Our beautiful skin

Dear James,

I do not understand, why is the color of our skin so important amongst our own people? Why is it that my colored neighbors look upon my mulatto skin with disgust? Black is beautiful in any and every shade that it comes in, and we as colored people need to stop making distinctions between us based on light and dark skin. I don't think I told you yet, but last week the dean of women made it her priority to tell us women that "black, gray, brown, and navy blue are the most becoming colors for colored people - dark complected people should not wear yellow, or green or red." How absurd is that? What happened to the eccentric, spontaneous love for color? Dark skin is just as gorgeous as my light skin, and yellow, green, and red fits with women of darker complexions. The loveliest sight, was seeing this darker black girl draped in a flaming orange dress. She was beautiful, and the bright colors cast a luminous shade over the tones in her rich skin. I just do not understand my dearest James, why there is racial tension within our own group of colored people. Maybe one day my mulatto skin will not be disgusted and, darker skin, will be accepted.

Love,

Helga Crane