Jamaican American Club Newsletter
FALL 2019 Colorism I was reading Deborah Gabriel’s book “Layers of Blackness” – Colourism in the African Diaspora, and the first thing that came to mind as I read, was does colourism really exist today?
In this edition
Colorism Trivia Tirade On Youth Constitution And Rights Forward
Deborah Gabriel, apart from being the author of ‘Layers of Blackness’ is a teaching professional and a journalist. The book was inspired by a feature Deborah wrote about skin bleaching in 2005, which followed a documentary about skin bleaching by a black female filmmaker and by the failure of mainstream writers to discuss the psychological and historical factors associated with skin bleaching. The primary aim of her book, despite its connotations of shades of colour
Thinking Out of many one people
Tr iv i a
is, she says: “to unite, not divide people of African descent”. The thing is, from my perspective, the word ‘colourism’ is a divisive word. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, it is, in blunt terms, when someone says “no badda tawk to Caption describing picture or graphic. him – him too black” or, “don’t go out into the sun my dear, you will get too dark!” Colourism (according to Wikipedia) is a the phenomenon of non-white form of discrimination in which people discriminating within human beings are afforded diftheir own ethnic group! fering social treatment based on skin colour. The preference Continue on page 2 often gets translated into economic status because of opportunities at work. Colourism can be found across the world and the term is generally used for
Jamaica produces the widest varieties of rum in the world? From the very light low ester rums, to the heavy, traditional continental-flavored rums, Jamaica has the capacity to produce up to 50 million litres of rum annually.
JAMAICAN AMERICAN CLUB NEWSLETTER
C o n t i nu e f r o m p a g e 1
they were happy to see them being given an opportunity to enjoy a marginally better lifestyle
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Yes, in plain talking it means blacks discriminating against blacks because of their colour, which is why many of the darker -skinned people have opted for bleaching creams to make their complexions lighter. I read on the website that in India, Fair & Lovely, which is a bleaching cream, have cornered 70% of the bleaching cream market! And there is a video on the internet made in Egypt which claims “if you want to be suc-
cessful and attractive, bleach your skin white”. It is this kind of misrepresentation that gave rise to many tragic mulattos in the early 1900s. How many of you saw “Imitation of Life” by Fredi Washington who played Peola, a tortured self-hating biracial girl who said to her Negro mother: “Don’t come for me. If you see me in the street, don’t speak to me. From this moment on I am white, not coloured. You have to give me up!” Want-
ing to live as white because she was tired of being treated as a second class citizen ‘that is being treated like a 1930s black American’. She passed as white and begged her mother to understand, which along with the 20th century advert cited above, implies that success comes with skin colour. So in answer to my initial question, does colourism still exist today – yes, sadly it seems that it does!
In order to understand the present, we need to refer to the past, so let’s have a look at the possible reasons for colourism. Most of us know that light skinned Negroes were the ones kept in the house, while dark skinned Negroes were made to work in the fields. Did this imply that the light-skinned slaves were more superior to the darkskinned or was it because the mulattos (as mixed-race were called back then) were the prod-
uct of rape and therefore the slave masters felt some paternal loyalty to their offspring? Did the perceived preferential treatment adversely affect darkskinned female slaves, or could it be that because the lightskinned slaves were remnants of their offspring,, they were happy to see them being given an opportunity to enjoy a marginally better lifestyle? We will never know. All we know is how it has been translated to us through
the centuries, that lighter is brighter and blacker is slacker – but is that true? There is an argument in the United States that on average, African-Americans score 7 to 15 points lower than European-Americans on IQ tests. Many conservatives believe this is because blacks are genetically inferior to whites. But liberals believe that the IQ gap is the result of nearly three centuries of slavery and yet another 130 years of segregation
and institutionalized racism. Hume, Krieger, Sidney & Coakley and many others have tried to state that the lighter you are, the higher your IQ level. Have you ever heard such a load of tosh!? If that is the case, why is Professor Geoffrey Palmer, DSc, OBE whose skin tone is dark, one of three people in the UK who has a Doctor of Science? A Doctor of Science (DSc) for those of you who do not know, is conferred on a member
of the university who has a proven record of internationally recognised scholarship. Professor Geoffrey Palmer OBE is such a member and as such, was required to submit a selection of his publications on Grain Science, to the board of his faculty, which decided that he merited this accolade, along with Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, a white Scientist and radio astronomer who discovered what turned out to be neutron stars, also called
pulsars. When I interviewed Professor Geoffrey Palmer who is the author of “The Enlightened Abolished” on my radio show in March of this year, he told me that the reason he accepted the OBE the day before his mother died (apart from his mother telling him he should) was to show that he was as competent and as intelligent as anyone else on the planet, and that is of course regardless of colour (shade or otherwise)!
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
So let’s put this colourism to bed and end it with the famous words of Marcus Garvey: The appeal I now make is: "For God's sake, you men and women who have been keeping yourselves away from the people of your own African race, cease the ignorance; unite your hands and hearts with the people Africa, and let us reach out to the highest idealism that there is in living, thereby demonstrating to others, not of our race, that we are ambitious,
virtuous, noble, and proud of the classification of race.
