Is There Prejudice Against Dark Skin Jamaican Women?

The plantation regime of slavery had a major impact on the Jamaican society long after the abolition of slavery. The lighter the skin, the more valuable you were during slavery and even today, after coming such a long way, that mentality still stands.

As recent as the 1960?s, dark skin Jamaican women were not the faces you would normally see serving in the banks, at the airline counters, at the hotel counters or at any of the higher positions in larger companies. It was well accepted that the place for the darker skin Jamaican women was certainly not in the better or more prestigious jobs. This took a major toll on the self-esteem of Young black Jamaican women, who accepted the position of living as a second class citizen. Darker skin women during the 1960?s did not bother much with higher education for various reasons, such as affordability, self-worth, having babies, not enough schools for higher education and not much in the future regarding better jobs.

The early 1970?s saw a new beginning and a turn in the direction regarding skin colour. A young politician by the name of Micheal Manley (very light complexion man) became the Prime minister of Jamaica and spoke out strongly regarding prejudice against the darker skin Jamaicans. He constantly preached about equality among all skin colour. Mr. Manley himself fell in love with and married Beverley Manley, a dark skin Jamaican woman, who sported an afro. Micheal Manley was loved by Jamaicans and was able to get his message across to many. Self-esteem among darker Jamaicans on a whole was on a high. Slogans like-PROUD TO BE BLACK and BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL were extremely popular. Songs included words like EMANCIPATE YOURSELVES FROM MENTAL SLAVERY, NONE BUT OURSELVES CAN FREE OUR MINDS ( Bob Marley ) and YOUNG GIFTED AND BLACK (made popular by Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths were soaring on the charts in the 1970?s. Darker skin women were getting a boost of self-esteem. They were "proud to be black" and sported their neat afro, dressed confidently in their pedal pushers, mini skirts and hot pants. The faces that greeted customers at the service desks, banks and persons who represented companies as senior staff and managers were now including a number of Dark skin Jamaicans. As people became more aware of their self-worth, education became a priority.

SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE IN JAMAICA

You have to have one or all of the following to be socially accepted. Money, Education, Lighter complexion. Although Jamaica had never lost the whole stigma of the fair skin Jamaicans being the superior, the darker skin Jamaicans had become very aware that if they educate themselves, they could achieve greatness and become whatever they want to be. Black Jamaicans are now Bank Managers, Hotel Managers and owners, Doctors, Teachers, business owners and Might I say Prime minister!! Education has played quite an important roll in the lives of black Jamaicans who started achieving more, becoming bosses and professionals.

BLEACHING:

What could have brought on the recent craze for lighter skin among dark skin Jamaicans especially women!! This activity is identified mostly among the poorer class and the less educated. Could this be that the quest to be socially accepted has left them with no other choice? The poorer class obviously has no money, without money it is hard to get a higher education!! So the lighter skin might be the easiest of the three!! This certainly is no excuse for bleaching of the skin, as this is an extremely dangerous practice, which can negatively affect ones health.

HAVE BLACK MEN BETRAYED DARK SKIN WOMEN?

The darker skin women are losing the battle against the lighter skin women in the quest for love. Jamaican men seem to much favour the "brownings" (women with lighter complexion) and women of different race with lighter complexion. It is very obvious to see the pride and adoration in the faces of some black men when they walk down the street hand in hand with a light complexion woman!! One explanation given to me by a black man was "Black women do not groom themselves as well and things like going to the gym and spa are not very common among them". A very famous DJ unleashed a monster among Jamaicans when he released the popular song-"mi love mi car mi love mi bike mi love mi money an ting, but most of all mi love mi browning ". That popular song (although very catchy and I must admit, I danced to the beat a few times) took us back several years, as many Jamaican men felt and still feel the need to follow suite.

A LOOK AHEAD

The future looks very promising for the Dark skin Jamaican women, who have gotten far ahead in life, becoming Lawyers, doctors, Bank managers, Hotel managers even Prime minister, achieving Bachelors, Masters and PhD degrees. The future looks very bright, however loyalty from Jamaican Black men would be good. Most Black women are confident enough not to be needy, but to move forward to where they are appreciated and needed.

The question is have we really moved forward as a nation? It is really sad that a lack conscious thinking can hold a whole nation in the past.

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There Is No More Time

FOR A LONG TIME ALREADY, several essays have been written by me indicating that we are at the threshold of a new era. I have cited prophecies from all over the world, the organized religions and other esoteric works that refer to this time, given different names by different cultures. It is variously called the dawn of a new age of Aquarius, the transition to the fifth world; end of the age of iron, dawn of the golden age, the Kali yoga age, end time and so on. But the fundamental principle of doomsday remain the same, though details differ depending on the spiritual maturity, belief and cultural affiliation of the prophets and analysts.

