Today while heading home from work, I tuned into Minneapolis' excellent black talk radio station, KMOJ 89.9, which for my DC folks, is sorta like WOL 1450. Anyways, while discussing Barack Obama's sterling Presidential prospects (this seems like a lifetime ago), one listener called in and said something I'm not sure I agree with, but figured I'd present to my readers, since I'm just open minded like that.
Is Barack Obama more politically acceptable to white America because he's biracial, or at a more base level, because he's lightskinned?
[Editor's Note: Before everyone gets their panties in a bunch and starts dropping all sorts of "self hate" comments, let it be known that I don't necessarily agree with the question being posed. Don't shoot the messenger.]
The caller, who repeatedly noted that she was biracial herself, rattled off a list of names of high achievers of a somewhat lighter complexion. Time Warner's Dick Parsons. American Express' Ken Chenault. Newark Mayor Corey Booker. DC's Adrian Fenty. Colin Powell. Condoleeza Rice. Former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford. David Dinkins. Doug Wilder. GK Butterfield. Lester Holt. Sinbad (just making sure you're paying attention).
All blacks of a somewhat lighter shade, all hand selected by whites to run something or other than blacks aren't typically given the opportunity to run.
When the caller went off the deep end by saying that most whites and blacks didn't see her as black, and she used this to her advantage as Obama should, the hosts cut her off, but I couldn't help but consider if her point was somewhat valid.
If Barack Obama were qualified, but looked more like Kwame Kilpatrick, would we even be talking about his prospects for the Number One Spot right now?
I won't drone on about this much longer, so I'll toss this softball to you guys.
Question: Does Barack Obama's light skin make him more acceptable to white America? And generally speaking, is life easier if you're redboned?
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Valid. Actually, very valid. It pains me to agree, but I can't find any arguments against it.
Forgive yourself for the question: it's been posed many times before, and yours won't be the last.
Googling "colorism" will bring up a plethora of comments, discussions, and scholarship on the subject.
Here's an interesting article by Margaret Hunter, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Mills College (July 2007)
The first few lines of the abstract reads:
"Colorism is a persistent problem for people of color in the USA. Colorism, or skin color stratification, is a process that privileges light-skinned people of color over dark in areas such as income, education, housing, and the marriage market."
You'll have to click on Full Text to read the article
In our society, this seems to be true. In my opinion this is most prevalent among blacks themselves. As if one needs anything else to keep people down- but in my experience Blacks use this racial dividing system more than non-whites.
I think Hiliary played the one 'ace' Barack could not (and still seem like presidential material) ...the 'teary eyed', 'weepy', 'choked up' , my feelings are 'hurt' card! Empathy when a woman does this; disdain when a male does.
My closest Blk friends will never wanna believe this. Especially one of them that is caramel-skinned. What's odd is how Latinos & Whites usually know what's up when it comes to colorism & it's also odd how Blks wanna dismiss it.
Just being light skin is not enough but him being biracial sure helps.
I think the caller had a valid point. It's unfortunate that this STILL plays a part in our society but the truth is the truth. His being biracial definitely helps his image to those watching him...Obama has a very non threatening look. I feel that is he was a darker skinned brother he wouldn't stand a chance. It is -what is is.
Unfortunately this is still a very real and valid issue within and outside of the black community. With noted exceptions/tokens in every medium such as Clarence Thomas/politician and Alek Wek/ model. But to me this will always continue to be in issue as long as it's propagated through the media both overtly and subliminaly.
Let's take a look back through movie and telivision history and consider the likes of Kid N' Play, where the light skinned Kid always played the straight "well bred" child (House Party I-XIV, Class Act, etc), and Gina and Pam on Martin, Pam was always 'Bedebee', with no man, etc. but did Gina not also have a weave? The middle child switch on My Wife and Kids...And did Claire and Cliff's kids really need to be mixed to be acceptable? I really could go on and on about these things and how light skinned blacks have traditionally been used to make black entertainment more palatable to whites and in affect place a stain on the psyche of black children and black people in general that light is right.
This has been an issue for me all my life. Being a "lighted skinned dude" has only ever been brought up by other blacks. When I'm around white folk I'm usually simply known as the black guy. I have NEVER been called lighted skinned, high yellow, or beige by white people. I've never brought up my lighter tone, its always mentioned to me. Mostly to remind me that either I have an advantage in a certain situation (run ins with cops), or that I am not as black as my friends. I am mixed but the mix is somewhere a few generations back, so every few children in my family are light skinned. My mother and older brother both have a nice chocolate skin tone.
I fancy my self a cool guy. I have a real laid back style. This throws (black) people off because they assume I am supposed to be this cocky, self centered "high Yella" asswhole or something. I have been told on many occasions that I don't act like a light skinned guy. What the fuck does that mean!? But I must admit even with all of this, it does SEEM that lighter toned black folk catch a break some times, even if it hardly ever applies to me.
