Romantic

EpiCenter at Yerba Buena Center
INFORUM at The Commonwealth Club
Contemporary Extension at SFMOMA
International Hour and the International Diplomacy Council

SINGLES & Doubles...
by Jerusha
"Yellowman," The Readers Speak

Light, bright, damn near white…blue black. These are the shades of the colored folks rainbow. I received many email responses to my last column about the ugly issue of internal racism portrayed in the play, “Yellowman.” Your comments were poignant and heartfelt in their authenticity and directness. You commented on your own struggles to date between the color lines and how skin tone colors everyone's perceptions be they black or white.

Read what your fellow Lineup readers are saying and then continue the discussion off line. The Lineup is hosting a special evening for our subscribers to enjoy this phenomenal play. Join us on Thursday, March 11 for “An Evening of Dining, Jazz & Theatre.”

Hi Jerusha, as you know I am a dark skin man. I don't know if it was growing up in the Bay area, or I was just to poor to think about something so crazy. But, that subject never got my attention until I was 40 years old, and I am now 43.

How could I have missed something so deeply rooted in our race? I have never looked at a woman and thought, oh - light skin, or dark skin. It concerns me that I haven't ever, really talked about such a piecing subject. I thought your piece was brilliant and disturbing at the same time.

And a dark skinned black mother wrote to say:

No skin tone does not take part in my choosing a partner, friend or mate. I am a dark skin attractive woman, often called pretty with the word dark, berry, etc followed behind it. This can be hurtful when meant to be complementary. Only because of the society I grew up in. I'm in my mid 40's and I know what it is to be mistreated because of the dark reddish skin coloring. From having guys as early as elementary school through my college years, relay to me verbally that if I wasn't so dark I, they would date me. To having dinner with a cousin that is fair skin, and being treated totally different from her in the restaurant (recently).

I have a son now 21 (even darker than I) that I made the choice to personally instill within him confidence. It would not have mattered to me what skin tone he was blessed with at life, he is a wonderful person. The training starts as home, for society, including peers, family, friends, associates and co-workers can be very cruel. This can be intentional as well as not. Even given the confidence from a parental figure or someone you trust, there is much to endure in society regarding this subject matter.

I am a medium brown skinned man and…

Often growing up in the South, I did hear phrases centered around "good hair"- "hi-yella" and at the other end of the spectrum there was "nappy" and "blue-black". There were many derogatory names for dark-skinned black people that I will not mentioned here. I often looked at my skin tone as medium brown skin so although I missed the brunt of these crude remarks they still somehow affected me.

However, complexion does not rule my attraction to someone. Maybe part of that credit goes to Jet magazine. Through out my entire adolescent stage "The Beauty of the Week" came in various complexions. Someone remarked that the 80's were all about the light-skinned and the 90's with the likes of Wesley Snipes and Michael Jordan were all about the dark-skinned men. However, I believe the dark-skinned women have been left out.

I am still waiting to see the dark-skinned women dominate the stage for at least a while of the beautiful ones. There are some dark-skinned women models now but they are treated as a novelty for their "broad ethnic features". Look at a Benneton ad and you will see what I am referring to in the media.

Hopefully, society will move in a direction where the entire spectrum of people of color will be appreciated.

And another thumbs up for the play…

Hi Jerusha, I read your Yellowman review and would not have even known about the play without your good word! I am also happy to report that I went to the Saturday matinee show, and there were more than a "sprinkling" of Black folk in the audience. However, in general the audience was middle-aged to elderly. I am not sure how this play was advertised, but I wonder if many Black folk even know this play is rolling?

We heard you; now join us for more on March 11.