Black & White: Kids on Color CNN Special

Please don't show it. Please don't tell!
Sitting and watching TJ Holmes present CNN's Black & White: Kids on Color, Tuesday morning,
I hoped that after the commercial break, I would not hear a discussion on blacks still being color struck.
But it happened anyway.
I guess it doesn't matter how wide a range of skin colors exist in American families.
The tester in the segment asked again and again: Which child is the pretty one, smart one, bad one, etc.
Most of the children chose darker skinned pictures as bad or ugly children and the lighter one as good or pretty. Only a few opted out of complexion stereotyping or as old folks say, being color struck.
The CNN series examines complexion-based internalized racism in school aged children from white and black races. The study mimics the 1939-1940 doll studies conducted
by two black psychologists.
First, the white children were asked questions about the cartoon pictures of asexual dolls, nearly hairless, arranged in a range of complexions from light to dark.
Most chose the lightest ones as a representation of good and the darkest ones of bad.
Then comes the African American children's responses. I held my breath. I tried not to watch. I didn't want to hear the truth.
"Why is this one pretty?" a tester asked after a child pointed to the lightest example as pretty.
"...because she is light-skinned," a pretty dark-skinned girl said.
"Bias towards white is still a part of our culture." A voice over said.
Don't fret Blacks because Whites have the same color struck conversations in their households. A
pinkish hue is still favored over ruddy or olive complexion--as long as there is still an ability to tan reasonably well.
But one needs only to look throughout their own friends and family to see these hurtful stereotypes repeated and reinforced.
It is a good thing that stunning beauty is held in the facial bone structure of an individual and not the skin color.
I wish someone would tell the kids the truth about beauty because skin color stereotypes are perpetuated through the generations, maintained in the home and reinforced in society. (Oh, good hair counts too.)
Read more: http://ping.fm/g7yZ4

ChiStepper.com Soul Series Phase I

PRESS RELEASE
May 16/2010

For Immediate Release
"Marcell and The Truth"
ChiStepper Interview and Live Performance

Soul Series Phase I

CHICAGO, IL: ChiStepper.com interviews Marcell and The Truth for the first time in two years. Log on today to read the full interview. Also, as you can see from the banner above, Marcell is performing at ChiStepper.com, Dre & Company, and Ken Bedford's "Summer Soul Series" on Sunday, June 13th at the 9 million restaurant and nightclub, Alhambra Palace located at 1240 W. Randolph. Tickets can be purchased at www.chisteppercom/soulseries. If you haven't made up your mind yet, here are 10 reasons why you should definitely be there:

10. Embrace The Dance - The Soul Series caps off Sistas In Sync's "Embrace The Dance" weekend, so you'll have plenty of Out-of-Towners and locals to hang out with.

9. Good Music - DJ Cross is DJing so you know you're getting the best new and old school Steppin' music.

8. Party Like a Rockstar - Party like a millionaire, but on a budget at the 9 million dollar state-of-the-art night club located just a block from Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Studios. Advance tickets only $10, Door tickets only $15, and VIP Floor Seating for only $25.

7. Be Seen - ChiStepper will have a photographer there to capture your cool and sexy outfits for the ChiStepper photogallery.

6. Have Fun - The Heavy Hitters will be in the building as usual for good dancing before, during, and after the performances. ChiStepper.com, Dre and Company, and Ken Bedford Productions is bringing in Marcell and The Truth.

5. Great Networking - Meet the who's who of the Steppers and business community. With T. Pratt, Ken Bedford, Dre & Company, and Akkeem "The Dream" Berry Sr., you never know who's going to show up.

4. Be In The Know - You'll be the first to learn who's up next as we'll present the lineup for the Soul Series Phase II live at the event.

3. Our Track Record - ChiStepper, Dre & Company, and Ken Bedford all have terrific track records for throwing great parties. By combining forces, we hope to continue this tradition.

2. DJ Markey G - DJ Markey G is opening up by performing tracks from his new album "Stepmentalz." He'll be performing the popular Steppin' track "I Wanna Go Steppin" and his Steppers classic "I'm The Man."

1. Marcell and The Truth - Marcell will be singing all of his Steppers classics: Maybe I'm Not The Man; Hopes Too High; Breathe Love; and Cold Rain from the "Hopes Too High" album, and "Seed You Water," from the new album "Symbols" for the first time at a Steppers event EVER! Marcell will have his new CD "Symbols" with him and he'll be selling autographed copies at the event.


* Note to the Steppers - This IS NOT A CONCERT! This will be a Steppers party, where you all are encouraged to dance while the entertainers sing. They'd have it no other way.