How Dark Skin do you have to be to be Black and how much fairer do you have to be…. to be Brown

I was thinking the other day about how we need to be careful in using the now favoured and palatable terminology “Black & Brown” which covers a whole range of identities. The fact is that how we are treated may sometimes be dependent on whether we or others see us as Black or Brown and how complexion plays a part in the way we are accepted or believe we are accepted in western cultures. Historically the western world has attached lower values to any skin colour that is not White; and we are very often valued according to our proximity to whiteness. Furthermore, White guilt emanating from western involvement in the Transatlantic Slave Trade has surely contributed to how society value those who are not White. Regrettably, sometimes some of us have been made to be grateful that we are not as dark skin Black as some of our own brothers and sisters. Western society has done a real number on many of us which additionally contributes to Anti Black racism and this collective unwillingness not to acknowledge this does not help our desire or capacity to confront this issue.

Some of us remember the days when using the term Black, irrespective of complexion, was a significant expression of unification….”Say it Loud I’m Black and I’m Proud”…. refusing to comply with the colonisers attempts to sow the seeds of discord and seducing lighter skin people of colour to their cause with the vague promise that one day “you can be one of us”! This coupled with the added difficulty as to how Dark Skin do you have to be to be Black and how much fairer do you have to be to be Brown ….or in extreme cases how light skinned do you have to be to pass for White…..and for some this can be a long term objective for the whitening of future generations or the immediate impact of a colonial indoctrination that equates a lighter complexion with beauty; further contributing to self-hate! We also know that in some cultures even being too Brown can be a problem…..particularly where those cultures strive to be as White as they can which they see as progress and a passport to a less troublesome future!

Furthermore, we need to come to come to terms with the fact that those who consider themselves to be Black (Darker-Skinned), physically & ideologically, will very often be addressing very different issues than those who consider themselves to be Brown…..and of course there are those who are so light skinned they could pass as “Mediterranean” or even White….and that conjures up a very different range of options and areas for further discussion.

I must confess that I am still uneasy about the common use of the term “Black & Brown”, now politically acceptable, which has categorically differentiated between those who see themselves as Brown and those who see themselves as Black and denies full expression of the differential experiences of those who are darker skinned. Back in my day we saw “Black” as a political definition and those of a lighter complexion were comfortable to be included within that definition. We know light skinned historical icons such as Malcolm X, Rosa Parkes and Bob Marley did not see themselves as Mixed Race or Brown but as Proud Black individuals. I guess America’s comfortability with the different shades of Blackness, the one drop rule, reveals White America’s determination to hold on to the concept of White supremacy which in truth does not tolerate any variation on Whiteness.

Some of you may be aware that I have specially explored the issue of Colourism over the last two years and this has revealed the confusions that still exist between those who are lighter skinned and those who are darker skinned. The fact is that there are also those of African heritage and those of mixed Race who carry some discomfort about how they see themselves and how others see them. However, one thing that became very clear was that very often the racism experienced by those of a darker complexion was a very different one than those experienced by those of a lighter complexion and that is an admission that all who are Black & Brown need to own up to. This is an issue we have not fully explored and does this influence how we seek partners and how we want our children to be perceived. We have many examples of how Black men and Black women select White partners to ensure their children are of a lighter complexion increasing their capacity to “Fit In”. All of this raised the uncomfortable issue of those who were lighter skinned treated better than those who were darker skinned…..and this conflict existed not only within communities but within families and sadly all of this has become very personal!

The lumpen definition of Black had significant benefits back in the day as those who were not Black no matter what complexion were united as one strong group and we all had each other’s back when it came to Race Discrimination. Unfortunately, many have now withdrawn into their silos of national identities, religious identities or some other category…..and basically anything but Black….and that is exactly where our previous colonisers want us……divided and less threatening! Too many have forgotten that Black was never about colour but a political definition that we are throwing away far too easily!

The uncomfortable truth is that most countries that are not in Africa practice Anti Black Racism….and even some countries in Africa are prejudiced against darker skinned Black people much influenced by the legacy of the colonial experience. All of this begs the question as to how far one should measure more accurately the manner in which those of a darker complexion are more subjected to Racism than those of a lighter complexion even by other ethnic minorities. There are many in North Africa who are of a lighter complexion and are not comfortable to be referred to as Black…..even though they are in Africa and choose to be Black when it suits them!

The continued use of the term “Black & Brown” confuses and diffuses our appreciation as to how far Racism has a very different impact to those of a darker complexion and our collective failure to acknowledge that denies opportunity to address it. This failure is further compounded by the reality of  differential treatment by complexion being played out within families where difficult truths need to be explored further.

Sadly, in this political climate there is a conviction that any hint of anything beyond “White Anglo Saxon” will always be viewed as not “English” whatever that means. Also the increasing hostility towards migrants has almost become a euphemism for not White as European migrants, such as Ukrainians and Poles, melt almost seamlessly into the White English culture.

The sad reality is that those from Black & Brown communities who try hard to mimic the stereotype of Englishness, no matter how fair they may be, will one day be cruelly disappointed and will sometimes be seen as apologists unknowingly in defence of White supremacists who will cast them aside once they have served their purpose….facing questions such as “Where are you really from”.

I will leave you with one final thought…..No matter how many shades of whiteness white people may be ….They never reject the fact that they are White…. Whilst many of us broadly defined as Black relentlessly search for other categories that we feel more comfortable with……as long as it not Black. Confused…..You Will Be!

Don John

‍