Dear Tyra,

I was pleasantly suprised to see a show on what so many of us for so long have wrestled with. Unfortunately for black people, as a whole it still affects and effects us. I am a deep brown woman some would call dark skinned and fortunately I was raised with two loving parents that didn't show favoritism between any of my siblings. My mother once told me "No one is better than you and you are no better than anyone else." My mother always taught me the beauty in people of all races. I am married to a white man and he can hardly believe the issues we have in our community about race. Racism is something we have all faced one time or another but to experience it from one's own race is very sad. As a people we have not stood together and this is further tearing us apart. I will teach my daughter the importance of one's character not skin color. I will teach her not to judge anyone on the way they look. It is very sad that the sister that was on the panel talked about how she hated dark skinned people. Wow I guess she doesn't understand that when it comes down to it, a prejudice person from another race would look at her along side of me and still use the N word.

Hello

I wanted to comment on the show discussed about skin color. I am of Mexican and Spanish decent and constantly get confused for Middle Eastern, Hawaiian, Puerto Rican etc. I recently experienced a racist slur towards me because I have dark brown hair.I was at a store with my mother and walking along the aisle and some lady was talking to another (white) lady. Well she was talking about skin color and I believe she was British because of her accent I walked by her and she said to me in Spanish " I guess all negros are Americans too", then she looks at me and says " you look like a negra" meaning you look like a black person. I am natural beige with an under olive tone. Not only was I offended but I was in complete shock. I think every color is beautiful and I have always admired the black community for their flawless skin. In our Mexican culture there is also "skin" discrimination like Spanish people are usually lighter skinned and most Mexican are a little darker. But we also have those from Dominican Republic and Cuba and Panama and various other Latin America countries with darker people. Because I look more Middle Eastern I remember one time I had a class in West La COllege with a group of girls were Armenian and they kept giving bad looks. I dont why but that always happens to me thats why I dont have a lot of female friends.
I believe everyone should be treated equal however I always ask myself how can we eliminate the racism in society when we discriminate within our own culture and community ? Im glad you do shows on race because there is stil evidence of how ignorant we are as a human race. I wish one day we can accept each other as we are. Someone donated blood to me in an emergency and I had no idead if they were black, white, yellow etc. I am thankful whoever it was saved my life and that is how life should be.

This was a great topic, however it really only scratched the surface and certainly did not go deep enough to address the "pathos" of this issue in our community. I agree with one of the earlier posts that suggested you do another show with a psychiatrist/psychologist (Dr. Robin Smith, or Dr. Alvin Poussaint comes to mind)to take us through the orgin of all this self loathing. The bottom line is that hate of ourselves is what this is about. The person who said earlier just love yourself must be white. We are talking generation after generation poisoning their offspring! You don't just wake up one day and magically get over it. Like "just say no to drugs" it is much deeper than that. Another thing I don't understand is why this is so perplexing to white people as they perpetrate the standard of beauty to the entire world. I was recently travelling in Asia and the sign posted on the window for Kiehl's said "for whiter more porcelain like skin" I was so blown away by that but not at all surprised. All cultures are stricken by the wanna be as close to white as possible syndrome.

If people of different races had not ever mixed, I don't think light-skinned black people and dark skinned white people would be here. There would be just pale white people and dark skinned black people (like in africa). So I don't know what that person is talking about when she said that "White people seperated the light-skinned toned and dark skinned toned black people, thats why they are the way they are about eachother." Thats just crazy! and NOT true.

Tyra,
I really enjoyed your show on light skinned blacks versus dark skinned blacks. My complextion is medium to light skinned and speaking from experience i can truly say that lighter skinned people are treated better or different than darker ones. And I think thats really sad. Black people need to come together and stop fighting against one another.

Tyra,

While watching your show yesterday about skin complexion in the Black community, I wanted to be on the panel or the audience. I had so much to say! I am light skinned and I have been put down by darker skinned Blacks. In middle school, I had a teacher that was brown skinned. She would make comments that long hair and pretty looks are not going to get you anywhere in life. Those comments were directed at me and other light skinned females in the class. Even as a child, I could feel that she did not like me and she favored the darker skinned females. And in the future, I was talking about her to a friend that had her as a teacher back then and the friend could not understand why I would say that the teacher did not like me. The friend felt that the teacher was a good teacher and she liked everyone.

