Black Jamaicans are being REJECTED as Anti-blackness in Jamaica is getting OUT OF HAND,

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]One of the reasons why Jamaicans do not see colorism and texturism for the dehumanizing concepts that we inherited, um it's because of the subtle and almost playful way um in which we are indoctrinated towards these um ideologies.

[00:00:23]The interesting thing about my journey and realizing this is that it happened by me realizing and studying it in another um society before seeing it in the Jamaican society. So, I was a Spanish major and when you're doing a Spanish major, you have to do Spanish literature.

[00:00:44]Um Spanish literature is literature is so amazing because it it's so political, social, and cultural, and economical, and the themes are very very deep.

[00:00:55]That's why is a lot of Spanish novels get nominated for different awards, but um the the issue of of of of Afro of of Afro-Latinismo and um anti-blackness and anti-negritude was something I observed in in in in in through Latin American literature first. And the major philosophy or ideology per se in Latin American community community regarding this colorism is called mejorar la raza, to improve the race. Basically, means if you're born of a darker shade in Latin America, it is your duty it is your duty to get rid of that blackness by marrying into or trying to poke procreate with someone who is of lighter complexion or of a of a lighter race per se. No, the bad thing in Latin America is that um most Hispanic people, even though this was an official policy, I mean, official government policy, um even though it's there and it is real, you'll find very few Hispanic people who admit that this is a thing. even though it's real and you can see it and you can touch it.

[00:02:01]These countries also have a policy where they also say it does not it did not happen or it didn't exist. So one, it exists but some of the government of these countries have adopted a policy to ignore the history or the presence of this. So most people even though they know about it they just pretend that it doesn't happen at all. And this is one of the reasons you realize that if you're trying to speak about um racism or colorism in Latin America it becomes very hostile very quickly because um you're looking at the evidence and they they they know the evidence but um they ignore it and at sometimes the ironic thing is that their push back at you as a darker person in this conversation is to use racism or colorism to try to defend their policies to say that this doesn't exist. So I mentioned that for the comparative you know that was my um that was me as a Spanish major realizing this. Now in the Jamaicans in Jamaican society um we do not have an official government mandated Mejorar la Raza because we or or even though our our our our motto says out of many one people >> So, there's this problem that is always plaguing or plaguing black nations, right?

[00:05:07]Well, there's something which was brought upon us and we adopted it and we we refused to let go of it, right?

[00:05:19]Cuz it is likely to favor certain group of individuals.

[00:05:23]So, with the individuals with whom it favors, they see that losing this thing would hurt or would rather hurt their ego, right?

[00:05:34]So, what I was speaking of is colorism, right?

[00:05:41]Colorism is a soft form of racism, right?

[00:05:46]Colorism is categorizing people based on their skin color, right?

[00:05:52]See, racism is this. I I am undermining or I give you too much privilege over my own because you are of a different race, right?

[00:06:06]So, colorism is is in such a way that there is a certain color or certain skin skin color and skin texture that is considered better, that is considered superior, right? And it's most likely the skin color of the person who colonized a certain community or a certain nation, right? We know that European whites colonized almost the entire planet.

[00:06:34]Most, not all, but most. Right? So, colorism was was uh was given birth to because they brought the narrative that they are they are superior. Their race is beautiful. And also some scholars such as Johann Blumenbach uh pushed this propaganda further uh into the minds of individuals, right?

[00:07:00]When he said that uh the Caucasian is a beautiful race, it's a superior race, it's more intelligent. He said a lot of positive things about uh the the Caucasian race, right? So, anyone who is who is the light skinned because light skin is more The lighter you are, the more closer you are to the Caucasian, you have some kind of privilege, right?

[00:07:23]This problem is also affecting Jamaica.

[00:07:26]Jamaicans are complaining that there is too much of colorism in the in the nation of Jamaica.

[00:11:34]>> Mhm.

[00:12:39]>> Colorism in Jamaican households is very prevalent. And I think that a lot of Jamaican people's first encounters or experiences of colorism is usually from a family member. And I think that especially black people, we remember the first time that we experienced racism or colorism, no matter how young you were.

