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The Struggle of Being Dark
I experienced more racism from my own kind for being dark
The first thing people see is skin color
I came across this YouTube video about an African model bullied for being dark. It made me think about how I was bullied as a child through my mid 20s for being dark.
I was bullied as a child for being too dark. I stayed to myself and drifted to the back. I didn’t talk or make friends. I thought if black people didn’t like me other people wouldn’t like me. I hated my face. I hated my skin color.
In one of my college courses I was supposed to do a presentation in front of the class. I didn’t want to do it. I missed class that day. Instead of an A I received a B in the class. I made it to class late. I took the bus to class. I stopped at the bathroom before going to the class. I stood at the door of the class, then I left. The professor called my name in the class. I still didn’t go in. I was shy. I knew my voice would shake. I wanted to bring my GPA up, but my shyness took over.
This is a picture of me and one of nieces 10 years ago. She is 15 going on 16 in August. She is a shade lighter than me. You can’t see it in this picture, but she has a birthmark under her left eye. It’s a dark black circle. It’s very noticeable in person. Kids…
