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As a dark-skinned girl or an African-American woman who is not light-skinned, I have never heard things like, “you’re pretty for a dark-skinned girl” or “you’d be pretty if you weren’t so dark.” I have just simply heard “you’re beautiful” or “you pretty” without any ifs, ands, or buts. However, I have been exposed to the battle between light and dark in the black community. I have heard black males say, “I only like light-skinned girls because they’re prettier and have good hair.” But let me just say that not all light-skinned girls are pretty and some of them have hair just as nappy as mine. The way I was taught black is beautiful, which means that all shades and hues of black are indeed beautiful. As a black society, we divide ourselves by shades of black. Many are taught that a lighter skin tone means that you are better, smarter, more beautiful, and more likely to succeed in life. But those with darker skin tones are just as good, just as smart, just as beautiful, and just as likely to succeed. This battle between light and dark is causing black people to bring down their fellow man or woman and discouraging unity among the black community. We are putting ourselves against one another; therefore, we have no united front. Whether or not you are light or dark should not matter because the truth of the matter is that we are ALL black.

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