An ugly Truth

For those who do not know, recently Matthew Knowles, the father of pop-singer Beyonce Knowles stated in an interview that he believes the only reason his daughter and other black woman singers such as Rihanna, Mariah Carey, and Nicki Minaj have progressed further in their careers is because they are light skinned. This statement is very telling because when you look at other forms of entertainment such as television and even most movies, you rarely see all shades of black people being represented. What Mr.Knowles discussed is something that those of us in the black community rarely like to address.

It can be understandable that most of us do not want to discuss this issue when we have to deal with white racism on a daily basis. Although white racism/white supremacy should be the main priority in the black community, issues such as colorism cannot be ignored since this dynamic did not start in 2018. This has occurred during and post-slavery and has led to the creation of buffer classes such as the Boule and Jack and Jill, that still have a very strong presence till this day. Amara La Negra brought this to light during her Breakfast Club interview and, like most black people in denial, two of the show's hosts attempted to dismiss her claims. One even had the nerve to ask if it was all in her head.

Just like white supremacy, we cannot dismiss color issues in the black community. In the same article, rappers such as J Cole admit that it is his belief he would not have gone far in his career if he had been of a darker hue. Statements such as these show that the black community has many skeletons in the closet that need to be addressed before we can systematically and politically abolish the system of white supremacy and replace it with a system of justice. This is a conversation we must have because it has resulted in many black public figures and everyday black folks being exploited and segregated for no reason at all.

Overall, I believe that Mr. Knowles and Amara La Negra bringing this issue to the forefront will only help strengthen the black community when it comes to looking for solutions. To be honest, if colorism was not an issue then there would be no Boule, Jack and Jill, and even the brown paper bag test(you can look up what that is online). We would not see Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, and Cardi B held in such high regard when other artists such as Amara La Negra have the same, or even higher level of talent. Ultimately, we must take it upon ourselves to address this issue in our community so that we can teach future generations of black children that black is beautiful in all shades, regardless of what the media tells you. Doing this will prove to be one of our greatest victories and a major step in our liberation. As the rapper Kendrick Lamar said: "Colorism is not a good thing, especially when you're black".

Also, if your a Kendrick Lamar fan you can buy his album "Humble" here.