Skin tones

CATEGORY

just different

It's funny, I saw the prettiest of little girls complaining about the color of her skin. She's too pale. she hates her white skin, she said. She doesn't like the color blue. She wishes that her eyes were black or brown... Normal. When I was a kid growing up in my neighborhood, that skintone wasn't very common. We were brown, black, yellow......... Puerto Rican and Haitian. I had a real good fríend of mine, one of the crew, everybody, even his kin, we all called him "Blue"(sup Jean?). We all had a crush on a girl named Desiree, who lived down the street. She was green-eyed, Redbone. Looked like a "princess of hope" in the hood. We were proud of what we were, but fantasized about a life as white. I guess we just associated happiness with being white or of lighter skin. As if doors would magically open if our skin was of a little lighter hue. Had some Cuban friends that could pass for white.. Till they spoke. So they didn't. "Man, if I was white I would drive a BMW, and I would buy my wife a Volvo". "Have a big o'l crib". Most of the girls in our neighborhood would go to the Chinese stores to buy hair. "Good" hair. Blondes and sometimes even greens. Gotta love a dark-skinned blonde. A real good friend of mine from Jamaica, was blessed with the gift of green eyes. Seemed like he could get any girl that he wanted. "Man, I would to if I had your eyes". Heard he's got a couple kids with a white girl now. "Snow-bunnys", in our neighborhood, were like trophies. Meant you knew something about the world that the rest of us didn't. Meant that you were breaking some sort of imaginary boundary. "once she goes brown, she'll be on the bus everyday to come downtown". "Why we always treat you good when you in our the hood, but we get looked at like crooks when we're in yours"? Must be the white-picket fences. Now you see the hidden beauty in a dark complexion. The golden from the sun's reflection. Do you see the drops of sweat on her back.? Like honey, her pain being the sweetest nectar. Once we were looked at down, with a frown. Skin colour unpleasant to the ignorante eye. "To sit with us here, at the same table would be disrespectful, don't they have their own place that they can go be themselves at"? But you love our women though. Thick thighs, thick lips and big eyes. For some reason now it's appreciated and sometimes even envied, underneath your dispise. He says he doesn't like ethnic women. Well, He lies. Tables have turned about one hundred and eighty degree. Slowly but surely they're opening their eyes, but first we have to overcome the other one hundred and eighty degrees left of lies.     -L.A.G.