[00:12:56]Even if you at the time didn't have the vocabulary to describe that experience, you know this person like I have this person has been racist to me, this person has been colorist to me. However, in my own personal experience, none of my family members have ever been colorist to me like ever. In all the times that I've gone to Jamaica, I've never In fact, I've never experienced colorism in Jamaica. But things like colorism, racism, sexism, they're all systemic, meaning that they're embedded into our social institutions. So, they're at play in our everyday interactions even if they're not direct or explicit. So, my personal experience doesn't negate a lot of other people's experiences. Like my family are from St. Elizabeth. If you're Jamaican, you'll know that um people from St. Elizabeth, they're very light, they would they call red skin, very very light um black people. So, I'm probably one of the darkest in my family. Um and even [clears throat] then, I never once experienced any type of colorism at all.

[00:13:43]Like family were very vocal about like loving black skin and whatnot, whatnot.

[00:13:47]But my first experiences of colorism was in secondary school and it was from other black children with Caribbean heritage. Also, a lot of people assume that if you are Jamaican or just Caribbean in general, that you must be light skin or brown skin, which is not true. And again, these comments always come from people who have never been to Jamaica in their life. Because if you've been to Jamaica, you'll see that a lot of people are black and a lot of people are dark skin. A lot of people generally think that all Jamaican women look like Shenseea or something and that's just not true. Yes, there are mixed race Jamaicans. Yes, there are white Jamaicans. Yes, there are Indian Jamaicans. Yes, there are Chinese Jamaicans, but let's be real, majority of the island are black. And unfortunately, a lot of Jamaican people are still very much indoctrinated by colonialism and like white supremacist ideals. And that's why you'll find that a lot of darker skinned people, they are sometimes probably some of the most colorist. Why? Because they've internalized, you know, these colonial colorist beliefs and like to project that onto other people. And these type of ideals have just been reproduced and passed down amongst black people in Jamaica for generations after generations. You know, I feel like you believe me when me tell you, you know.

[00:14:50]But me tell you about white privilege in Jamaica, you know. Class privilege in Jamaica, you know. Classism, racism, white people thinking them mentality what they have in their head. And I tell you about those privileges in Jamaica, you know.

[00:15:05]Sometime, me feel like say the people them, whatever it is that they have in their minds, they think they are actually really better than the normal average Jamaican.

[00:15:15]Tell me why this morning I drive to a supermarket, supermarket that I go to all all time. So, even the security knows me. I've been going to that supermarket ever since it opened. I go to the supermarket and I drive in.

[00:15:29]I see a man parked in front of a vehicle, right? But, it's a big van, so I can't really see around the van. I see somebody coming out behind him where cuz he's parked in front of a vehicle that's coming out. I look over to the right and I see a vehicle coming out as well. So, I said, "Let me stop and wait on this person coming out. If he's parking, more than likely he's waiting on the person to the right that's coming out because he's in front of the vehicle that is coming out, which I am now um behind. I even had to back up to let out the vehicle that was coming out. So, obviously, when that vehicle come out now, I'm just going to turn into that parking spot. And I'm assuming if he's parking, because I don't know if he's parking, he just seemed to be in front of the vehicle.

[00:16:12]I even saw like somebody was coming towards his vehicle, so I don't know if somebody was dropping off the vehicle sub- dropping off something to him or whatever. So, I'm assuming I said, "If he's parking, maybe it would have been easier for him to go into the one to the right." Tell me why me park in the parking spot. The late person came out and drove out and I turn and park in my parking spot. Two twos I come out of my car. I see this white man walking towards me to say to me, What he said to me? Come over and said to me, "You do know that there's a decorum a certain decorum here, right?"

[00:16:46]So, I look Initially, I look at the man and I was like trying to figure out what the hell is he talking about? So, I was like, "Oh my goodness. I did not realize that he was like, I'm sure you saw me in front here and I'm trying to park." And the security was trying to tell you um that somebody's parking.

