CNN iReport

Once again I must say thank you to CNN, Soledad O'Brien and the Producers of Black In America for having the courage to air such thought provoking programming. Part 2 of this series, focusing on Black men, was very well produced. I appreciate how an attempt was made to show the different realities of what it means to be a Black man in America. I saw some of the members of my own family reflected back to me via the various stories being told. It is very rare for a major news network to do this with such detail and it truly is an accomplishment! Kudos to you!

One thing that really stood out about the show was the dichotomy between middle class vs. working class... and on a deeper level, light skinned Blacks vs. dark skinned Blacks. What I quickly picked up on was how the majority of the success stories featured men who mostly came from middle class backgrounds or at the very least, two parent homes. Most of these men were also light skinned. It was interesting to note that the stories that featured men who were working class and struggling showed men who were either born into poverty and/or darker skinned. The notable exception being D.L. Hughley... who although he came from modest means, he has attained success. Now someone unfamiliar with the inner dynamics of the Black community may see this as inconsequential but there are deep underlying reasons for why this is important to discuss. Michael Eric Dyson actually touched on it in the last segment.

As I mentioned in my Ireport for part 1, the impact of slavery was widespread, pervasive and deep. Black people were systematically conditioned to hate ourselves as people of African lineage. Conversely, all that was considered European was praised and held up as the standard of beauty and excellence. This mindset, which has been labelled as white supremacy, is still very prevalent today. Historically, white slave masters would have Black slave mistresses whom they would breed... the byproduct being racially mixed children of a lighter hue than the other slaves. These children were often shown better treatment than those of a darker hue. There were two types of slaves. There was the "house negro", who worked in the slave masters residence and the "field negro" who did the back breaking manual labor for the plantation. The "house negro" was often lighter skinned while the "field negro" was almost always darker skinned. The only way to become a "house negro" if you were darker skinned was to do and say any and everything the slave master demanded, which included keeping the rest of the slaves in line if they became unruly or tried to escape. I am providing a little bit of historical context to further shed light on the present realities of today.

Within the Black community today, these color issues still exist as they were deeply ingrained into the collective subconsciousness of Black people during slavery. The white supremist ideology has been unconsciously passed down through generations. This explains why unconsciously some Black people show more favorable attitudes towards lighter skinned Black people than darker skinned Black people. It is the unconscious projection of a white supremist ideology. The lighter you are and the more Eurocentric your features, for some people, means the better you are and the greater your chances of success The prevalency of this thinking for many generations in the Black community...often reinforced by white society, is what leads some darker skinned Black people to battle against feelings of inferiority. The only way to combat this type of thinking is through conscious awareness. Thankfully, there have always been outspoken voices within the Black community who have vehemently fought to uplift the morale of our community as a whole by speaking the truth! Black people come in all shades and all shades of Black are beautiful and worthy of praise and admiration! Skin color however, has never been and never will be an indication of mental capability or ones ability to achieve success!

I would like to stress that conscious awareness of the reasons why certain mindsets and attitudes exist within the Black community is crucial for continued forward progress. I walked away from the Black in America series feeling encouraged by the stories I heard while at the same time determined to continue to achieve my own personal best. By making a commitment to myself, I can make an even greater commitment to my community and will continue to speak out and do what I can on a practical level to bring about the America that I would like to see. An America where one day we can truthfully say, racism and prejudice and discrimination is truly a thing of the past!