paravanes:meditations

We forget so quickly that we are God’s beloved children and allow the many curses of our world to darken our hearts. Therefore we have to be reminded of our belovedness and remind others of theirs.”—Henri Nouwen As much as I love this quote, I notice the author uses the word “darken” to suggest something wrong, inferior, and undesirable. In many cultures of the world, dark skin is not seen as a desirable or naturally beautiful feature in women and girls. The legacy of dark skin in the United States is a particularly tragic one, in which girls and women who have dark skin and are of African descent (especially those whose ancestors were enslaved in early American history) are devalued, ridiculed, or socially rejected and economically disadvantaged because of their skin color. As we are now rolling away from Black History Month in the States, I am considering the question someone posed: does God love dark skinned women less than other women? “… we have to be reminded of...

 --Promo piece for Dark Girls Recently, I viewed (for the second time) the D. Channsin Berry/Bill Duke documentary " Dark Girls ." It was a painful view, but I felt compelled to watch and listen carefully because I could identify so deeply with much of what was said. This message rang through the film: there is something ugly and unpleasant about being a "dark girl". This does not mean dark girls are ugly or unpleasant. Still, much of what is presented in this film shows how differently dark girls experience life. Generally speaking, these differences are not considered positive ones. I think there was much truth and painful honesty in this film, but a part of the story is missing. Since Lupita Nyong'o won an Oscar, made a famous and well-documented speech , and appeared on several fashion magazine covers, I have listened and watched many women describe how triumphant Nyong'o's story is: she is the manifestation of dark bea...