[00:17:04]In my head, I'm like, "No. The security was telling me go ahead and park."

[00:17:08]Because the security know me good. And me know what the security go so and I tell me said to park. So, me no know.

[00:17:16]Um so, then it's it's To be honest, a lot of people won't understand what I'm taking offense to.

[00:17:24]>> [clears throat] >> I'm taking offense to the fact that he parked He As I assumed, he was in front of me, the lady who came out who I was behind, I parked in her spot. The person who was coming out that was more convenient for him, he turned and parked into that spot. Now, he took it upon himself to walk across the across the parking lot to me, unknown what is clearly happening, walks across to me and says, if I know that there's a certain decorum in the parking lot, if I did not see um that he was waiting in front to park in the spot. So, I said to him, I initially I said I said, "No, I didn't realize you were parking. I thought you were waiting on the parking spot to the right because why would you be waiting in front of a vehicle to park to back in? Whoever is behind you won't know that you're waiting to back into a parking spot." Anyway, when I saw the expression on his face, I realized, okay, white privilege. So, now, you know, me start get trouble. Me start get trouble. Me start get trouble.

[00:18:25]And I start to shout, "I'm so sorry you draw me out this morning." I said, "Sir, I said, don't you dare speak to me like that. Who are you?" I said, "Don't you dare speak to me like that. Who do you think you are talking to?" And me start really shout after the man and tell the man I said, "Listen, don't you dare. Me no know what your ancestors them tell yourself.

[00:18:50]But this your girl here, don't you dare come at me, come across street, come tell me about if there is if I know that there's a certain decorum. Now, I understand that if you are waiting on a parking spot and somebody knowingly comes in and just goes into the parking spot, that's rude, but that's not the case with this.

[00:19:11]Don't assume that I saw you there waiting for the parking spot and then drive into the parking spot. And don't you dare come at me as a white man living in my country where me born. I don't know care if you want born in a Jamaica either, but don't you dare come to me come tell me about if I don't know that there is a decorum here. Is a uptown supermarket now, guys.

[00:19:34]And when we say uptown supermarket, because the truth of the matter is the supermarket is uptown, but I don't know only uptown supermarket is the the the supermarket was built for. Matter of fact, it's the people who use them hard earned money, the regular degular people who use them hard earned money to come and shop at the supermarket why the supermarket is even able to prosper. Half of the buildings that you see in Jamaica is because of the work of the of the um regular degular black people. And just because more time black people know certain black people don't know how to set up businesses and and go about certain things. You know about Guys, we really have to take a stand, you know.

[00:20:16]We really have to take a stand. We can't We can't continue for carry we self as though we are the regular degular people for them little white people who have come go on like they want to take advantage of us even if it is in their language and how they speak to us. They must know their place. You must know your place and don't let nobody take no step on you. So, the moral of the story is that man could have come to me and said, "Hey, you know realize something there don't wait on the spot." And it would have gone completely different.

[00:20:44]But he came to me with authority. I don't know him from Adams. I'm not his child. And he's coming to me with authority to tell me I don't know there's a decorum in this place as though to undermine me and to undermine who I am. And you Women and men too, we have to learn how to stand up for ourself and we have to definitely know that these things exist.

[00:21:05]White privilege, class privilege, color privilege, do not let it um stand on your backbone. You stand up for yourself. And if you have a curse, you know how to go out of yourself and curse no words. I never cursed no words cuz this him never draw me out to that level and I'm not going to make nobody draw me out to that level, but I certainly did make him know, do not speak to me like that. And by the time him was walking to go in him vehicle, I'm sure he really felt it.

[00:21:33]All right. Cool.

[00:21:35]Y'all hate to see dark-skinned women happy so bad.

[00:21:40]Like at one point we need to adjust the severe colorism in our society. Because why is it that everybody attack Janelle Brown field every single The girl don't trouble nobody.

[00:21:50]She not walk and picture with people.

