What do Spike Lee's School Daze, an episode of Frank's Place, and the movie A Soldier's Story have in common? Colorism has been a subject or played a silent part. Colorism is a subtle form of racism; it divides people by the shade of skin. Its ugliness stems from colonialism and chattel slavery. The slave owners had the slave with light complexions work inside the mansions while the slaves with dark complexions work outside the mansion. It was also exploited by the plantation owners by pitting the slaves that worked in the mansion against the slaves that worked outside the mansion were better, more obedient, and more loyal while getting free labor from both groups.
In the movie School Daze, you'll see how the pitting of light and dark complexion, the "good" hair versus coarse hair, and eye color associated with Europeans versus brown eyes. The musical numbers have racial undertones that communicate the division and painful experience resulting from colorism. In an episode of Tim Reid's Frank's Place, the show talked about the "paper bag test". The "paper bag test" is a test that is based in slavery. If your skin is lighter than the paper bag, you were included. If your skin is darker than the paper bag, you were excluded. In the movie A Soldier's Story, it is reflected by Adolph Ceasar's character. He played a drill sergeant who was cruel to his darker skinned recruits. He would use racial slurs to those recruits to get acceptance from his white superior which didn't work. His nastiness was a reflection of the rejection he received from his white superiors.
Here's my story. My deceased mother received this treatment as a young girl. I may have addressed her experience having to stay outside a Woolworth's store while her mother went inside to pay the account in the store. What I may not have addressed is the reason why; my stayed outside the store because my mother was a little bit darker than her mother. My mother was "watched" by the white folks to "prevent her from stealing". My maternal grandmother and her siblings "passed" for white. My mother and her siblings had to explain how they were black while explaining away the freckles in their skin, the hair texture, and in two instances, how they have hazel eyes without wearing colored contacts. Some of my cousins felt unloved and unaccepted as kids for having darker complexions.
If you are wondering why I chose this subject, I felt a need to address this painful and ugly practice. I felt the urge to impart this painful experience. Besides the roots in colonialism and chattel slavery, it's racist and ugly. FULL STOP.