Black and White?

 
A few days ago I had dinner with some friends of mine. Somehow the topic switched to the color of our skin and how being lighter is usually seen as better. Back when slavery officially existed in America, white men would have sexual relations with black women resulting in a mixed child known as a mulatto. In an article by Cherrie Moragu titled “La Guera” she explains how being seen as lighter is better. I don’t really understand this ideal but my guess is the lighter you are the whiter you are. This idea also leads to the assumption of the person being more literate and have more status.

Moragu makes a lot of good points that I agree with, such as her argument that “silence is like starvation”. What I got from this was the fact that by not speaking up you’re not doing anything and how differences can make people immobilize. It’s like a knee jerk reaction to shut down when someone is different. It’s easier more favorable even to find people you relate too. It’s hard to understand someone else’s view point on an issue. It’s probably why it’s even harder to change someone’s point of view when they believe they are right. Change won’t happen in an instant it’ll take time and pressure. I think most importantly people need to be in situations where they can be more open-minded so they can learn.

In “Towards a New Consciousness” Gloria Anzaldua mentions the fact that many people believe that “their own people should help rid themselves of race hatred and fear”. I can see both sides to this potential argument. On one hand, it’ll be easier for the person to accept the beliefs of someone who is more like them than a person who is not. On the other hand, it would be affective to hear the person tell their story and humanize themselves. I believe that we need to work together as a society to overcome many racial and gender beliefs we have that cause inequality. Having more segregation won’t help.
 
 
-Tatiana F.

Comments

  1. Aliyah D.October 15, 2017 at 8:22 PM

    Tatiana, you make some great points in your post! It is such a shame that people truly believe that being lighter in skin tone is better, solely because it is closer to being white. It both sickens and saddens me that people cannot look beyond someone's skin to see the beauty buried within. Like you said, I also believe that it is time for us to work together and unite as a society. We should start building each other up, not tearing each other down. Also, I like the picture that you included; it truly captured the essence of your argument.

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