(o]otrk:Does Skin Tone Still Matter -| E.ob


 Color struck: black people who
 are more interested in color than
 in... morality, sense of humor, or
 being a human.
 That is how Dr. Philip M.
 Royster, professor of African-
 American studies and director of
 the African American Cultural
 Center at the University of Illinois
 defines the














 decades-
 old term.
 This color struck mentality is just
 one of many possible theories used
 in an attempt to rationalize the
 recently televised issue of African
 Americans using bleaching agents.
 While skin-lightening products are
 to be used in diminutive amounts to
 reduce minor skin discolorations,
 African Americans use them in
 attempt to lighten their overall com-
 plexion in efforts of achieving a
 look more comparable to that of a
 white person.
 Found in a section of Wal-Mart
 that appears geared toward the
 African-American consumer were
 skin lightening agents such as
Eventone and Skin Success.
Exhilarating promises of clearer,
brighter skin all over your body
accompanied the attractive packag-
ing, but on the back of these entic-
ing items were ingredient labels
with potentially hazardous materi-
als and an even darker historical
past than the dark skinned woman
on the cover.
 According to Kali, skin lighten-


ing products were frequently adver-
tised in popular African-American
magazines such as Ebony and Jet in
the 1940s.
 The popularity of these products
 went beyond the cosmetic counter.
 They were primarily sold to women
 because of the notion that women
 needed to have lighter skin to be
 attractive.
, "'It [ % aj the


 S capItlated to a false
image of beauty and having our
definition of beauty supplied to us
by somebody outside of ourselves,"
said Kali.
 Recently shown on the "Tyra
Banks Show" were several women
willing to undergo life-threatening
procedures to lighten their skin.
One of the women even regularly
bleached her small children's skin.
Despite the risks of using these
products, their popularity does not
seem to be declining, nor does the
historic, yet relevant issues which
have caused their popularity.
 Intra-racism, or intra-racial preju-
dice, has been the topic of several
novels and continues to plague the
African-American community,
which some feel is exemplified by
their need to lighten their skin and
straighten their hair. African
Americans' infatuations with physi-
cal characteristics that are more
prominent in whites continue to be
extremely prevalent today. Terms,
such as "pretty hair," that almost
never refer to the kinky, curly hair
found on most African Americans'


heads further exemplify the contin-
ued regression within the African-
American community.
 I larlem Renaissance novelist
 Wallace Henry Truman discussed
 this complex issue in 1929 in "The
 Blacker the Berry," a book that
 showed the difficulties African
 Americans faced within their own
 community. The book even touched
 on the topic of skin bleaching to try
 and inspire African Americans to
 overcome these obstacles.
 This false yet widely accepted
 concept was the premise for many
Unofficial terms and policies of
 this era. African-American blood
 and features were viewed as dirty
 and unwanted. Royster said that
 "the almighty drop" was a term that
 allowed whites to classify anyone
 who had at least one black ancestor
 as an African American, thus vul-
 nerable to be treated with the preju-
 dice often associated with the era.
 Sprinkled throughout American
 history are several examples of
 intra-racism. Many African-
 American men would "marry up,"
 Royster said. "Dark skinned men
 would marry lighter skinned
 women so that the children would
 be lighter. Just having the light skin
 was like...someone giving you a
 million dollars," Royster said.
 Royster said the general thought
 process about skin color was, "The
 darker you were, the closer you
 were to an animal."
 Today the issue of intra-racism is
 still a powerful force in many
 African Americans' lives. A woman
 on the Women's International
 Perspective Web site said, "One has
 to look good by having fair, lighter
 skin," illustrating that these igno-
 rant ideals continue to exist even in
 2008.
 Mainstream entertainment artist
 Yung Berg said in an interview, "It's


rare that I do dark butts that's
what I call dark skinned women ... I
[don't date women] darker than
me."
 The controversy caused by popu-
lar cosmetic company L'Oreal's ad,
in which many felt singer
Beyonce's skin was lightened,
despite denying the claims, shows
that the issue of
 African-American women being
too dark for the entertainment
industry continues to be a concern.
 Kali said, "This issue affects the
community overall. It affects men
often as far as their choices in
women. It affects children as to
who gets teased."
 Royster described his personal
experience with intra-racism within
his own family. Having nine sib-
lings, each varying in the darkness
of their skin tone, he remembers the
torment his older sister endured due
to her dark complexion. Royster
said that out of all his siblings, his
older sister was by far the most
beautiful, but due to her darker skin
tone, she was constantly told other-
wise. "It affected her her whole
life... intra-racism is extremely
powerful," said Royster.
 In spite of the bitter memories
that many associate with the divi-
sion due to skin complexion, Kali
and Royster believe that without the
proper education of the African-
American youth, intra-racism will
continue to prosper and adversely
affect the African-American com-
munity.
 "I think that the way to try to
solve problems related to ignorance
and ill will is to provide people with
the education of how we came to be
called black people or Negro. The
more people understand of that
background, the more freedom
they'll have," Royster said.


 Tommy Defoe sued for his right to wear Confederate garb to high
school.

 Judge Tosses Suit of Student Who


 Sues to Wear the
 A federal judge last week threw
out a free-speech lawsuit brought
by a former Tennessee high school
student who wore clothing bearing
the Confederate flag.
 Tommy Defoe sued after he was
sent home and then suspended for
insubordination in 2006 for wearing
a T-shirt and belt buckle with the
flag to Anderson County High
School outside Knoxville, Tenn.
Defoe claimed he wanted to display
pride in his Southern heritage.
 The case was tried a year ago and
ended with a hung jury. A new trial
had been scheduled, but in his deci-
sion U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan
cited a federal court ruling which
upheld a Confederate flag ban
resulting from a case in nearby
Blount County. Varlan said in his


Confederate Flag
decision that Defoe's free-speech
rights to display the Confederate
battle flag in 2006 were properly
limited by school officials who
"reasonably forecasted a material
and substantial disruption to the
school environment" if the clothing
was permitted.
"We're going to provide a dress
code that is conducive to learning
and that it will not bring attention to
one individual or a group of indi-
viduals," Larry Foster, Anderson
County School Superintendent, told
a local Tennessee TV station.
 "We came close to winning at the
 last trial and this ruling is essential-
 ly saying you have no chance of
 winning," said plaintiff Attorney
 Van Irion "We are stunned."


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 Need a job? Don't go to Detroit?
 The 82 percent Black Detroit region continues to lead the country's
metropolitan areas in unemployment with a rate of 17.1 percent, accord-
ing to data recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
The Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn area reported a rate of 18.5 percent, the
Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills area reported a rate of 16.2 percent and
Michigan's overall unemployment rate recently rose to 15.2 percent.
 Senate Democrats have been pushing to pass the unemployment mod-
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funds to help Michigan's displaced workers.
 The House passed their two-bill unemployment modernization pack-
age months ago, but the bills have been ignored in the Senate
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 House Bill 4785 would allow individuals enrolled in a state-approved
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