Is life different for women who are darker than most?
As a dark-skinned brother, I have dealt with issues relating to race and the concepts of being “black enough” or “too black” from my brothas and sistas but generally they were in the problems with my actions and not so much the darkness of my skin. Growing up, I was aware of other folks issues with their own skin color but it wasn’t until I started creating these captures for the Project that I realized how deep, pervasive and devastating the traumas were.
Recently I saw the preliminary work on Bill Duke’s Dark Girls documentary and it brought context to some of the tragedy of what we, as a people, continue endure; the stresses we place upon ourselves who’s traumatic beginnings date back to the days of slavery. If you haven’t seen the preview yet I included it here. It is compelling, provocative and revealing. In lest than ten minutes, you find yourself questions so many actions that you’ve taken for granted for years, wondering how much of this self-hate may fester inside of you; heaped upon you since birth. Its subtle and its not pretty.
Dark Girls: Preview from Bradinn French on Vimeo.
But this is Pangea’s Garden. And I come here to celebrate color, not denigrate it. We walk no lines of light skin, dark skin, brown skin, redbone or any of the other derivations that are intended to divide and conquer the will of a people. We praise the variances and the richness that they represent. We find inspirations in the variety of hues along with the cultures and stories they represent.
Dark Girls.
How can you not see this as beautiful?
Please tell me you are feelin’ me on this.
I almost cried watching this. The color issue in our community is the biggest divider among us and we need to eradicate it…NOW. Black is beautiful, all shades. I love being black and I can’t explain why. It’s just a beautiful thing, the struggle, the magnificence, the richness, the beauty of it all…we’ve endured so much and we shouldn’t let them dictate to us what “beautiful” is. Dark is gorgeous. Women in general are gorgeous. We need to know that!
This documentary is a welcome opportunity to put this issue on the table in a way that allows for dark-skinned women to express themselves and be heard, safely. I applaud the fillmmakers, and I hope this sparks some fruitful, compassionate discussions about colorism in our community.
Seeing this preview broke my heart. Colorism is detrimental to our community. I look at the women here in Pangea’s Garden and think to myself how blessed I am to be apart of a richly beautiful display of Black women. Also, to showcase our beauty for everyone to see and admire is beyond amazing. I’m looking forward to seeing the documentary soon.