[00:21:52]Every single minute Ah, Janelle, stop run. Ah, you have a follow back on her, man. Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da So what?

[00:21:58]So what?

[00:22:00]The girl live her soft life. The girl that travel.

[00:22:05]The girl that have her house.

[00:22:08]She live her life. Why don't you leave her alone? But the girl is thriving peace. What you show her follow back on her, man?

[00:22:16]You know why? It matter on her so much because she dark-skinned.

[00:22:20]I'm going to say that part out loud.

[00:22:23]Because she dark-skinned, that's the only You guys don't think that dark-skinned women deserve good things.

[00:22:28]And that's an internal struggle like a internal racism thing like what?

[00:22:34]Miss Miss Miss Miss I remember when when him gone down with me have when one woman come for buy like some ear from me and come with US dollar say what is she a come from. And me say to her say I don't take US dollar cash cuz me do there's no way for me to check it.

[00:22:47]>> [snorts] >> And we don't have a pen and we don't have the pen. You know the pen we used to check it. Me have none.

[00:22:52]So she said to me say so what she going to do now because she come all the way from Ochi and that them spend Ochi pay US people spend on Ochi. Me say well, um Kingston we come from and me I take you as I say said what I want to do it one Western Union cuz I have a dream of pristine Plaza.

[00:23:11]They Western Union in a pavilion Plaza.

[00:23:14]You know Pavilion is right across the road from pristine Plaza. So she said all right but you have to come back up here. I tell my assistant follow her carry the ear follow her. So what she did she took the money and she took the money and come back.

[00:23:27]When the assistant come back the assistant come back with the ear no money.

[00:23:30]So the woman said black fear going so.

[00:23:33]Guys I feel I have something to say. All my clients are sitting there and she said oh Tanisha what do you mean by that?

[00:23:41]So my name is Tanisha.

[00:23:44]And a good thing is the assistant she tell her that I'm not me because I don't want to say the woman you know.

[00:23:49]Why people feel like say colorism colorism why?

[00:23:53]It makes some of them very delusional because some of them feel like say to no brown automatically they look good. I want to automatically you know what brown people feel like? They feel like say the ugliest brown person look better than the prettiest black dark skin person and that can be that's so far from the truth.

[00:24:13]The woman feel like say to she light skin and me dark skin she have one up on me me not supposed to say nothing supposed to stand up for myself I'm not supposed to say oh if me for just take it because I'm a dark skin. Like what do you mean lady?

[00:24:25]Me being me being dark skin has never stopped anything.

[00:24:31]Because me not me not dark and ugly.

[00:24:34]And when you dark skin you have pretty dark skin and you have pretty light skin and you have light skin people just the same. So when you see the woman she big and look like a transgender man.

[00:24:45]A transgender woman but you never know look like a man.

[00:24:50]I bought you feel like say to she light skin she can't come say.

[00:24:53]Oh but you too black fear going so what do you mean by that? Oh first of all me never let go on no way but even if me did not go on.

[00:25:02]>> black fear guns. What do you mean by that? First of all, never let go out nowhere, but even if I go out nowhere, even if I go out our way.

[00:25:10]What my What my skin What my skin color have to do with nothing?

[00:25:13]What What me being dark skin and light skin have to do with anything?

[00:25:17]But there's a lot of very delusional.

[00:25:21]But I would think we firm and nobody I love my skin.

[00:25:26]Me never want to be no like that. What is the problem with my skin? Is the fact that me have some bum bum pants and I have a big des amour. Any day my skin I don't want one dark tone.

[00:25:38]Any day my skin I don't want dark tone.

[00:25:41]What do you care dark to me?

[00:25:43]What you mean? What you mean me too black fear guns a lady? Transgender man.

[00:25:50]That is the way they have business to go do some things, you know, people say they walk by and they don't walk by.

[00:25:54]They care walk by and take be a killer slim at the video, but it's a good got thing that my sister she tell that they are not me cuz I would fix sorry say.

[00:26:04]I would have fixed her ass and I would have done that what she Cuz first of all, my client tell me she go over at Western Union and she reach out up at the front of the line and up there spin like you got and up come out.