As a college student, I began to not like my skin complexion and I wanted it to be darker. I felt that I had too much white in me and I wanted more of the great blood from Africa. I grew out of that stage and I love my complexion and my history. I come from a lot of light skinned Blacks but a lot of them have achieved great things in their lives.

I have mostly darker skinned friends but I don't look at them any differently. I would love them the same if they were light skinned. I don't look at skin complexion when I make friends or acquiantances. I look at the personality and the inside of the person. I don't understand how someone can not even talk to a person of a different complexion than themselves.

As you said, they are the master's dream.

Tyra,Im a white woman..and I think black women are BEAUTIFUL!Dark,light,whatever...Us white women get in the tanning beds or lay on the beach to have that beautiful dark skin...and I cant believe that its so bad to be dark...they r soo beautiful!thanx

I'm also very pale just because of the simple fact that i'm irish. If you have seen that are irish you will know what i'm talking about. I was always told i was really pale too, and as soon as i had a tan from being outside the comments and teasing stopped. It seriously hurt to know that just because i didn't want my skin to be sun damaged i was looked down apon.

I hate the fact that all that tyra talks about is the problems that african americans have or she will base the show an just the issue they face. like there the only ones who have a problem with people being racest. or being teased about there features or there common physical characteristics in their races.

yeah maybe dark skinned people get it more often but that doesn't mean light skinned people don't.i really think that people need to be more senstive about peoples feelings

Hi, Tyra I really enjoy watching your show. I am a 57 year old female with a light complexion. This is the way I look at things about color. God made us in all kinds of shades, so that his garden would be the most beautiful garden ever. With some shades of light brown, tan, deep brown, red, yellow and other various colors the garden wouldn't be as beautiful,if it was just of a light shade.You have to have color in order to make things more beautiful, so God saw this and performed this and said, THAT GOOD.

Hi, Tyra
I am a very light skin African American woman, and I was sad to hear all the bad and negative views people have on dark skinned women. I think it is terrible, but I do not think light skinned blacks have it any better or for that matter any worse. For me, growing up light skinned in the black community was very difficult because I was never truly accepted. I used to be teased, like the women of darker complexion were, but for my light skin. I was treated like I was not black enough, and it put me through an identity crisis. I always believed that darker skin was beautiful and I dreamed of having it. So to all of the darker skin women, Im not saying that light skin women have it worse, b/c I will admit that we do get treated differently in social situations. but do not think we do not suffer too, b/c we do. Im just sick of the division between us, because we are all black and beautiful, we come in all tones that are equally beautiful in our own unique way. In the end it all just comes down to ones own view of themself and their own definition of beauty.

Tyra,
I think this topic was VERY important to be spoken about. I am white, and very pale. Often in school people are always saying "your so white!" I would also like to add that the people saying this are also caucasian! Most of the girls in my school go tanning non stop. And alot of times they ask me why I don't tan. To be truthfull I DON'T WANT SKIN CANCER! Also I like to embrace what I've been given.Don't get me wrong, I think darker skin women are beautiful too. I would love to be naturally tan, but that's not how it worked out and im okay with that. I would also like to say your skin color does not define who you are, it's just the way you look. It can only define who you are if you let it!

I just wanted to say thank you for the episode about light/dark skinned blacks. I am a white woman and I was never aware there was an issue like that within the black community; although, I was aware that there was controversy about nose and lip sizes. It was definately an eye opening experience.

Even as a white woman, I felt the pain and suffering portrayed on the show. If we could all just become more aware of how others can and do feel, we could understand people so much better as a whole. However, this only comes after you have understood the pain and suffering within yourself first.

Let's make every effort to understand others' suffering and not dismiss them so quickly! Let's band together as a HUMAN race and not a run a race against humans!

Dear Tyra,
I watched your show yesterday about shades of color. I just wanted to say I'm a dark skinned male and I have struggled with my dark complexion for many many years. I have friends from of different complexions from light skin to dark brown skin and if I'm with them in the streets, they will get hit on and I would feel invisible. When I was in the 7th grade, I remember a couple of my classmates calling me a "burnt turkey". I have a couple a friends who joke about my complexion, they would called me "darkie" or "no one can see you at night". They would laugh, but deep down inside it kind of hurts. I feel that light skin men or women have it better because they can get anyone they want and me being dark skin I have to fight in the dating world. If I mentioned that I'm dark skin they would reject me, but they would chase after someone who else is lighter than me. Sometimes I wished I was light skin with nice hair and pretty eyes. I feel isolated and imtimidated by other people with different complexions and I know I shouldn't feel that way.