But perhaps we as black people perpetuate this. I called it double racism for lighted skinned brothers and sisters. WHite people still see you as black and treat you as such, and yes I have been called a nigger before. And Black people don't think you are as black as they are, so they call you high yellow, and beige.
So true. So sad. A harsh reality that applies to black people all over the world, not just in America.
It must be the bi-racial thing, because I wouldn't consider Obama light-skinned nor Condoleeza. In terms of those two I think it has a lot to do with their speech as well, no ebonics. Which is a good thing.
I have been told on many occasions that I don't act like a light skinned guy. What the fuck does that mean!?
Wow yellow fellow, I've heard of "actin' white" but never heard "actin' light skinned black" before. People are crazy.
AB, my first inclination is to say that the caller is being over sensitive to the color thing. I tend to think that, to non-blacks, a black person is a black person and that perceptions of favoritism based on hue is an issue that blacks are more sensitive to than whites. But then again, I've seen the reactions that some Africans (e.g. Sudanese with very very dark skin) get from whites and even American blacks. It's like "whoa, totally new level of blackness there..." So it makes me think that, at some level, a lighter skinned black is probably less threatening and more palatable to the mainstream.
KMOJ!! Yeah! I hope the Twin Cities are treating you well. Did you ever find any of those living, breathing black folks, besides on the radio?
Anyway, yes, I think that light skinned people are more appealing to whites.
@justsayin... I never thought about the Pam/Gina thing like that. I don't know if it was intentional, but it's definitely an interesting perspective.
Yes. I do believe Mr. Obama's skin tone makes him more acceptable to whites and to high numbers of Black folk too.
Kwame Kilpatrick's appearance is too Negroid to mainstream, but, then, I could have said the same about Martin Luther King.
The difference: MLK was a minister and was an advocate of non-violent activism, the combination of which gave him a less threatening persona.
B'Obama' features, on the other hand, look more white than black.
I'm not implying that that makes him less black--some of the blackest people I know (outlook not color) have the features and skin tones closer to whites than blacks.
I have found the opposite to be true as well--they can be black in tone, and closer to whites in outlook.
Successful dark-skinned black folks:
David Satcher, U.S. surgeon general
Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court justice
Okay, the list stops there, at least at the government level.
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funny, i've never considered barack nor condoleezza to be "light skinned". i don't see barack as that much lighter than myself (i'm middle-of-the-road brown, neither dark nor light), but i agree with a previous poster that he's more acceptable because he's not ebonically-inclined.
however, i do find myself still tickled by the fact that his wife is obviously quite a few shades darker than he is, because typically a man in his position/stature tends to go lighter. don't get me wrong--i wouldn't hate on him if his wife was of a lighter persuasion, it just pleases me to see that he's not "typical".
i don't think america's ready for obama for prez, regardless of skin tone or diction; hil's gonna win it. and i hope she does... i really think that if he won someone would try to assassinate him.
(but that's a whole 'nother topic now, isn't it?)
Obama and Rice are lightskinned? we come in many different shades. If people can't really tell if you are black (Mariah Carey,Alicia Keys) those are the people that get a pass.
I agree with people who say he is not light skinned... he is darker than me and I sure as hell don't consider myself light skinned.
Umm, it's 2008 the only people with a problem are blacks. white ppl consider us all black no matter what the shade. the problem is our latino (hate this word) brothers and sisters who are considered a different race. The only difference between a Mexican/Puerto Rican is the hair,we all have the same blood, we are all products of slavery and the true problem is education not teaching true Amerikkkan history. My grandmother always said she was black. And sorry we are all light skinned in amerikka some are blessed ot be original skinned, hair of wool,feet of burnt brass. I used to be amazed as a kid of pictures of Africans marching, wow they're all the same complexion, hundreds of them. stop being a tool of divisiveness.
i think the shade does matter. Obama is certainly on the lighter side of things...probably close to my own color [though i'm really bad at gauging my own shade - i'm not sure why that is]. lighter is more acceptable, but it seems to be a less-conscious thing on the part of whites.
and it's a matter of perspective, too. I find it hilarious that white women will often exclaim how 'dark' [and "beautiful"] my skin tone is - since i'm mixed and in a particular picture i have of me with a bunch of black friends, i am conspicuously 'shining' because i'm so light. it's all relative, but if white people routinely see me as dark - perhaps they don't even see actual dark-skinned people. [did that make sense?]
i think there's a mixture of shade/race issues that we're all dealing with - even thought it is 2008 and we should be so much further.
I'm biracial and I think you should check out the following sites. They give good insight on all things biracial.
www.mixedchicks.com
http://lightskinnededgirl.typepad.com/
@justsaying - I completely agree and thought I was the only one who noticed!
Obama and condoleeza are light skinned? I need to check my eyes then. whew!!!!
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