The Anatomy of a Division
 |
| My granddaughter, who looks just like my grandmother |
Many years ago, when I had to decide on a topic for my
doctoral dissertation, I was told to look within my own life and experiences. “Study
something close to you, then step back and let the findings speak your truth,”
my adviser, Dr. Liz Mullins told me.
I chose to study Colorism, The Impact of Black on Black
Discrimination: Prejudicial and Preferential Treatment Based on Skin Color Differences.
The topic came easy. My family’s color ranged from “white
enough to pass,” to “midnight black.” (By the by, over 30 years ago when I
wrote my dissertation, there were 144 different ways to describe a black person’s
color.)
I uncovered all kinds of things that had never been analyzed
and the dissertation has since been the subject of documentaries, scripted movies,
books and even lawsuits. However, one of my major findings has gone untouched.
Understanding in-group divisions enabled me to better understand divisions
across groups. Moreover, (when you have an advanced degree, you have to throw
in a moreover every now and again,) I was able to understand how the tactics of
the so-called dominant group were used to divide and consequently conquer
members of the so-called non-dominant.
In other words, black folks have been using white standards
of beauty to determine who was or could be considered beautiful. Of course, this
system of stratification was not created by blacks, and yet, somehow, it was
adopted and maintained within my own family. My mother would say “At the end of
the day, we all black,” but that has not stopped outsiders from saying things
like, “Are you sure that's your granddaughter, she looks white?
So, let me bring this to today; to a broader point.
America is being divided. We are being told to take sides. But
there are more than 144 sides we can take on over 144 different issues. The tactics of the 1% are being used to divide and conquer the 99-percenters. As soon
as we agree that we all belong and are beautiful, someone outside of the group asks,
“According to which standard?”
Is this divide of our own making? We know the answer, but those
same outside forces tell us that this is not true.
Stay connected people. Look deeply at the source of your schism.
Is it based on anything real or is it someone else’s construct?
Folks who don’t understand colorism find it very difficult
to believe, and in the future, people will wonder how the United States
became so very divided.
Stay connected, because, “At the end of the day, we all
black—American---human.”
Bertice Berry, PhD.