As for that lady who won't let her 12 year old son date dark skin females, it is wrong and teaching him bad values. I'm glad he like females of all different complexions. I've dated a guy who won't let his 15 year old date dark skin females, because he felt dark skin people are always angry and ugly. It is real sad that its 2008 and people still think light skin people think they are better than dark skin in everyday life.

Please do an update show, I would love to see it.

TYRA I THINK ALL WOMEN ARE BEAUTIFUL AND WE DON'T NEED TO FIGHT ABOUT IT. WE SHOULD JUST ALL PUT OUR DIFFERENCES BEHIND US.

I find it so interesting that white girls are always working on their tans, trying to become darker. Do you think we always want what we can't have??

Hi Tyra,
I cried watching your show yesterday. I connected with the sisters who were different shades because I felt their pain in how society and their family has created a rift in their relationship. I am dark skinned and my sister is what you called on your show "high yellow". We have the exact same mother and father. My mother's family did the same thing that those sisters were talking about and they catered to my sister because of her fair skin. It went as far as with guys. I was in a mall in Los angeles and a guy was trying to get my attention to talk to me romantically. When my sister interrupted to tell me where our mom was, he quickly requested to talk to her. He later made a comment that my sister and I look identical (which we do) with the exception of our skin tone (a very true statement).
This has caused my sister great pain because she has always felt like the outsider with me and my mom because we are both dark. My father who is light is not in the picture.
I have felt resentment towards her because of how effortless it is for her to get reactions from black men because the Willie Lynch Syndrome that has permeated our community.
Thank God for my mother who always acted as the mediator, snapping us out of hating each other for the messed society we live in. I can't say she has mended everything but in the end, every little bit helps.
Well, I said all of this to say that I appreciate your show and for you bringing painful but necessary discussions like this to the forefront. What a belssing to have brains, beauty and a heart and to use them for the greater good of this morally declining society. I appreciate your show...

Hi Tyra..

My name is Angel and im 16. Im a really big fan of your show. I tivo it everyday, and while i was watching yesterdays show, about light and dark skin African Americans, i began to really think about it all and decided to write you a comment. I believe the problems in society with race have alot to do with labeling. I realized the whole show everyone was refering to themselves and others as being "black". Black is a color, not an ethnicity. If you were, lets say the COLORS black and white, you would be gray, and i dont know about you, but i have yet to see a gray person. Everyone is so stuck on putting labels and classifying people, as if we arent all of the human race, and we all SHOULD be seggregated or something.

I myself have a really light skin complection and am mixed. I dont like when people juss classify me as being "black", just because i have some color to my skin. I have more Caucasian in me than i do African American, and it really bothers me when people just throw me in a category. I am more than just one ethnicity, and if people choose to label me, i feel they need to list all my ingredients.

Many people have differnt view points of this topic. Its sad that people of color have to deal with racism in everyday life, AND NOW from people of their same ethnicity.

I do feel that lighter skin people do have an advantage over darker skin people, but that doesnt make anything OK. Light skin people DO still have racial problems in society. African Americans seem to be blaming one other with these problems, but the problems exist from the world we live in, and our past. Everyone views people of the same ethnicity,(light or dark), differently. It has a huge impact on the way it makes them feel, beacause of the differnt labels we have on each other. Our world seems to be based on racism, thats going to forever affect us until we stop classifying people and start looking at everyone as the same race. The human race.

Hello!!! Tyra, I think it was really smart of you to do a show skin color prejudice within the Black community. This is a huge problem world-wide. This ongoing battle between dark and light can be found among all cultures of the world. There is a certain type of beauty that is preached as the most acceptable and the best. Anyone who falls short of this beauty standard will experience some sort pressure to mold themselves after this beauty image. I am from Haiti and it is a well-known fact that different social groups are separated by the shade of their skin. The Mulattoes, people with mixed/light skin enjoy the best in Haiti. They tend to be the ones who have the best homes and the best education. The darker citizens of the country are the poorest and most illiterate. I believe this attitude is a heritage of the African slave trade/history. Slave Masters favored the light skinned slaves and poorly treated the darker-skinned slaves. I truly believe the behaviors and attitudes we have within the black community is reminisce of our slave history. A history that is still fresh in the minds of many. It will take a long time before we can look at one another and respect each other despite teh shade of our skins. We must strive to win this battle everyday.

Hi I am 14 and live in england and i got to a school which only has 3 black people and I am one of them. Most of the time I am jealous of my friends because I think that lighter skin is more beautiful. Even though people say you should be proud of your skin colour I am it's just that I would prefer it if I had lighter skin.

Hi I am 14 and live in england and i got to a school which only has 3 black people and I am one of them. Most of the time I am jealous of my friends because I think that lighter skin is more beautiful. Even though people say you should be proud of your skin colour I am it's just that I would prefer it if I had lighter skin.

Dear Tyra,

I watched your show yesterday, and I am a medium-skinned Black woman and I'm happy you had this as a topic. I HOPE you have a follow-up show which will deal with solutions. First of all, this is a pathology/sickness and you should have had a professional such as a psychiatrist/psychologist (preferably an African/Black-centered person), for he/she would be equipped with the world view of a person of color. A White therapist does not have our world view, and would not know how to adequately address this issue. It is my belief that this is part of the Racism/White Supremacy system and we need to understand that as a people. We can't wait for someone else to define who we are, or when our shade is in vogue. Furthermore, I wish you would have gotten more intelligent retorts to the ignorant sister who said "light-skinned women are better than dark-skinned women". That statement alone is a representation of the sickness of Racism/White Supremacy and its affect on our community,so if you're truly going to explore this issue,you really need to have a therapist discussing the sickness of Racism/White Supremacy from the world view of a person of color and have less commercials.

P.S. PLEASE DO A FOLLOW-UP SHOW, AND I WOULD LOVE TO BE A PART OF IT.

I really do feel like the color of your skin plays a big part in todays society. It's wrong but it does exist. I am a light skinned female and I have endured hate from some of my darker skined sisters. But after watching your show it finaly gave me a clue to maybe why the treat me the way they do. And just to put it out there I ave never tough I was better than anyone because f the coor of my skin. Truth is it doesn't matter what color you are. quite frankly no one is better than anyone else especially because of the color of our skin because I would rather be beautiful in the in side and let it shine through me.

Hello tyra,

My name is Cynthia im 20years old and im a hispanic female I believe everyone in this world no matter wat race u r have issues with the color of their skin for example me im a little dark and i always had issues with that all my life my sister is way more lighter than me and i always felt that she was prettier than me when we were growing up everyone thought she was prettier my family other guys and i felt really bad. As we started growing up I started changing my look dressed diffrently and i started standing out too and everyone started saying oh my god ur pretty were did u get that tan from? and i just laughed and said this is my color no tan!! lol but i started realizing that it doesnt matter wat color skin you are no one is better than you just because of their color of skin everyone is beautiful in their own way now i have better self esteem of my self so to all the girls out their who think their not pretty get over it cause you are!!!!

Dear tyra that episode was very touching subject ,im a dark skin person. black & latina. I like everybody no matter what color, but i get ridicules and your everyday stares its soo hard to say because light skin is way more favorble. its on tv & magazines and all men of all race prefer light women its prettier cleaner & supirior. as in dark skin its uglyer and dirty - considerd not human. dogs get teated better. as a person of color i have never felt so not human it hurts sooooo bad it affect my everyday life. unfortunetly thats how im bieng treated at work as of now. They treat the light skin like treasure and me skum on the bottom of the barrle. i dont smoke ,drink ,steal im a nice person & people still treat me like i dont exsits. thats what u get when your born with dark skin.

Hello tyra,

My name is Cynthia im 20years old and im a hispanic female I believe everyone in this world no matter wat race u r have issues with the color of ur skin for example me im a little dark and i always had issues with that all my life my sister is way more whiter than me and i always felt that she was prettier than me when we were growing up everyone thought she was pretty my family other guys and i felt really bad as we started growing up i started changing my look dressed diffrently and i started standing out too and everyone started saying oh my god ur pretty were did u get that tan from? and i just laughed and said it this is my color no tan!! lol but i started realizing that it doesnt matter wat color skin you are no one is better than you just because of their color of skin everyone is beautiful in their own way now i have better self esteem of my self so to all the girls out their who think their not pretty get over it cause you are!!!!