Greetings Sorors and Friends,
I have been following this forum for a while now but this topic inspired me to respond. I too read the recent article in last month's Ebony magazine. It was nice to see intelligent dialogue on this topic, as it seems to still rear its ugly head within our community.
In addition, it was interesting to note the different contributors chosen to give comments on the issue. I think that as members of BGLOs it is our responsibility to lead the fight against this type of bias we inflict upon our communities and ourselves. I know that many of us have seen or heard problems/situations surrounding the "color" issue and, regardless of a person's respective hue, the issues still arise. As I think about our illustrious sisterhood and the other great BGLOs that make up the "Divine Nine" I think that we can lead the change in this area. By embracing the beauty of our race with all of its shapes, sizes and colors, we can rise above these 'simple' issues. By focusing on our accomplishments as a collective rather than looking at the physical appearance of individuals we can move away from the division this issue creates.
However, it is one thing for us to discuss this issue but we must also be proactive in trying to combat it. We can do that through mentoring our youth and being positive role models. We as progressive, civic-minded people must de-emphasize our preoccupation with skin color and focus on developing and fostering the self-esteem of the next generation.
I know that my post is getting long so I will stop rambling now. But I really enjoyed the article and I like the fact that the leaders of BGLOs are on one accord in regards to this issue (and people say we don't get along). If we ALL stay inspired with the spirit of our Founders, we can overcome this issue within our community and carry out their vision in the new millennium.
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