High-Yellow Controversy in Black Community
by Jeff Davis
A recent article in the Detroit News notes “The history of slavery and the resulting legacy of intra-racial segregation have sometimes pitted darker-skinned and lighter-skinned blacks against one another. A noted Los Angeles-based activist who goes by the name of Pearl Jr. …founder of the Black Women’s Movement in Los Angeles and the author of the book Black Women Need Love, Too … (observed) ‘Colorism is real in the black community. It’s especially very degrading to dark-skinned black women.’ ”
One of the many unusual and little-known aspects of the black community has always been that mulattoes, or high yellows, or redbones—light-skinned Negroes with a significant amount of Caucasian blood in them–have always been more highly-respected in the black community than the pure-black, “blue-gummed”, nappy-headed types. Notable Black figures such as Julian Bond and Colin Powell are noticeably Caucasian in their skin color and facial features. Blacks hate and despise their frizzy, “nappy” hair and some of the major money-makers in black products have always been various formulas and potions to straighten their hair. The results are generally pretty unsightly, but less so than nappy steel-wool frizz. Interestingly, most native blacks living in Africa actually shave their heads rather than wear a “natural” which would become home to a variety of insect pests. Afros are also reminiscent of the 1970s, platform shoes and bell bottom pants.
The divide between blacks and mulattoes has always been kept a largely unspoken secret. Now a Detroit hip-hop DJ has blown the lid off that secret.
According to the Detroit News: “A local DJ and party promoter retreated Thursday from a plan to sponsor a bash that would let ‘light-skinned’ black women into a downtown club for free. But the ‘Light Skin Libra Birthday Bash’ at Club APT on Woodward Avenue turned out to be a bashing — of promoter Ulysses ‘DJ Lish’ Barnes after word of the unusual party spread on the Internet. ‘I made a mistake,’ Barnes said. ‘I didn’t think there would be a backlash.’ Barnes, who said he’s been a party promoter for six years, canceled the event.”
The article goes on: “He [Barnes] said he has gotten angry calls and e-mails from around the country about the party. ‘ didn’t mean to offend anyone,’ he said. ‘I had planned a party for other shades (of black women). We were going to take a shade of color each week. Next week was going to be a party for ‘Sexy Chocolate’ and the week after that ‘Sexy Caramel.’ ”
This Barnes individual thought that because blacks have more de facto freedom to talk about race than whites, that he could bring up the high-yellow difference. Apparently, this is a little bit too touchy for blacks to bring up. Maybe they would notice most of their leaders are several shades lighter in color than they are.