Why do you want THAT skin color?

Please watch the video before you read on.

In case you haven't heard by now, Anderson Cooper sat down with school-aged children to talk about race. He asked the children to pick a skin color they want & followed with "why do you want that skin color?" I have viewed the video at least a dozen times and although I struggled to find the words to describe my feelings the first few times, I have settled on one: disturbing. My first reaction was heartbreak because I saw myself in the black children. I immediately wondered if I would have pointed to the white face before I recognized the value of my brown tones of my people. I like to think I grew up color blind as remember  treating white dolls with the same love as my black dolls. Some of my oldest memories are polluted with situations where I was constantly asked "are you mixed?" Some were nice, some ulterior motives were subtle but most were not. You would not believe the reactions I've gotten when I proudly answered the question.

"See I can kinda recall

Little ways back small tryin' to bawl

Always been black and my hair I tried it all

I even went flat, had a gumdee curly top and all the crap, now

Tryin' to be appreciated

Nappy headed brothers never had no ladies

Then I hit by the barber shop real quick

Had em give me little twist and it drove them crazy

And then I couldn't get no job

No corporate wouldn't hire no dreadlocks

Then I thought about my dogs on the block

Kinda understand why they chose a stealin' rock

Was it the hair that got me this far? (uh-huh)

All these girls these cribs these cars (uh-huh)

Hate to say it but it seem so flawed

Cause success didn't come 'till i cut it all off (uh-huh)"

-Akon (I am not my hair)

Black is bad.
White is good.
Africa is bad and savage.
Europe is pure and civilized.

There is no gray. People do not process gray. People do not understand gray. People lose their minds when they can't decide what you are. They are more comfortable with you once they are able to put you in a box.
Think about the other boxes where we are asked to check one: Girl/boy. Man/woman. Gay/straight. Short/tall. Pretty/ugly. Smart/dumb.
You MUST be black or white.
You MUST pick a side.
You MUST be placed in your proper box.
How dare you check both or niether.
How dare you tell me you're not mixed but you have curly "good" hair.
How dare you tell me your white ancestors raped mine and THAT is the only reason I have "good" hair.
How dare you start an initiative to make me feel "less than" by reiteratating how I'm not light bright and d*mn near white.
The next time you struggle to put someone in a box, take a step back and reflect on why you deemed it necessary for them to be placed in one.

"My president is black in fact he`s half white
so even in a racist mind
he`s half right
if u have a racist mind
u be aiight
my President is black
but his house is all WHITE
Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther couLd walk
Martin Luther walked so Barack Obama could run
Barack Obama ran so all the children could fly"

-Jay Z

More after the jump.