Most of the mainstream black entertainers are light-skinned because the Wannabes are still favored over the Jiggaboos. Chocolate folks don’t get much love, even when black people are producing the films and television roles. Pretty much every other Tyler Perry film has a dark-skinned male aggressor and light-skinned male savior (Shemar Moore vs. Steve Harris in Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Blair Underwood vs. Boris Kodjoe in Madea’s Family Reunion). When a character gets replaced on a sitcom, their complexion usually gets lighter (from Janet Hubert-Whitten to Daphne Maxwell-Reid on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Jazz Raycole to Jennifer Freeman on My Wife and Kids). And the biggest black entertainers right now could probably all pass a brown paper bag test (Beyoncé, Rihanna, Halle Berry, Mariah Carey, Tyra Banks, Alicia Keys).

If darker-skinned actors can’t get decent portrayal in a film like Precious, well, where can they?

So, do you think our society is placing favoritism on one color more than another? Is it society or is it the African American Culture and values? Have black women always been undervalued ?

Seeing as "Precious" is having Oscar buzz and each of the main characters are being praised for their portrayals of the books characters, it is only fitting that is one of the things that people are having discussions about.

It doesn't stop there....

Precious and "The Princess and the Frog", which will feature Disney's First Black Princess is causing some controversy about the way the characters speak and the dialogue that is used by the princess herself. Some believe the way she speaks in the movie is so "stereotypical", others complain about her hair and skin tone.

I know, your probably trying to figure out why all this is so important?

Many African Americans have been waiting for years for Disney to have an African American Princess and some complain that they want it done right if Disney is going to feature someone of color. Make sure she is up to par, so to speak, but is this necessary is my question? Are we too consumed with race and the stereotypes that we ignore the change that is occurring in our society?

I want to know what you think, I am just posing questions to cause dialogue!

Some even say that The Lion King was suppose to represent the African American culture, but we will not get into that, but what do you think?

Here is the trailer...let me know?

But, with the upcoming release of Precious and Disney's Princess and the Frog everyone is buzzing about race and the effects its having in hollywood.

See Precious Trailer below:

Now after watching both trailers, what are your thoughts? Do you think both of them are portraying stereotypical roles or stereotypes about women of color?

What is beautiful? Are black women beautiful? How does hollywood see black? Do you think Light skinned girls are beautiful or darker complected girls?

After all the questions I've posed, I think that you should check out "Basic Black" tonight at 7:30pm as they discuss "Black Women in the Media!" They will be discussing "Precious" and "The Princess and The Frog" and the alarming unemployment rates that have been skyrocketing!

To watch, please click here. The session starts at 7:30pm. I will definitely have a blog dedicated to it tomorrow!

I thought I would start this discussion to talk about how Black Women feel about themselves and their skin complexions. I don't think that it's only the media's responsibility to teach young women of color to appreciate themselves and their bodies, I think it is also up the communities and the families. Black is beautiful because it comes in all shades and sizes, so you are to appreciate who you are. I think the media needs an upgrade and needs to feature all people of color in different ways, because they are not all the same. I hope that tomorrow I can give more of my opinion when it comes to color and being color-blind.

Wale, DC's newest rap Sensation, has a song on his new album, "Attention Deficit" called "Shades." The song discusses how he did not appreciate his color because both the media and his peers made him feel like "being darker was unacceptable and not appealing"

Lissa is a blogger and contributor for Peace Magazine, I thought the dissection her friend did about the song was amazing. I wanted you to also listen to the song. I would really like feedback, this is from a black man's point of view...

After interviewing wale for peace magazine, i couldn’t stop thinking about what he said about his song “shades” and the effect it had on his life and how a song so personal and so relateable to some (including myself) was so close to getting cut from his debut album.
look at the impact its made across the blogosphere and the album hasnt even dropped yet.

i sent this song over to my good friend and amazing writer pauleanna who dissected “shades”. i was happy to see her response because i knew the song affected her the same way it affected me.

enjoy
~lissa

Song: “Shades”
Artist: Wale f. Chrisette Michelle
Dissection + Words by: Pauleanna Reid

We come in all different shades of black, some more loved than others, but that doesn’t define who we are as individuals and the significance of our existence. A man who resembles the same shade as the midnight sky is often associated with negative attributes – He is observed under a distant light and furthermore denied access to the pleasures of his own world.

