59/365 Deborah
She was too light skinned, she thought. She wanted to be as black as her husband, black as her kids, even blacker—black as an African. She felt totally cheated by this dilution and how it had managed to manifest itself on her person.
posted by Indigo Bunting at 6:26 AM
5 Comments:
I guess she wasn't a big Michael Jackson fan.
lol @ deloney. Usually I hear black people saying they want to be liter...I myself wouldn't mind a little bit more melanin.
I can understand the feeling of being cheated on something she wanted so badly (but could not control)
I have a memory of my youngest son once crying quietly in his bed (he was about 6 yrs old at the time). when I asked him what was wrong, he tearfully replied that "no matter how hard I try, my skin won't turn brown". his best friend was the color of melted chocolate, and my red-haired almost-too-white son just didn't want to accept the inevitable ... your skin color doesn't always reflect who you are inside.
eventually he learned to be okay with it ... I have a very happy memory of a time when we were all going out to dinner together, and they dressed as "twins", right down to the gel-spiked hair and same-colored underwear. he was finally happy ... he had quit seeing the outside color, and only saw the brotherhood
I still have a photo of the twins, proudly hanging their arms around each other's shoulders, beaming happily at the camera
thanks for dredging up this memory ... the colors of this world are beautiful
BB: Great story.
I saw Deborah today at the Harris Teeter. Her two darker skinned babies in tow. She was smiling. Maybe because she is finally getting some press.
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