Team Light-Skinned defends Zoe Saldana: Queen Latifah and Paula Patton

Queen Latifah said.

"I think Zoe Saldana's a great actress, so I am looking forward to it. And, you know, she is of African descent. I don't see why she shouldn't get to play the role. But I just want to see it — you know, get rid of the hype, and let's go watch the movie."

Paula Patton said she wouldn't judge the film as she hadn't seen it yet.

"...Clearly someone thought she was perfect for it. She's an amazing actress, she's beautiful and you haven't even given her a chance and you haven't seen it yet," she said. "Imagine being in her shoes and enduring that. It's not cool, and it's not right. I think we have to be in a place where we celebrate each other and are kind..."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/queen-latifah-paula-patton-defend-zoe-saldana-as-nina-simone_us_56df0365e4b0ffe6f8eaf43b

Again, these two defenses against common sense would allow Brittany Spears to play Nina Simone if she found an ancestor 500 years back that was black.

Some may be shocked at my calling Queen Latifah, "light-skinned"  Most of us don't think of her as light-skinned (at least I didn't until I recently) But I think the reason some of us don't think of Latifah as "light-skinned" is because she doesn't have white features.


Most days I see photos of Zoe Saldana? She looks darker than Queen Latifah, like when she was in Star Trek. And you know what? Now that I think of it, I don't remember us questioning Saldana playing Lieutenant Uhura at all.

Black folks failing to scream about Saldana playing the originally dark-skinned Lt. Uhura oughta make it clear to team light-skinned that Zoe playing Nina isn't a reverse-colorism issue.

Saldana's facial features fall in the chocolate-dipped white girl that Hollywood likes.

--That's one of the reasons why Zoe, and not Queen Latifah, has been hired by White Hollywood even when there was a white male lead opposite her.

--That's one of the reasons why Paula Patton, and not Queen Latifah, has been hired by white Hollywood even when there was a white male lead opposite her. 

--And this is why Zoe Saldana, Halle Berry, and Thandie Newton have all earned more, year for year, than most darker black actresses BECAUSE they've been able to get work from White Hollywood even when there was a white male lead, Angela Bassett being an outlier. They didn't have to wait to get roles in sporadic, lower budget, black movies and (until recently) black television.

Kerry Washington and Viola Davis didn't get a chance with their black looks, despite very different skin tones, to act in interracial casts complete with sad moods, glad moods, happiness, depression, sex, love, and tears until a black woman, Shonda Rhimes, was in charge of production.

Contrary to what Queen and Paula appear to think, Zoe Saldana wasn't hired due to her talent or appropriateness for the role (--not appropriate in looks or racial attitude). Zoe was hired for the same reason she's usually hired.

White Hollywood hired the chocolate dipped white girl look that White Hollywood has made itself used to.


Here is what I think of as "cool" and "right."

1) Acknowledgement from some light-skinned actresses that they were preferentially hired over other black actresses because they are pale.
2) Acknowledgement from some light-skinned actresses that Zoe Saldana's casting as Nina Simone was more of the same and ultra-ignorant because of who Nina Simone was.


3) Frankly, I think light-skinned actresses owe black women of all shades some gratitude for the unwavering support. And I do mean unwavering.

Between my grandmother, my mother, and myself, we have tried to see almost everything that Dorothy Dandridge, Diahann Carroll, Halle Berry, Vanessa Williams, Queen Latifah, Paula Patton, and Zoe Saldana have put out. We have cheered at every sign that light-skinned black women were knocking down racial barriers into White Hollywood for black women.We cheered in

in 1960
in 1970
in 1980
in 1990
in 2000
in 2010

Only in 2000 or so did we begin to question light-skinned women's ability to knock down the door for dark skinned actresses too.

And now, in 2016, we have to question light-skinned actresses commitment to the rest of black-womendom.

Now, in 2016, these same women are going to lock arms in light-privilege, cry light tears, and brag about their colorblind denial just like white folks? Really? They are going to squawk because we insist that they join the rest of us trying to break down the colorism barrier against dark-skinned actresses?

