If you’ve ever heard the phrase “Pretty for a dark-skinned girl,” before, then you know this is our colorism episode. We start off by getting into when we first learned about colorism and how it has consistently shown up in media—*ahem* In the Lights Heights. Then, we wrap up by discussing the music video for "Brown Skin Girl" by Beyoncé, Wizkid, SAINt JHN and Blue Ivy Carter, and ask who that song and video was truly meant to represent.

Notes:

Why black people discriminate among ourselves: the toxic legacy of colorism
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/apr/09/colorism-racism-why-black-people-discriminate-among-ourselves

The Difference Between Racism and Colorism
https://time.com/4512430/colorism-in-america/

The Limitations Of ‘Latinidad’: How Colorism Haunts ‘In The Heights’
https://www.npr.org/2021/06/15/1006728781/in-the-heights-latinidad-colorism-casting-lin-manuel-miranda

'Brown Skin Girl' Director Jenn Nkiru Talks Creating An Unapologetic Video Celebrating Blackness
https://www.essence.com/entertainment/only-essence/brown-skin-girl-jenn-nkiru/

‘Black Is King’ Director Jenn Nkiru On The Symbolism Of The “Brown Skin Girl” Video
https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/jenn-nkiru-black-is-king

Beyoncé’s “Brown Skin Girl” Is Not for Every Brown-Skinned Girl
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/beyonce-brown-skin-girl