By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices

"It was rough being dark. I got heat from my own people more than anyone else. I remember going to my mom and saying 'Why am I so black?' And she said, 'Because I'm black. You just gotta always work harder than the average bear."
Comedic actor and 'Original King of Comedy' Bernie Mac about his dark skin complexion. (O: The Oprah Magazine)


Comments: (153)
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By: J. Lane on 3/29/2007 1:50PM
Well, it's too bad the people in the world or so caught up in the wrong stuff. God created us all and none of us are considered unworthy in his sight. I know what Bernie is saying is true, but on the other hand, my mother grew up in a family with 4 other sisters, she was
the light skinned one she took after her mother, the other sisters skin tone was darker like the father, my mother caught hell from them all. They went out of their way to make sure she didn't get the idea she was better than them. She even had to go to a different church than them because they thought she had an ugly mouth, She has since gone to be with the Lord, and so has all her siblings except one, but that had a major impact on her adult life. It messed with her confidence.
When I was a teenager, right when "say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud" was beginning to run rapid through the land, and thank God it did, I went through a lot of changes because I was light skin, by other blacks. You know "the man" did a subperb job on teaching us to turn on one another. He taught our ancestors that dark was of the devil and that lying demon have deceived a many of us. Black is beautiful, whether it's dark skinned blacks or brown skinned blacks or light skinned blacks. So you see God don't make any mistakes, they tell me on the 7th day, he looked at all he had done and said "it is good".
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By: Vedra Douthitt on 3/27/2007 10:03AM
Why is black(dark)always associated with being a negative? The travesty of it all is that we,african americans, have played into that notion ourselves.We've all heard those comments when someone walks by who happens to be dark."Lord,he or she is black as the night or even "damn he or she is black". We need to examine ourselves and find out why we think that, but most importantly,"What can I do to change those perceptions?".
If,we black folks, stop making the comments, others will eventually stop as well. I happen to be a light skinned black woman who has green eyes,but I live in a small town in Kentucky.I am still discriminated against and I look more like them (whites) than us. So go figure!!!!
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By: shabazz on 3/27/2007 3:40PM
GO BERNIE,QUOTE FROM HOLLA"THE DARKER THE FLESH THE DEEPER THE ROOTS...............BLACK IS BEAUTIFULL.
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By: Redence on 3/27/2007 10:20AM
That comment is so true. I usually hear this " you are so pretty to be dark skin- you have a face like a white girl" The comment is from black people-WHAT!!
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By: aj on 3/27/2007 10:33AM
BIG DEAL HE GOT TEASED. ASK HIM HOW MANY "HALF BREEDS" AND "OREOS" HE TEASED AS A CHILD. THE WORLD HAS A WAY OF GIVING YOU WHAT YOU NEED WHEN YOU NEED IT. HOPEFULLY THIS STORY WILL HELP US HELP OURSELVES, THEN MAYBE SOME CHANGE OR EVOLUTION WITHIN OUR OWN COMMUNITY CAN COME OF THIS. OTHERWISE DONT WHINE AND COMPLAIN. HE IS GUILTY OF THE SAME TYPE OF DISCRIMINATION HIS DAYUM SELF.
BERNIE DOESNT LOOK HUNGRY OR STRESSED ABOUT HIS FAMILY OR CAREER OR BILLS, LETS MOVE ON TO ANOTHER STORY...NEXT!
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By: judithpresley on 3/27/2007 10:32AM
im dark skin .women.and my people give,s me the hard,des time.saying thing,s like girl you,er so black every time you {for like of a better word] gas your draw,s get smuddie.it star,at home we must stop this
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By: june bugg on 3/27/2007 10:26AM
all you crack heads shut up i love bernie mac be black be proud ask michael jackson....he aint having it to good right about now..... WANTING TO BE A WHITE MAN......i,m pretty blue black nigga proud..now taKE THAT TO THE BANK AND CASH IT.......
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By: Cynthia on 3/27/2007 10:27AM
In the days of slavery the darker persons were put in the fields, while the lighter colored persons were assigned to work in the house; so that became a stepping stone in the minds of blacks that lighter was better,and blacker was inferior. We as a race are perpetrators of skin color.We should teach our childern no matter the color(lighter or blacker)we are all BLACK AND BEAUTIFUL.A myth from slavery that we still carry with us today.
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By: Francine Gentry on 3/27/2007 10:41AM
My Mom asked her Dad the same question in 1930 when she was taunted by children @ school in The South.
I am the lighter one in our family and I was always challenged on Am I Really Black?
Does skin color have a PATENT on just how Black you are? Hell To The Nah!. Be Black and Proud no matter what shade you are!!!
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By: Colleen on 3/27/2007 10:50AM
Bernie is not that damn black...his skin is beautiful, Wesley is a littl darker then him...black is sooo damn beautiful
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