslaved people
who had been placed over the lighter-complexioned
enslaved people and given various “rewards” in an
exchange for the promise to ‘keep an eye on’ them)
than were most of the (more trusted and seemingly
endeared) darker-complexioned enslaved people.
Books by Deborah Gray White; Paula Giddings; bell
hooks; J. California Cooper; William Wells Brown;
etc. expose the truth about the urban-myth and
show that the lighter-complexioned enslaved
people received NO special treatment and were,
instead (due to being seen as mere “mongrels of
miscegenation”) usually treated much worse than
were most darker-complexioned enslaved people.
The hatred, fear and mistrust that many of the antebellum
and post-antebellum era White southerners felt toward the
people who were both of a light-complexion (mulatto-lineage)
and were also chattel-slaves, is very strongly presented
in the ‘D.W. Griffith’ racist film ‘Birth of a Nation’– where
pretty much all the trouble, tragedy and dangers found
experienced by White southern families in the film is
falsely presented as being caused by “uppity” Mulattoes
who ‘needed to be taught “their place” among White people’.
(i.e. they “needed” to be beaten, raped, lynched, etc. by the
“proud” White people who had been reared to make it clear
that they felt “no connection” to any non-White person).
Anyone who would like any additional information
on this topic can feel free to contact me directly.
Hope this information is helpful
& that everyone has a great day.
– AP (soaptalk@hotmail.com)