[00:26:13]You don't matter what ear I leave.

[00:26:16]Why? Because you can't not give the people them the money get no money. Me and I go out front. What you going to give your bad money and take me ear and gone with it? I leave your bad money give me.

[00:26:24]Bright now or tada, but me too black fear guns. So, we not have to do better.

[00:26:29]We not have to do better.

[00:26:31]I want to feel like such a fool you light skin you you better than me.

[00:26:35]You know better than me.

[00:26:39]I'm being light skin that automatically make you make you make you make you prettier you're better than you look better than a next dark skin girl. I don't say it work.

[00:26:48]Skin color not I don't want to go down in a ditch, you know. So, sometime ago when I was working at this particular place, I And when I say Indian, I don't mean Indian from India. I mean cigarette smoking, rum rum drinking Indian from Jamaica. That's how she looked, right? Anyways, one day we were at work and we're having a conversation.

[00:27:04]Now, mind you, the where I was working, we had a very small team. Like, there were like three, four of us on the team, right?

[00:27:11]>> [snorts] >> And I don't remember how the conversation start, but mind before I even move on, she's always watching these Indian shows. And I'm like, okay, cool, whatever. That's your vice. I don't care.

[00:27:20]No, one day the conversation came up and she goes, "I can't believe say like every day my cousin my mother because we can't believe say she make this black dry head [ __ ] man breed her for be my father when she could have get another Indian man for be my father." Like, "Why would you mess up my Indian like that?" And I stopped and I looked at her and I'm like, "Oh my god, you're so [ __ ] racist." She goes, "No, no, no, no, no. It's not racist, man. It's not racist racist, but of all the men she could make be my father, she make this dry head black [ __ ] man be my father."

[00:27:47]And I'm like, "Bitch, you can sit there and say this is not racist as much as though you want. It is not going to change the fact that the statement that you've made is racist.

[00:27:57]And I've always said to people that the Indians in Jamaica are very racist, like very racist. And that is reason why they sleep with each other. That is the reason why you have cousin and cousin getting married. You know they have the incest in the family run. And that's why you you hear them calling a lot of Indian people in Jamaica [ __ ] royal because they want to keep their blood royal, so they will sleep with each I remember one time again, I went to Green Hill with some people who were my friends at the time. And you know, I walked in. Now, mind you, the friends that I had, they were related to these Indian people by their mother's side because their mother is Indian, right? The mother is not 100% Indian, but the mother is Indian, so she had she and these um people from Green Hill, they were related.

[00:28:40]>> [snorts] >> Um these kids, her kids were black because their fathers were black. So, they had not a liquor Indian in a them. Now, before me cut my hair, you could very well see that I was mixed with something, but looking at me, you wouldn't know what I was mixed with. So, a lot of people assumed that I was mixed with Indian.

[00:28:58]Now, again, I don't I'm not a straight hair person or when they look upon me, they say, "Oh, yeah." I'm a My curls are very tight, right?

[00:29:07]Um I can show you pictures, whatever.

[00:29:11]Anyways, at that time, my hair, I think, was very low cut low and a lot of people who know like um will know this, if you are mixed with whatever and you cut your hair very low, your curls are going to be even popping more. So, I had my hair very short and my curls them they were popping. Anyways, we walked into the yard and her cousins from that side of the family one of the boys stopped and looked at me and he goes, "You would have been pretty if you never have so much [ __ ] in a you." And I stopped. And I was like, "Are you [ __ ] for real?" And I looked at him and I'm like, "There is nothing about you that is handsome. So, I don't understand how is it that you had the audacity to look to look at me and say something like that."

[00:29:57]Only to realize that they, too, were also, you know, in incestuous relationships because, again, they wanted to keep their bloodline royal. [ __ ] royal. So, Colorism in Jamaica is a deeply rooted system of discrimination where lighter skinned individuals receive social, economic, and professional privileges over their darker skinned counterparts.

