do.WE.really.want.these.stories.told?

I remember what it was like being the "dark but pretty" girl on the block, being told I was "pretty for a dark skinned girl" because all that it took to be pretty in the minds of many young Black people back then (and even now) was light skin. I'm surprised by non Black people who seem so shocked to know that within our community lies another type of racism, a racism that seperates light skinned Blacks from darker skinned Blacks. Last night while listening to the car radio, I heard two songs being played where "redboned" (light skinned) women were mentioned as being the woman of choice. One of the songs was by R.Kelly and the other was by Lil' Wayne, same thing in the song "Same Girl" by Usher. I'm sure there are many songs where a "redboned" woman is mentioned and this isn't an attack on light skinned women because I am darker. I know there is a considerable amount of racism and negativity that lighter women deal with as well.

When I saw this trailer, all I could think about was what the onlookers would think. Precious appears to have a deep seated hatred toward herself which may be attributed to her mothers abuse however, we know that a lot of the issues we deal with in the Black community are generational and have been passed down from one generation to the next. Poverty, racism and ignorance beget the types of results that we see here in this video. However, I have a feeling that many will perceive this to be the normal, stereotypical Black woman of today. I sincerely hope there is a message behind this that is much greater and deeper than skin color.