The brown paper bag test is
undoubtedly the most dishonorable moment in African American history.
For those of you who are
unfamiliar with this practice, in the early 1900’s, certain privileged African
Americans would perform an actual test on other members of the black community
for the sole purpose of determining whether they were white enough to be
accepted into their esteemed circles.
The test…
A brown paper bag would be held
adjacent to a black person’s skin. If that individual’s skin turned out to be
darker than the surface of a brown paper bag, he/she would be excluded from
joining such reputable institutions like Phi Alpha Phi and Howard University.
Even church groups took part in this shameful discrimination.
This horrid practice is far more than
a few people having been denied entrance into a coveted institution. Colorism
has always been an issue within the black community. It even dates back to the
time of slavery. Fair-skinned blacks were always given preferential treatment
by their masters. They were kept as house slaves while their darker-skinned
counterparts worked outdoors in the harsh elements. They were also well
travelled because they often accompanied their masters around the globe for family
vacations.
An expanded worldview brought along several other opportunities for
fair-skinned slaves, among them, an education. Darker-skinned blacks
were treated like savage beasts.They were constantly
humiliated, beaten, burned and even killed over trifling circumstances.
Learning even basic skills like reading, writing and arithmetic was considered
an illegal act.
The abolishment of slavery only
widened the gap within the black community. Colorism became just as problematic
as the discrimination blacks were subjected to from the whites during slavery. As the
years progressed, some fair-skinned blacks developed a superiority complex,
thus, breathing life to such practices like the brown paper bag test. Unfortunately,
the war is still very much alive today, albeit, behind closed doors.
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