[00:30:24]This colorism is stemming from colonial era hierarchies.

[00:30:28]It perpetuates Eurocentric uh beauty standards. You see? It also drives harmful skin bleaching practices in order for these dark skinned people to look like these uh light skinned people.

[00:30:41]You see? And uh it also limits upward mobility for the black majority. See Jamaica, the black people are the majority and the lighter skinned are the minority. But because there's this Eurocentrism and you Eurocentrism also comes with its own acknowledgement of beauty standards, people want to follow that, you see?

[00:31:05]British colonized Jamaica and so I'm not sure though.

[00:31:11]So this might be a reason why they are far more chasing whiteness, just as I explained to you at the introduction of this video, right? So let's look at the historical roots.

[00:31:23]The origins of Jamaican colorism traces back to the transatlantic slave trade and the plantation era.

[00:31:30]Enslavers instituted a pigmentocracy that placed white Europeans at the top, you see? The mixed race who who are the free coloreds are in the middle and often in the in the domestic roles, right?

[00:31:48]And the enslaved Africans performing grueling manual labor at the bottom, you see? So you have the white people, the coloreds and the black Africans, right?

[00:31:57]Now, lighter skin became associated with privilege, wealth, while dark skin was heavily marginalized. I don't think this is a problem of Jamaica only, this is an African problem.

[00:32:12]It's a problem that is affecting us all.

[00:32:14]Any country that was colonized is being affected by this.

[00:32:19]And also the countries that were not colonized are being affected because the the Western media, including Hollywood, pushes a particular narrative of beauty standards.

[00:32:31]So you have modern social and economic impacts. See, even decades after independence, uh the legacy of this hierarchy persists in Jamaica.

[00:32:42]First, you can see the job market. Now, lighter-skinned Jamaicans often have an easier time accessing in elite schools, professional networks, and corporate leadership positions.

[00:32:57]We also have the media and the beauty standards.

[00:32:59]See, mainstream media, popular culture, and even traditional folklore, such as the playground chant, "A brown girl in the ring," have historically favored browny or lighter-skinned dollies as the pinnacle of beauty.

[00:33:17]Next, we have the color issue. See, public figures and the dark-skinned individuals often still face overt prejudice.

[00:33:29]We cannot talk about colorism and fail to speak about how it affects uh the mental health of people, right?

[00:33:38]So, a visible and alarming manifestation of colorism in Jamaica is the high prevalence of skin bleaching.

[00:33:46]Many individuals use skin whitening products, driven by the deeply ingrained belief that lighter skin will yield better economic outcomes, social status, and romantic prospects.

[00:34:00]See, these practices often leads to severe derma- dermatological and psychological complications. Your skin becomes infected.

[00:34:09]Also, your mind becomes affected. You're having a low self-esteem. You always have to prove yourself to people, right?

[00:34:18]You don't need to prove yourself.

[00:34:20]God who made you black made you black for a reason. God who made them white or brown or whichever color made them that for a reason. The eyes of the creator, we're all equal.

[00:34:31]So, who's important? The creator or some human being who has finite, very short finite amount of time on this earth?

[00:34:40]Right?

[00:34:42]So, we have some ongoing pushbacks about this because despite this deep entrenchment of colorism, it is actively being challenged, right?

[00:34:54]So, we have cultural movements that is happening in Jamaica.

[00:34:57]See, grassroots and pan-African movements advocate for black pride. See, they're celebrating natural Afrocentric higher hairstyles and also celebrating dark skin tones.

[00:35:13]They also have the human rights advocacy.

[00:35:16]Researchers and international organizations continue to push for the regulation of harmful skin lightening products and advocating for comprehensive anti-discrimination policies. Right?

[00:35:31]So, this is what is happening and the brothers and the sisters of equal reason to complain. They have all the reasons to complain, legal, moral, all of it complain, right?

[00:35:46]You also have the right to complain.

[00:35:47]Share your thoughts in the comment section. Let's hear what you think about colorism in Jamaica and share your thoughts I get it in the next video.