Light Skin, Dark Skin

Every now and then you get smacked in the face with the ignorance of people you know.

So at a family function a child of a particular family member was playing and the way the sunlight hit her profile her skin and hair radiated making her hair look blond-ish against her olive skin. So the mother of that child boastfully states how those "whiter" features are from her side of the family because her husband's side doesnt have "those type of genes". She was just better off saying because her mans family is black or are black Latinos and their phenotypes are not that of fairer or finer features.

Now I know their are Blacks and/or Black Latinos with phenotypes that would be perceived to be of only the White race but the ignorance of this women is what burned me on so many levels.

Why marry someone if u are not completely comfortable with their race. Nonetheless have children with them and now continuing a cycle of self hate and internalized racism because to speak so openly in front of her child this way and the child not to react shows this was not the first time. Also she was Latina, a Puerto Rican to be specific and that burns me even more because I for one know like many of us that Puerto Ricans have African origins that run extremely deep so it was frustrating to hear such a ridiculous statement.

In the end we then see how these seeds of dysfunctional cycles continue to exist. But we all know how this classic story will play out. The daughter will grow up and if her mother continues to talk in refers to "Blacks" this way she will either grow up and due to her moms stupidity have judgements against "Blacks" or gravitate toward what she has been shun against.

Cant wait to see how this plays out!