They are going to link light-arms together against the rest of black women-dom even when the biopic we're discussing is about Nina Simone? Nina freaking Simone? They're going to try to defend black face with "give her a chance" and "She's a fantastic actress." Really?

Do Paula Patton and Queen Latifah know who Nina Simone was? Does Zoe Saldana? Zoe said it was okay for Olivier to play Othello in black face, rather than have a black actor play the part. Is that okay with Latifah and Patton too?

I hate to get petty but let me point out one things. While there are quite a few pale-skinned black actresses that are as just as beautiful as their darker-skinned sisters, some of these light-skinned actresses we've supported over the years will never, ever be mistaken for Cicely Tyson or Meryl Streep.

We knew that White Hollywood's preferences weren't their fault, so we supported them anyway.

But this denial of light privilege is Queen Latifah's fault. This denial of light privilege is Paula Patton's fault too. I don't have to watch any one of the three of them in anything again. And of the three, Queen Latifah is the one who's career will faulter.  Latifah's career is THE ONE built almost entirely on black support, and probably black female support she relies on at that. (Spike Lee, John Singleton, and Antoine Fuqua didn't hire her as a central character or a love interest. And I don't recall a single black man telling me they loved her performance in anything prior to "Bess")

Black women have kept Scandal, Being Mary Jane, and How To Get Away With Murder on the air with a little help from our friends. We have power. And we can decide we are done with colorism deny-ers in a heartbeat.

WHAT IS LIGHT PRIVILEGE?

Team Light skinned 
by Kai Davis, Hiwot Adilow and Telia Allmond

Feeling Rebloggy

"What is Light Skin Privilege? (USA)

While many of my light skin brethren want to fight side by side with out darker counterparts, we often over look our own privilege. Many, even denying that there is any privilege at all. Just as white people don’t often see their privilege,light skin people don’t always see ours. Conversations about light skin privilege often end with light skinned people talking about how they don’t have “white” privilege.

Well, you’re right. We don’t. We are in the same boat as our darker family members when it comes to that particular point. Yet, conveniently, we forget that while we will get a longer sentence than a white person for committing the same crime. We will get less of a sentence than someone who is darker.

While, we are less likely to get a job based on the color of our skin than white people, we are more likely than our darker counter parts to not only get the job but to get paid more money. Especially, if that job puts us in front of customers or has us be the “face” of the company.

Lighter skin is also seen as more desirable. The white washing of historical characters means that if the historical figure is dark skinned, they will very likely be played by a light skinned actor/actress in a movie or on TV.

Our denial of light skin privilege is no different than a white person denying that they have white privilege. It’s ugly, it’s factually incorrect and it hurts the very people who are already hurting the most. It’s not okay to deny our privilege. Not ever."

RacismSchool.Tumblr.com

http://racismschool.tumblr.com/101IntrotoRacism

SLIPPING INTO WHITE SUPREMACY THROUGH THE BACK DOOR

    Ted Cruz                                                                              Bobby Jindal                    

Rafael Cruz is on the ballot as “Ted Cruz.” Piyush Jindal is on the ballot as “Bobby Jindal.” Conservatives seem okay with the idea of a minority republican candidate, just so long as

A) he pushes an agenda which trumpets the cause of white America while ignoring his own ethnic people, and

B) he changes his name to something more [white]-sounding. 

http://www.dailynewsbin.com/opinion/why-does-rafael-cruz-have-to-pretend-his-name-is-ted-cruz-to-appeal-to-republicans/21718/

I know that many people do not understand race as a "social construct."  I've also experienced people taking the words "social construct of race" to mean that race isn't real
when the response to race
when the outcomes of racism
are so very real
to those of us that belong
to the group most often on the receiving end
as opposed to the group on the dishing out end.