[v1]
Chip on my shoulda
Big enough to feed Cambodia
See I never fit into they quotas
Sneakers wasn’t fittin’ and my knees needed lotion
Long before I knew the significance of a comb
I roam like foam with no vocal reception
Immigrant parents had me feeling like a step kid
And black Americans never did accept me
That’s when I rap so much – Win respect, ya dig
I never fit in with them light skins
I thought the lighter they was, the better that they life is
So I resented them and they resented me
Cheated on light skin Dominican, we were 17
I figure I hurt her– she evidently hurt me
And all women who have light features see
I never let a light broad hurt me
That’s why I strike first and the first cuts deep…..

Wale’s emotions are revealed through his destructive lyrics. Many can relate to his candid reality as a dark skin man, but Chrisette Michelle harmoniously sings about the beauty in all men through her encouraging vocals.

[chorus]

From a light skin girl to a dark skin brotha
Shade doesn’t matter, heart makes the lover
Boy you so beautiful (2x)
Shade doesn’t matter, heart makes the lover
Honey brown, Caramel, Coffee brown, Chocolate, Toffee, Pecan, Licorice
Boy you so beautiful

[v2]
Just another knotty head nigga
Hoping Wes Snipes make my life a bit different
In middle school I had the right to be timid
I had beautiful words but girls never listened
Listen, blacker the berry, sweeter the product
Well I’m fruit punch concentrate and they water
Walk into my room thinking how to make moves
Ain’t thinking like a student, but how Ice-T do it
Light dudes had the girls looking there
Aw yea it’s not fair
The ones with the good hair
Couldn’t adapt to naps I wore caps
They napped and slept on me
Man I hate black….. skin tone
I wish I could take it back or rearrange my status
Maybe if I was khaki
Associating light skin with classy
The minstrel show, showed a me that was not me

His words sting, but we respect the song because his genuine feelings are displayed for all to see/hear. A dark skin brotha who wishes life were a bit different, wants a woman who will climb into his ear and listen, and in a perfect world he would change his status from nappy to classy in a heartbeat. It’s apparent that Wale just wants to feel free.

[chorus]

From a light skin girl to a dark skin brotha
Shade doesn’t matter, heart makes the lover
Boy you so beautiful (2x)
Shade doesn’t matter, heart makes the lover
Honey brown, Caramel, Coffee brown, Chocolate, Toffee, Pecan, Licorice
Boy you so beautiful

[v3]
They say black is beautiful
But ask them beautiful light girls if it’s black they attract to usually
What if Barack’s skin was all black
Truthfully would he be a candidate or just a black in the community
We as dudes tend to lack unity
And them blacker girls ain’t on the tube usually
Right now at 23 I ain’t mad at the reds no more
But for a long time I had gone cold blind
Full of my own insecurity
It was holding me
Back to reds, I ain’t know how to act
They would get the cold shoulder
And no it was an act, a defense mechanism
What I thought that I lacked

“Shades” ends with the alluring chorus which brings us back to the basics and reminds us of the genuine ingredient that creates REAL LOVE, our heart. Not only does Chrisette explore the variety of flavours we have to choose from, but she sensually expresses an element that cannot be erased.

The beauty of a black man.

[chorus]

From a light skin girl to a dark skin brotha
Shade doesn’t matter, heart makes the lover
Boy you so beautiful (2x)
Shade doesn’t matter, heart makes the lover
Honey brown, Caramel, Coffee brown, Chocolate, Toffee, Pecan, Licorice
Boy you so beautiful

To read her blog response, click here.

Listen to the song

Wow Right

My thoughts...

I think that race is seen as an issue both by black men and women a like. I would really like some discussion this post because I want to watch the special tonight and i'm going to take your responses and thoughts about this and talk a little more deeper! I would even like to interview some of you and friends so that we can discuss, Is black truly beautiful from both perspectives of the color spectrum!

What do you think?