Imagine that you and your friends are the popular kids in school, you walk into a classroom and see a girl hanging by herself. You walk up to her because she could be your friend, you start talking to her and she’s starting to get comfortable with you. Your group of friends walk up her and you hear one mumble “she’d be so much prettier if she was light skin,” and your other friend says loudly “you’re super pretty for a dark skin.” You see her put her head down and her mood shifts immediately. You start to feel sad, just seeing her mood shift, but you don’t say anything and laugh with everybody else because you don’t want them thinking anything different about you. This is an unfortunate experience that dark skin girls find themselves in.
Dark skin females are the most underrated females. They get bullied about not being light enough. Not only are they bullied by other races, they’re bullied the most by others in the black community. “Colorism causes harm to the community because not only are we dealing with racism, prejudice, and oppression from other races, we must deal with the prejudice and stigmas within our own race,”(Bodylore blog).
There’s been a lot of girls that have been through colorism here at East High School, here’s Roda Tut’s story.
Tut faced colorism her whole life but the most she’s ever experienced colorism was in fifth grade when she was still in Nebraska.
“Growing up I was insecure about a lot. My hair, skin color, and height,” Tut said. “My hair wasn’t like anybody’s hair, theirs was long and silky while I had short and kinky hair.”
As a dark-skinned girl, she and other dark skin girls believe lighter skin people get way more privilege than a darker skinned person.
“They’re noticed more and seen as better still to this day. They’re literally praised,” Tut said.
Growing up with darker skin was hard and it made Tut feel excluded.
“It was hard because I couldn’t fit in. I was the oddball and couldn’t connect with other kids,” Tut said.
Tut feels like when growing up she wasn’t allowed to have emotions.
“In fifth grade my friend got in an accident and died, I was so sad. And, a girl asked me ‘why are you sad, you aren’t even Mexican like her?’” Tut said. Now that Tut’s older, the colorism doesn’t affect her anymore.
“I know my worth now , self-love got me through. Now I glow, all I need to glow is the sun,” Tut said.