 But it still surprises me, a little, when people are silly enough to think someone like Officer Brian Encinia, who was instrumental in causing Sandra Bland's death,  doesn't enjoy white privilege just because he supposedly marked "Mexican" on his voting registration.

Even if one has never heard the words "white" "passing" and "privilege" together the concept and benefits of white-passing privilege should be quite obvious.

All of this is not to say ethnic groups other than white can't be prejudice and bigoted (and racist in my opinion).  But paler people of color can "pass" Therefore they most definitely can execute "racism" from inside whiteness.

GOOGLED DICTIONARY DEFINITION 

RACISM - the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. 

prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.

I understand why the "racism" definition popular among people of color, for now, includes a power dynamic and addresses the systemic. And I agree that white people are the only people in this country powerful enough to execute a racism systemic enough to be effective enough to block other groups from resources, jobs, and advancement for long periods of time.

However,  the redefining of the word "racism"  away from it's basic dictionary definition is a poor use of language.

Poor use of language 1:  The googled common definition captured above does not include a power dynamic. That means the "only white people can be racist" thing is not common knowledge. The purpose of language is to communicate. One word cannot have multiple basic meanings when used in a single context. This stops communication.

Poor use of language 2: When people of color outnumber white people will people of color be the racists using the power definition of racism?

Poor use of language 3: With the power definition of racism, will white people only cease to be the only racists when people of color enjoy more financial and political power than white people?
Who will define when this power line has been crossed? How many racial and ethnic groups will have to be across the line before "white people are the only ones who can be racist" switches to "only people of color can be racists?"   

Let's pretend it's possible that all people of color band together and we have 51% of the financial and political power by 2050, will racism disappear or will the word "racism" disappear? (White folks are trying to do the latter right now.)
If the word "racism" disappears into the *power dynamic* confusion, will we turn into France erase white or non-white history  altogether then refuse to acknowledge differences at the very same time we're making one ethnic/religious group 60 - 70% of the prison population.( In France right now, the prison population is predominantly Muslim)

Poor use of language 4:  Donald Trump is probably a racist using most any definition of racism you can find. And in my opinion, he's still a racist if he visits South Africa or if he decides to live in South Africa. He's also a racist if he decides to visit Nigeria or if he decides to live in Nigeria. Donald Trump can be described as a racist where ever he goes and no matter how long he decides to stay there. And this picture of Trump is simpler to hold in one's mind and describe if the definitions of "racism" and "racist" being used are the basic dictionary terms.

All of this is why, in my opinion, the word "racism" (dictionary definition) and racist need to be qualified with the words "effective" and "systemic" when that's what you mean.

 Using the basic definition of racism, it's easier to keep the conversation on track when talking about how Sandra Bland's death is an outcome of white supremacy and racism, regardless of whether or not Brian Encinia's marked "Mexican" on his voter registration card.  Encinia's police uniform, white phenotype, and white man's name (Brian)  allows him to be inside whiteness, as inside as "Ted" and "Bobby" from where I sit.

Surely, it's easy to see that Encinia executes behavior just like any other white male sure of supremacy further secured with a badge.


Rafael Cruz running for president as  Ted Cruz and Piyush Jindal running as Bobby Jindal  shows us how powerful perceived whiteness is in this country as well.  However, George Zimmerman changing his appearance from a TV stereotypical Latino gang member that killed Trayvon Martin to a doughy, clean shaven almost-white boy for his murder trial reveals systemic racism's connection to varying degrees of whiteness even more clearly. 

Stereotype fitting George Zimmerman up top
Whiter looking Zimmerman on the bottom

If it had been a latino-looking George Zimmerman out for tea and skittles that night with a crazy Bill Clinton look-alike running around, fondling his gun while looking for someone to stalk, then Zimmerman would have been the one killed and accused of being a thug. It would have been Zimmerman found guilty of his own murder.  

Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal, Brian Encinia, and George Zimmerman all have the ability to play the best race card there is in this country, the white one. And from where I sit, they continue to be masterfully played.