“Light, bright, damn near white.”  “Light, bright, damn near white . . . girl,” the school children shouted while chasing a young girl home.  Red Bone, and High Yellow, are common terms used in the African American community for fairer skinned individuals. This is a phenomenon in our culture that is too taboo to discuss in private or public.  Yet, many minority groups discriminate against one another based on their shade of darkness.  Where did this start?  Is this unique only to America?  Why does it continue to exist?  “Colorism” is incorporated into the daily lives of people of color across all socioeconomic boundaries and backgrounds. Films like Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” touch upon some of the damaging vernacular used to describe various shades of skin color.  Because this form of color bias is not recognized as discriminatory by those practicing it, it goes on without discussion, protest or opposition.    

 

This 60-minute video documentary follows the journey of two filmmakers — one white, one black — as they interview friends, scholars and family members to explore colorism and its significance in our society today.