Ti ra d e O n Yo u t h C o n s t i t u t i o n A n d R i g h t s There are fundamental right that all human beings have that I can not be intruded on except in cases of dire emergency of the state. Today I still see why we are backward in the respect of human rights. Call it whatever you will. Soft hearted, criminal hugging, fighting against authority but there are limits and when these limits are overstepped that is where the rule of law comes in the citizen. The first persons to feel this intrusion of their rights are not the upper class or the middle class who have the luxury of the legal profession to answer their calls and question and lash out like a morey at all who intrude, it is the poor. The Nazis did not start with the rich they started with the poor. This tirade is based upon the role of school once the child is out of school in their uniform but it is just one of many where the
state or private entities in Jamaica invade the constitutional rights of Jamaicans. To the best of my knowledge all Jamaican including teens have a right of freedom of movement. How is it then legal for a school to force children out of a supermarket because they are in their uniforms. The students come from the poorest areas. The supermarket offers the cheapest prices hence the large number who purchase from the super-
with the highest being the constitution which govern the land. Our children learn at an early age not to read. Yes not to read. Reading requires a yearning for knowledge and explanation in facts not word of mouth. The first thing a good citizen learns is what is the rights and responsibility of the individual to the state. The second is state’s functions and accountamarket. The supermarket did not even care until a “representative from the school “showed up forcing them out. If that was my business I too would sue them for loss of earning from potential customer based upon their directives. Can a school override the individual right of freedom of movement just by virtue of the student putting on their uniform or does the rules of the school end at the gate or does
To the best of my knowledge all Jamaican including teens have a right of freedom of movement.
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the constitution only cover those above a certain age or with enough money to care about intangible as rights. As old rules are applied to a new generation, they will rebel unless given compelling rational reasons that empower them to respect rules that are intrusive to their every day activities. Frankly, most young are thinking that the law or rules don’t apply at this age hence the disorder we face in present Jamaica where the majority is under the age of 35. These are not the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s, even the meekest is aggressive now for a simple thing as their rights. The hardest part of the whole thing is to take the illogical argument that its for their own good to give up right to a higher group hence the aggression as the higher group usually does not have a good moral argument as to why only we said so. Personally if they were my children, I would get it in writing and sue the school. I would not even follow to even have a discourse because as educators they should also be teaching the students what are their rights and responsibilities in order for them to become functional citizens of Jamaica . Defend your rights at all cost is how I was brought up. Some may term it aggressive; some may term it uncompromising or even rude. But the moment the door is open for the abuse of your rights it’s a slippery slope. We love to talk about caring for the children but personally its all talk. Build their minds to understand who they are, what they are, where at in the globalize world, how the rule of law exist to create equity between the rules of society and the constitutional and natural rights of the citizen of the state. Teach the constitution in High School as Mandatory.
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Forward Thinking
Be firm with me and I will lay the world at your feet. Be easy with me and I will ruin all. What am I? I am a habit! -Roberto Blake-
Many of the established not for profits groups are run by the older generations and this is a good thing for they can give wisdom and insight but it can also be a hindrance. To my surprise when I was in the middle of creating an online directory for the community, I was shocked to find out that some of the not for profits did not have a website or a social media presence; therefore, I went on a mission to find out why. It was – habit. Many were still using standard mail and phone calls to promote their events; the concept of Eventbrite was unknown or discouraged. I did attend some of their events and as suspected, they had mostly older people in the audience. Nothing is wrong with that but how can an organization remain relevant for the next generation without creating incentives to have them in attendance to these cultural events? Why is everybody protecting their turf but not including gen x,y and z? I am not disrespecting my elders but one cannot move forward by maintaining old habits. New ecosystems will have to be created in order to attract a younger crowd. Here are some recommendations: 1. Don’t feel threatened with new ways of communicating. Young people are attached to their phones and that is the way to get their attention. Use social media and create websites. 2. Have relevant performers at the events. Yes, the vintage ones can be perform but have some current artist perform as well. 3. Don’t hate on younger people with fresh ideas invite them to join the boards or involved in the planning committee. In other words: no poison mouth, bad mind or red eyes. The youth bring something to the table, which will keep your organization alive. 4. Know your worth. Complement and don’t compete; this is the best expansion concept one could ever move towards for your legacy depends on it.
Click on image to get to their website
Click on image to get to their website
Click on image to get to their website
Cheesefield medical center will enable the community to receive quality healthcare. If you would like to support this project, visit:
www.CenterOfJamaicanCulture.de
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O u t o f m a ny o n e p e o p l e Beat the Congo Blow the horn Wave your hand Out of many one people what a vibration in a this little island Even though we can’t live as one but when a party time we unite nuh matter the culture (it doesn’t) we a full joy we self you have Rasta talking Christians praying Bay song playing (in the context Bay means a lot) Smiles on everybody faces out many one people so come the Chinese, British, Syrians, Americans, Indians Every Caribbean and
Organization www.JamaicanAmericanClub.org Jamaican American Club PO Box 62 Elk Grove, IL 60009 USA
rest of the world Come to Jamaica And feel alright. Listen some Bob don’t carry no jewelry because you will get rob But come and eat have a feast. Enjoy we beach entertainment energy a shot Dink a cold beer Relax under the coconut tree. Feel free We have jerk chicken and curry goat festival, rice, bammy Fry and steam fish.Come enjoy we cultural dish Food galore Go back a your country tell every boy and girl say Jamaica nice we know say crime and violence. Corruption a plague but don’t let that stop you cause everybody welcome Nuh matter taste (It doesn’t) Come in a haste cause we have a celebration Jam dung vibration me a tell the politician say me a send out a special invitation but first we yard need renovation. Build up Jamaica and education cause we live in a paradise. Black, green and gold we proud and bold As we motto say out of many one people.
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This not for profit club's sole purpose is to create unity among positive people who have passion; therefore, the Jamaican American Club will not align itself with any religious, political or social classes that are unwilling to respect an individual's choice for their interpretation of the world. Goal: Help the community remain viable. Intended audience: Any individual who would like to help is welcome.
Untied we build, divided we beg
