Don't Play in the Sun : One Woman's Journey Through the Color Complex

Rating:
Summary: I am the Darker Sister
Review: Don't Play in the Sun is Marita Golden's account of the complexities of the color issue within the black community as she has lived it as a darker-hued African American. Intra-racial prejudice and color consciousness has been a major part of her life since she was a child. When she was ten years old, Golden's mother told her she needed to avoid playing in the sun because she was dark enough; as it was she needed to marry a light-skinned man for the sake of her children. This one remark set off a lifetime of hurt and introspection where color issues were a constant presence.

Golden's views were "colored" by and large by the geographical area in which she was born and raised, Washington D.C. This area is the seat of the black middle and upper classes, many who are descendants of mixed-race people who can trace their roots back to the Founding Fathers of the nation. They are known to have their set of cliques and alliances that in numerous circles have historically excluded darker blacks, keeping their inner circle light, bright and damn near white through careful manipulation of family ties. At a young age, Golden expected the curly-haired, light brown-skinned boys to reject her dark, short-haired self and that she could not infiltrate the popular crowd of lighter complexioned kids in high school. She deliberately did not apply to Howard University because she felt that although it was a black college, the lighter skinned students were more readily accepted. Ironically, it was at predominately white American University, that she came into her own, as a member of the Black Student Union and under the banner of the new proclamation of "I'm Black and I'm Proud." Golden relished in her dark skin and embraced an Afrocentric look. She eventually married a Nigerian, who reminded her of her very dark-skinned, estranged father and lived for many years in her husband's country. After a divorce from her husband and return to the States, over the years she again became embroiled in the color complex issues that had plagued her young life. Thrown back into the dating scene, it became apparent to her that most black men wanted trophy wives---translated meaning lighter-skinned women.

This reviewer grew weary of Golden's constant harping on her color issues, wanting her to step away and analyze why after over forty years she is apparently holding on to her mother's mandate. Although she claims to have conquered her demons, acknowledging that light-skinned blacks are also victims, I was not convinced by this discourse. Almost every daily contact, almost every encounter, almost every snub, real or imagined is analyzed and attributed to her color. Why this accomplished woman, a highly regarded author of several books, an esteemed professor, and founder of the Hurston/Wright Writers Foundation continues to be defined by the color of her skin is astounding to me. Her recount of how an older male black author judged her by her Afrocentric look is perhaps debatable, as is a remark made by her current husband's student who expressed surprise when meeting her, but her blatant dissatisfaction about a character from a classic novel borders, to my mind, on overkill. Golden continually wonders why the character, Janie from Zora Neale Hurston's novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God is light-skinned even as she answers her own question.

On one hand Golden's mother had issues with color but her father came from a proud, dark-skinned family who seemed to be comfortable in their skin and their place in the world. It is unfortunate she did not inherit that legacy. I realize this is a memoir and therefore, this is her story, through her eyes but this book, for me, was one continuous whine, decrying "woe is me, poor little dark-skinned girl" and could be deemed offensive to dark-skinned women who have learned to or always have loved themselves. However, I am well aware that this pervasive topic is the elephant in the middle of the room that we as a race are reluctant to confront and it is indeed a serious issue. For an unbiased, well documented reference on the subject of color consciousness and intra-racial prejudice in the black community, I recommend The Color Complex: The Politics of Skin Color Among African Americans by Kathy Russell written almost ten years ago.

Dera Williams
APOOO BookClub

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful message from a beautiful black woman
Review: This is the book Marita Golden thought she would never have to write. As a young political activist she thought the old colorist barriers had been broken down for good. But now she says "we are standing still on nearly the same spot where we once were rooted." As a warm, outgoing, strong, educated and articulate black Black woman, she is the perfect spokesperson to address some thorny issues. Her particular concern is the message that the media are sending to young blacks that "a Black girl is considered neither alluring nor pretty unless she is light and long-haired."

Marita Golden is a successful novelist and professor of writing, who has talked about the color issue with people in America, Cuba and Nigeria, where she once lived. She has talked to teenaged girls and boys, mothers and fathers, therapists and hairdressers, screenwriters and television producers. Some of the people Marita Golden interviewed would only talk if their names weren't mentioned. Others, like cultural historian Anthony Browder, say frankly that "BET has set us back a decade. There simply are not enough messages in the rest of the culture to counter the self-hating propaganda that most of the videos present." Well, here's one such message and it's loud and clear. Thank you, Ms Golden

Rating:
Summary: Does colorism still exist?
Review: When a mother shouts, "Don't play in the sun," it can be very innocent. The child might get sunburned, too hot, or dehydrated. If a Black mother shouts that phrase, it can mean something sinister. It can mean, "The sun will make you darker" or, "You're already black enough!" It is the legacy that has been handed down to us from the days our ancestors labored under the harsh conditions of slavery. Our darker sisters with African features frequently find themselves at the end of the line of life. They are discriminated against in many ways, from not being selected as beauty queens to being passed over for jobs and promotions. The airwaves and videos are blanketed with images of the lighter, more European looking women. Darker women are still depicted as mammy, Sapphire, the maid or as very angry.

Marita Golden has researched the subject and talked to many people in different countries about this color complex that Black people have. She found that whether it's Cuba, Nigeria or the United States, wherever there are black people, they have learned that beauty is defined by the whiteness of skin and features. In Africa and the Caribbean, she found darker women using the bleaching products that were popular at one time in the United States, and no matter where she went, she found that the darker population was always the poorest population.

In total fairness, Ms. Golden also talked with her sisters who were lighter in hue and found that they, also, had color issues. While they might be the symbol of European beauty and were pursued by men, they were frequently pursued for all the wrong reasons. They became trophies rather than love objects. She also talked with brunette white women and found that they too are punished for not being blond goddesses.

Ms. Golden does more than just skim the surface of this issue. She digs deep to find not only the whys, but what the solutions are. She uses the stunning accomplishments and looks of the tennis stars, the Williams' sisters, to point out that Black can indeed be beautiful. She even discusses why Serena may have gotten that blond weave. She doesn't punish anyone for their choices; rather she seeks to understand those choices in light of the fanatical and frantic push toward European beauty standards that have been foisted on all of us. It is an excellent book and should be read by dark, dark women, light, bright women and yes, even white women. None of us are exempt from this crazy color complex.

Reviewed by alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers