As someone who is half black and half white I was very offended but one particular part of the show. When Tyra was asking the gentlement which type of women they perferred then cheered when the one man said dark women and they booed when the other man said light skinned. It just seems like it's alright for some people to have preference for darker skinned people, but if they have a preference for light skinned people its no alright. It seems like a double standard to me. I mean you shouldn't make judgements on people based on their skin color. However, when it comes to dating I think it's perfectly fine to have preferences. Preferences when it comes to dating are fine as long as you don't let that get in the way of seeing who someone truely is. I mean someone may have a preference for Asian women and may end up marrying a black women. It just seemed wrong that it was okay to have preferences for darker women but not lighter women, I mean it's not like you can choose what color you are born with and most people don't consciously choose what color people they like in a romantic way.

What is with this "One Drop" rule? Tyra, you are a light-skinned black and obviously have some European ancenstry. Why do you only identify as an African American woman and not consider yourself part European? How come Halle Berry also considers herself African American when her mother is white? I saw an extremely light-skinned African American woman on your show. She was so light she looked 97% European. However, she identified herself as "half-black." There is no way she is half black! If she were half black she would be much darker. Can you do a show that asks why African Americans don't embrace their European roots? I heard somewhere that 90% of African Americans have some European ancestry. Also, can you explain your father's ancestry? How come you never talk about him? Was he a lot lighter than your Mom

Jessica

Tyra,

I saw the show today and I can relate to light-skinned Black females. I myself grew up in a house with siblings who are darker than me and I was always called "White girl" or "House N****r" or say things like our Mom found me on the doorstep and took me in.

Even when boyfriends and friends come over they might see only one of my parents, but when they see the other one they have alot of questions. My Mom is a foster parent so one day after I picked the kids up for her from daycare, they asked was I a kid that she had adopted.

As a child in Headstart, the teacher asked all the black kids to raise their hands and they did. I looked around and kept my hand down. Then they asked the white kids to raise their hands, so I looked around and raised my hand. The teacher asked me what color I was and I looked around again and said "White". I looked closer to the White kids skin color so that is what I assumed.

As an adult I still have to explain "what I'm mixed with". I have naturally curly hair so now that I don't perm my hair anymore and I wear it natural, people assume I have a Jheri Curl. When I am around Black females, they will see my curly hair and ask me what I put on it to get it curly. When I tell them shampoo and conditioner and little gel, they don't believe me.

When I was 18 applying for my first apartment, the landlord asked me to bring in all forms of ID including my greencard. I told my Mom about it and she laughed at me and explained to me what it was.

I have learned as an adult that instead of trying to be accepted by the White or Black races, I gear more towards Hispanic. I usually date Hispanic guys, my friends are Hispanic, and I go to Hispanic clubs then learned to like the music. They assume I'm Hispanic unless I tell them different. I have even thought about going to a Hispanic salon because I think they may know how to style my hair. The first thing they want to do at a black salon is perm it and the white salon don't know what to do with it.

Now that my little sister is 11 and going to Junior High School, I see the same things going to happen to her.

Dear Tyra,
I commend you on the "Light Skin/Dark Skin" Show. I think there is more to be said and you should do a Part 2. How do we break the cycle? By teaching our children to love themselve regardless of skin tone and others shouldn't be treated differently because of theirs. I consider my skin tone to be Medium. I personally haven't really experience any decrimination from other blacks because of my complexion, but I have always been aware that it exist. One of my childhood friends was considered "high-yellow" and she got a lot of attention and often fell into that "I'm better than you" and "stuck-up" sterotypes. I've met men who only date light-skinned women. Fortunatedly, my mother played a big role in helping me to have self-esteem and self-worth. It is my job now to teach my 3-year old daughter to love herself and know that she is a beautiful brown child. Most importantly, I want her to know that beauty comes from within and she shouldn't treat others differently because of the color of their skin. I think those who think better of themselves than others who are darker and also those who limit their friends and associates to one certain skin tone are shallow and aren't any better than people from one race disliking other races. I've dated men from white to very dark-skinned. I know some beautiful women who are very dark. It is not the wrapping that makes the gift, but what is inside.

Hi Tyra! I knew why I liked you so much. You are a very clever and intelligent woman, not to mention drop dead gorgeous. Great show! My friends and I during a study session was just talking about this yesterday. We are all black women of different sizes, shapes, and colors. My view was that I consider myself a darker skinned woman with fairly long hair and light brown eyes. My mom is cuban Jamaican, so people automatically assume that that's why I look the way I do when they find out my mixture. The people that don't know me tell me that I'm very pretty for a black girl which I take as a back handed compliment. My mom is light skinned and I wanted to know what she thought. She felt that lighter skinned women do feel superior to darker women (not her), and are often treated better than their darker counterparts. I find this to be true in my experience. I went to school with a girl that was light skinned with long curly hair. I knew her very well and I touched her hair while saying hi and she threw a fit. She told me that another black girl had put gum in her hair when she was younger because she was jealous. I wanted to say why would I be jealous of you when I have my own hair? It just really made me mad and I was disheartened. I knew her and she treated me like that. I've seen many light skinned women talk crap about dark skinned women because they felt they looked better than them. It's just an on going issue that I deal with and that I feel that dark skinned women deal with. Yes it has to stop, and we need some sisterhood, but I don't know if we're going to be accepted as beautiful and/or intelligent. When a light skinned woman walks by she is presumed beautiful without a second glance, but when a dark skinned woman walks by she has to be analyzed to find out if she's pretty or not. It's rough and I think we have a long way to go before things change. Mad Tyra love!!!!!

I just started watching your show last week and I love it. Tonight, I was shocked to find out that there was racism within the black community. I didn't know that. It reminded me of a book I started to read called "Caucasia" by Danzy Senna about a darker and lighter skin pair of sisters and how their dad's girlfriend doesn't even accept the lighter skin daughter!It takes place during the segregation period. I myself, have felt pretty ugly at times because my dad is part mexican and my mom is mostly german. I came out as a white, blonde german-mexican. I feel when I talk to pure mexican girls, they just look and think of me as a white girl wannabe. I never wanted blonde hair and I am so ashamed of it and my skin, that I have darkened my hair.I never want to go back to blonde again. Even just that much, makes me feel a little bit more authentic. i love you Tyra and your shows are so touching and interesting!

First I want to say Tyra this was a must needed show to let the world see how black people really do think about other black people skin tone.I am a dark skin African America woman and, I have never had to experience what some of those ladies had to endure and it's a crime shame. And to the lady that made that ingorant statement about she believe's that light skin people are better than dark people and that she does'nt want her son to date a dark skin woman, I have news for her she is not all that and WAY to go Terry for sticking up for what he believe's in, She needs her head examine

Tyra,
Excellent show!!! I deeply appreciate you revealing the ignorance & prejudice that exists in our race. There are so many people who spend far too much time worrying about who is lighter/darker when at the end of the day we are all viewed as the same thing...Black! Despite anyone's skin color when we walk in to certain department stores or attempt to move into certain neighborhoods skin color is most often an issue. I am of a lighter shade & have been followed as though I was attempting to steal, have been stared at when visiting a doctors office in an upper east side area as if I didn't belong & have endured many of the same issues that a woman of a darker shade has gone through.

It seems so ridiculous to me that in this day & age "we" as a race are so focused on skin tone, hair length & hair texture when there are so many other more important issues going on in the world. With all of the negative images of African American people as a whole you’d think that some of your guests & those who may share those same opinions would be trying to build up our race instead of trying to tear it down by dividing us based on something so crazy as skin pigmentation.

I hate to disappoint anyone who may be reading this because my skin color has not afforded me anymore luxuries in life than anyone else. All that I have & the women I’ve become was not based on anything other than hard work & focus. I have never longed to be anything/anyone else, have never tried to over exaggerate my ethnicity to compensate for my lack of browner skin & I embrace the sun each & every summer season so that my skin is darker!!! However ignorance is bliss & it is so sad that some many don’t realize how they got that light skin & what our ancestors had to endure...I wonder how they’d feel had there not been any race mixing & we were all the same shade what would be the line of division then?

I am really glad that you did the show today. It is an issue that I as a dark-skinned woman battled with in the past. I am dark with natural long curly hair. I am always told that I am pretty for a dark-skinned girl. Or I am asked if I am mixed, because of my curly long hair. I have never treated a lighter-skinned person badly or have I expressed any jealousy. I was the first one out of my group of friends to graduate from college, start my career, get married, and buy my first home. All of this I achieved before the age of 30. So, there was never a need for me to be jealous of anyone. The problem I have is only with ignorant people who feel that dark is dirty or ghetto. One young lady even commented that the darker women that disagreed with the lighter women were ghetto. The only person that appeared ghetto was the young lady who is raising her son to hate his own people. She and anyone that agrees with this ignorance needs to read the Willie Lynch Letters. They are the slave master's perfect dream.

I am a black woman of dark complexion and I have heard similar comments expressed by your guests today (like "You're so dark and/but you have such pretty skin). Also, when I was younger I was teased because of my skin tone so as a teenager I just accepted that I was ugly because of it. But thank God for maturity because now I know so much better. Even though insecurities from my adolescent years still exist in me I am very comfortable with myself and would hope that all of your panelists, guests, and viewers are able to overcome their insecurities as well. As for your guest, Tamara, I think that she needed to hear some of the comments from your audience members but no one offered her the friendship she seems to be lacking. Just let her know that I can be her 'dark-skinned' friend when she is ready to let go of her past and the INDIVIDUALS who hurt her.

Tyra,
Thank you, Thank you for for putting this "white elephant" on the front
page! This has been an ugly issue for years. I come from a family of five, three girls and two boys. We all have the same mother and father, yet we are all different shades. I grew up confused and thinking my sister and I must have adopted! Being born in the South and my mother having to explain she was the mother of "two" fair skinned girls did not help the problem. In fact it made bonding difficult because there was nothing to explain. It wasn't until my youngest sister was born that my mother felt more like a mother. My sister was dark,she my mother, and validated her being a mother. So, two of us grew up thinking we did not belong.
That validation of "not belonging continued throughout our childhood with constant questions and statements, "Where is your mother?" "Are you sure that's your mother? "That's not your mother." "Are you mixed? "You're not black!" CONFUSION! Then,who was I if that was not my mother? It was difficult for us to take sides, because blacks felt we weren't black enough, while whites felt you were too black to be white. I remember when my sisters and I got into a verbal argument we would call each other names, "vanilla wafer" and "chocolate drop." For the sake of God,we were sisters with the same momma and same daddy.We learned and experienced prejudice from blacks, and whites
You see the hatred starts early, family, because not only did we not have a place in our family, but we did not have a place in society. I believe fair skinned women don't always choose to hang with other fair skinned women, but there is an unspoken kindred between us. It is not always the glamorous life ,with the glamorous people. Some of us have had our asses kicked by men and haters! and life has been painful.
We need to continue to open the doors to expose the "ugliness" of hatred. How can we love others when we can't love ourselves? Thank you for courage and wisdom. Thank you for your efforts in "making a difference" in the lives of other. Thank you,Tyra , for not being afraid to be real. Thank you, Tyra, for being an Angel.

Dear Tyra,
I just wanted to thank you for your show today. To be honest, I am a white woman who never even dreamed that light skin versus dark skin was of such contention within the black community. One of my friends from India once told me that Indians value light-skinned people over dark-skinned people, and that mixed-race Indians were considered to be prettier than Indians with full Indian heritage. I thought she was crazy when she was telling me all about it, and figured it had more to do with post-colonialism and immigration, but now I see this is a problem shared across races and cultures.

While I will never experience this problem (as I am one of the fairest white people out there, and I have to buy porcelain foundation), my heart goes out to everyone who does have to deal with it. Our society has so many other problems that the color and shade of one's skin shouldn't even be a factor, but unfortunately, it is. I only hope that other people will become educated like me, so that tolerance and respect for ALL people will reign, instead of ignorance and hate.

And as a funny side note, Tyra, my half-Russian half-Maltese mother loves the color of your skin! She always says she wishes she could be your color when she tans, instead of her darker olive color. And I wish I could just have some color, period, instead of resembling a lobster!

Dear Tyra,

I just wanna say thank you, i never thought any tv show would of ever done a show like, that. I didnt think any one felt that way other then me, but it is true. Skin tone dose effect us, if we like it or not. Im 17 and im Mexican, and for us its the same way. People think that just because your a darker Mexican u have no class and is known to be more "beaner or wet-back" and if you would to be more light skinned you have more class and have more apportunities in life. And i see that, as unfair. Its not our fault that we are the color we are, and us darker skin people are just as good as the lighter skin people

Hello,
I have been a fan of this show for a while, but today I was disappointed with the headline. Being light colored or dark colored should not matter. Can't we all unite under one thing? The color of skin is so superficial I think we should be concentrating about how more or less to conserve energy or the wars going on. I myself am a light skinned American Indian and have never really dealt with hatred or "racism" from my own race. Instead we unite on things we CAN change, like dealing with obesity, diabetes, and acholoism. I apologize for my mis-spelling. Can't the black community do the same thing? It just doesn't make sense to arguing about things we can't change.

Dear, Ms. Tyra
I woulld like to say THANK YOU. I'm sixteen and never tought that there were other sister that are light and dark, just like my little sister and I. The two differances between the light and dark sisters you had on your show are that i'm the oldest and also that "dark one" and Amina and I have the same mother and father. Todays show opened my eyes and made me fell better about being the "dark one" of the girls in my family.So I just wanted to say THANK YOU.

i don't think that the color of ur skin shuld make u or break u. im a beautiful brwn skinn 17 yr old gurl. i personally think that light skinn girls are no prettier than a dark gurl. im still in high school and my bestfriend is high yellow u can say and i feel that i get more play than her. u dnt have to be light skinned to be pretty. ppl think that because they r light skinn they always have the pretty hair n look better but there are lots of dark beautiful woman with long hair wether they have long hair or not they still are beautiful. and really all i have to say is black is beautiful... da blacker the berry the sweetier the juice. be pround of ur dark skin or if ur light skinned be proud of who u are ur beautiful *MWA*

I don't really understand
why it should matter the color of ones skin.I wasn't
born in the days of slavery
so I can't understand why I
being white am hated so by
the other races especially
the black people.I couldn't
control what my ancestors
did.When I see another race
I don't look at the color of their skin.As a matter of fact I'm jeolous of the black woman maybe jeolous isn't the right word envious would be the right thing to say.I have thin lips,no butt,and people are always commenting on those two things which make
me feel very insecure.I think black woman are beautiful.God made all of us so we shouldn't allow
color to cause such hatred!

These dark skinned girls on your show who have the nerve to put down lighter girls have no class. They don't act like ladies. They're crass, speak crudely, and do not act like ladies. It's pretty sad that society sees us as such. I'm light skinned, so most people mistake that for being stuck up.

Quite honestly, i'm not stuck up. I am a lady and i ACT LIKE IT. These ghetto girls who find it acceptable to spew the word n*gger out of their mouths aren't being looked down upon because they're dark, it's because they act like TRASH.

I'm 17 years old, and i can spot the difference. These dark girls may not be ugly, but they certainly don't act like ladies.

It's pathetic.

Hey!

I am 15 years old. I think that this issue of light skinned vs dark skinned affects almost every race. I am Latin, Italian, Indian, and who knows what else. I think I'm medium tan. Although I am now home schooled, when I was in school I was always like an outcast to white girls (I don't really know why, could be because I was darker.) After whatching the show today I realized that a lot of my friends now and in past have been black or latina girls. I was wondering if white girls think that latin or black girls have it easier?

I saw the show today, and although I think it was good to bring up, this is always going to be an issue in our community. I think first and foremost the old slave owners of our ancestors and other racist ppl in the past have won. They wanted to bring us down and they managed to do that b/c now we cant stand eachother. It stems back to slave days when the light was in the homes while the dark skinned ppl work outside, yes although that was wrong and more wrong was done over the years thats no reason to hate eachother. We were all slaves all mistreated. I am a lightskinned black woman and all my life at a job or at school, ive always had problems with the dark-skinned females. I know it had alot to do with my color and how they thought i was stuck up. I think the show focused alot on how dark-skinned ppl feel and the hate or dislike they have. Saying light ppl have it easier. SO does that mean its right for when u see me to hate? No I face injustice in my life everyday b/c at the end of the day we are all black. My fiance is light and my son is really light, it wasnt planned that way but I meet alot of ppl that say aww yall gotta nice light family and that sounds so stupid to me. i think alot of darker ppl subconsciously want to be light or are insecure when they hate on a lighter person. I say this bc I meet ppl that are like, my baby is light with nice hair, or someone in there family is real light with nice hair, kinda like glorifying it but at the same time hating it. I dont get it. Black peopls are all beautiful we are a rainbow of beauty I just wish we could see that.

Umm this opisode was a very interesting episode.Umm yes us black people feel like light-skinned woman/girls are treated different that us just becuase there light..My mom is dark and m dad is light and im a beautiful black girl.What tammera said was very foul..yes i do feel that she is just mad because what they have she can never get..Umm this is to tammera son"YOU CAN DATE ANYBODY YOU WANNA DATE ALL RACES JUST BECAUSE UR MOTHER IS IGNORANT U WERENT U TOLD THE TRUTH HOW YOU WANTED".Umm yes I thought the guys were going to be opposite from each other.

Umm yes us black people go through race comments everyday.Love youself for who you are and not what you thought you were going 2 be..

I do think that sometimes light skinned ppl are treated better but we do face some racism in the black community also. I am a light skinned teen. My dad and my best friend are dark, two of my brothers are dark, most of my friends are dark. I hear the term white or yellow all of the time. Sometime I do feel I need to overcompensate because I grew up around white people and even they call me white. I can't help my skin color or the way I act. Ill make a comment and theyll say "shut up jackie your white". My older brother says it to me alot. My friends say I glow in pictures because I am always the lightest. So I do think that it is all a matter of location and opinion and I also believe all shades of black are beautiful and it angers me to kno that we are racist...against our own race. We need to lose this ignorance and learn that beauty comes in all colors and accept ppl for who they are and not their shade of black

People from every country, nation, race and culture, we as "HUMAN BEINGS", which is blatantly obvious... as long as we share God's earth, there will always be some issue to deal with. Try hunger, starvation, homelessness, abuse, addiction, war just to name a few... sadly the list continues; but I guess all of that pales comparison to “skin color”, huh.

Regardless of what shade, skin tone, or complexion you have, that says nothing about your personality, or character.

If God created us to have our quality of life and self worth based solely skin color... then I doubt HE would have created us at all; since "Love" was HIS main reason.

The status of a precious, irreplaceable human life should not be measured by skin color, because if you do... then I guess all you’re really worth, is your skin color.

Should you happen to disagree, then try seeing others who you feel are “different” in a completely new way by getting to know them as another fellow human being. (good for those of you that do!)

Come on people, it’s only a complexion, why must it be turned into such a "complex" issue?

Dear Tyra,
I watched your show today and I agree that race is important but only in the eye of the beholder. I am proud that you as a women of privlege is taking the time to look at these issues that are important. But what about the little girls in school that need the confidence right now tooo.

Hello Tyra,

I think that this race thing is rediculous.
I dont think that anyone should feel bad about the way they look.
I dont think black people should feel bad about being dark or that light people should have to feel bad about being light.

I am from Canada and maybe we are not as connected to the African American/White American and slavery issue given that we are Canadian not American, but everybody should get what they deserve/earned based on the effort they put into things and their character not on their skin colour. I do not think that black/white/brown etc. people should be given a break because of their colour either because again, all of the races should be given the same opportunities based on how hard we work for it.

I did not like your comment on the show to Tamara that she should consider why the dark skinned people treat her the way they did and accept it as lashing out because of slavery. Tamara's ancestors may have been slaves as well and it doesnt seem that she started out treating people badly, but a light skinned person should not have to accept bad treatment from a dark person because of slavery, like saying you have a right to be racist or hateful or rude because your ancestors were slaves.
How can we move forard and unite as the human race with attitudes such as this.
My parents, grandparents, great and great-great grandparents and so on did not have slaves so I should not have to accept punishment for slavery.

Anyway generally you have a good show.