Colorism isn't a myth.

Growing up I never thought I fit in. My mother was a Somali immigrant and my father was the son of a Jamaican father and an English mother. My brothers had inherited my father's light skin whereas I’d taken more melanin than people could handle. I was teased for being darker ever since I could remember, I was told I was adopted because there was no way my parents were two different skin tones. I was simply not ideal picture of a mixed person.

People assume that if you’re lighter or whiter having babies with a dark skinned person means instant caramel toned babies. Well, it’s not that simple. Having children isn’t like mixing equal amounts of two paints and getting the same results every time, it’s much more complex than what a lot of us imagine it to be.

I was only 15 when I was first told I should marry someone lighter so my kids would come out less “black”. My P.E teacher told me:

“Haaniyah if you marry a Filipino man your kids will have golden skin”

I asked her what was wrong with my skin and she never replied, however, that incident stuck with me. For years I’ve wondered why we as people are so obsessed with manufacturing our kids so they don’t come out darker and why we seem to be unable to love our melanin for what it is.

Here’s the answer: Colorism

Now before you start with your “colorism isn’t a real term” ignorance let me educate you on what colorism is. The dictionary definition of colorism is prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group. We can even see that with the new face of black feminism aka Zendaya Coleman and Amandla Stenberg who are two incredible black people but also mixed and preferred over those with darker skin.Zendaya herself admits her light skinned privilege during her June Cosmopolitan cover interview.

We can see that with the type of black women used in media and how darker skinned black women are usually the punchline or the 'Angry black girl'.

The “Angry Dark Skin Friend”
Ay this is very important ☝🏾️ pic.twitter.com/d2WUvJ3G9Y

— Traynesha Cole (@TrayneshaCole) June 5, 2016

Now colorism isn’t just you hating darker skin tones it’s also become a billion dollar industry via skin bleaching.In 2013, a study by the University of Cape Town found that more than 1/3 of women in South Africa (35%) bleach their skin because they want to have “white skin.” According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 77 percent of women in Nigeria use skin-lightening products, the world’s highest percentage. That compares with 59% in Togo and 27 % in Senegal.

According to the Ivorian Ministry, the ban is mostly targeted at the skin whitening products containing mercury and its derivatives, cortisone, vitamin A and more than two percent hydroquinone, a lightening agent that is mostly used to develop photographs.

The statement declared that the widely used cosmetic lightening and hygiene creams are now forbidden in the country as they are likely to cause serious health threats to the people using them. A startling claim that was corroborated by a member of Ivory Coast’s pharmaceutical authority, Christian Doudouko.

Colorism is not something we can easily take down and remove from our communities but if we actively break from the mindset that has been given to us by our parents, we can make sure our internalised colorism isn't passed on to our kids and the future generations.

Author: @hansonIine
Editor: Surraya (@surrayaa)