After reading an article entitled ‘Africa: Where Black is Not Really Beautiful’ by Pumza Fihlani, BBC News, Johannesburg, I find that the necessity to learn to love oneself is still immensely apparent. Astonishingly, for some black South Africans there is such a thing as being too black. As a school boy growing up in the ‘60s , I vividly recall that if you called an African American ‘black’, you may have just earned yourself a fight. This was especially true if the person was of a very dark complexion. Lucky for me, I passed the brown paper bag test, and was blessed with a handsome pecan tan.
I will admit though that during those pre-integration days, even at our all black Howard Academy, most of the pageant queens selected had lighter skin and ‘good hair’. Having the ‘right’ skin tone back in the days of the enactment of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and the 1965 Voting Rights Act essentially dictated which demographic groups could purchase and live in certain homes, eat at any restaurant they chose, and be exempt from paying poll taxes in order to vote in a local election. Thank goodness, some brave people of all ethnicities stood up and fought for our social and economic equality.
Nonetheless, in South Africa and some other locales around the world, many people would rather switch than fight. To mitigate their perceived personal misfortunes, they have turned to the dangerous practice of skin bleaching. A recent study by the University of Cape Town suggests that one woman in three in South Africa bleaches her skin. Local musician Nomasonto “Mshoza” Mnisi is one of them. Why did sister girl go to such extremes to lighten her skin? Well, she candidly says “I’ve been black and dark skinned for many years, I wanted to see what it would be like to be white and happy.” Ever wonder what it costs to have skin bleaching treatments? According to the BBC, they run around 5,000 rand, (£ 360) or about $590 per episode.
Skin bleaching is far from being risk free. “The dangers associated with the use of some of those creams include blood cancers such as leukemia, and cancers of the liver and kidneys, as well as a severe skin condition called ochronosis, a form of hyper-pigmentation which causes the skin to turn a dark purple shade”, contends Dr. Lester Davids, a senior researcher at the University of Cape Town.
So, young people, before you go to the local pharmacy or your family physician to get some skin bleaching pills, creams, or even have surgery, remember it’s alright to be light, medium, or dark skinned. Let us first learn to love God, and ourselves (Exodus 20). Then we can strive to adhere to the next great commandment. That is to love thy neighbor as thyself. Albeit we live in a society where the skin game is still being played, let’s all remember that man may look at the outside, but the Lord looks at our hearts.
Rev. Gene Hall, Youth Minister
Pleasant Grove M.B. Church, Ashville, Florida