Recent happenings all over the world serve to draw our attention to the fact that we are at the threshold of that time. There are "wars and rumors of wars". The Iran nuclear face off-a very serious rumor of war-will escalate and possibly result in mass war. It will be born of men's fears, precautions, and the "if you want peace prepare for war" syndrome. These fears mass in the beyond at what is best describes as power centers, which expand, increase and suffocate our psyches, thereby increasing the fears and apprehension of world war. As psychologists rightly know, we often experience what we are afraid of due to the law of attraction. Hence this may result in mass hysteria and finally possible war - the so called Armageddon war, or war of the anti Christ as it is sometimes called. Nostradamus already talked of the first and second Antichrist, and warned of the third codenamed Mabus, whose death will be linked to a war that will result in routing of man and beast. It will coincide with the time when the comet runs. Mabus will be the last of the three-pae-lon-ron- translated to Napoleon, and Hister, meaning Hitler were the first two.. The wars and rumors of war result from the fact that all ancient empires will resurface with different names. However, the rise and collapse of those empires will be phenomena and alarming. The number of empires that has risen and fallen since the end of the nineteenth century tend to lend credence to this assertion.

Apart from the issue of wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes are ravaging the earth. Anyone who goes to the website of the united states geological survey will be shocked at the number of recorded earthquakes on a daily basis. Comparative studies of the earthquakes on earth in the last century shows a marked progressive increase. It is within this period that we have had the most devastating earthquake in recorded history. The word "Tsunami" became popular because of increase in powerful undersea earthquakes.

Apart from unavoidable deaths through earthquakes, destruction of properties put serious pressures on our insurance companies, which spread the risks to banks while construction companies smile to the banks. This also happens with incessant flooding of whole cities and countries as once happened in Thailand. Forecasters show that the year 2012 is going to be a year of unprecedented flood.

All these are the underlying reason for the current distress. It is like the hand of the Lord is gripping the earth in judgment. Mutual recriminations, accusations, and counter accusation sand trading of blames is now resulting in what manipulators regard as pro democracy protests over the dwindling standard of living occasioned by the harsh economic realities resulting from natural disasters war and rumors of wars and, of course, corporate greed. The pro democracy and occupation protests does not solve the problem as witnessed in Egypt, where those who pushed out Mubarak came themselves under fire from fellow demonstrators. Nobody realizes that these demonstrations result in loss of man hours allover the world, which further reduces productivity and engenders more distrust between the haves and have nots. This is followed by more pro democracy and occupy protests. This is a vicious cycle that will culminate in the final collapse of world economy. This will increase religious fundamentalism, with more suicide bombings in a bid to escape the biting situation, the great tribulation. What is false in all organized religions will collapse. Since the foundations of most of the organized religions are faulty, it will throw up a pathetic scenario of confusion, anger, hopelessness, despondency and bitterness against the heads of these organizations, until some of them recognize the justice of God in World events.

The beginning of the end will be by the coming comet prophesied by all major prophets, ancient and modern.

Today, the rays of the approaching comet is causing economic, political and natural crisis and confused wiseacres are covering their fears in the continued exposition of their ignorance by unfolding world events. Already fear is revealing itself in hatred even among those who should be knowing because we are at the last phase. The judgment of God is already taking place in the house of the Lord. There, even the last help from God is being dragged to the dust, thereby making it earthly, by the very ones who should be their custodians. Even here distrust reigns supreme, and leaders are turning tyrants as the inevitable outcome of distrust.

Now, the axe is laid beside the tree and any tree that does not bear good fruit swill be cut down and thrown in the fire. A satellite is now beamed on the house of the Lord and the separation between the sheep and the goat is going on spiritually and will soon be completed. Those who will be purified under intense suffering will stand firm like oasis in a barren desert when the Sun of righteousness will reduce the pharisees to stubble. Then mankind will be able to receive help from those who mediate the help through the star of promise.

The fig tree has shed its leaves. It is clear there is no more time, for soon winter will overtake us.

Uche Mbah, author, poet, journalist, an adherent of the work In The Light Of Truth The Grail Message hails from Nigeria. His discovery that the work by Abd-ru-shin answers all questions of life if you take time to examine it propels him to share his experiences with humanity. A graduate of English, from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, he found out how all religions lead to the godhead if the original teachings of the founders are taken into account, and not the strange forms that such religious groups find themselves today. The bridge between Science and religion is bridged when we recognize the limitations of science, whose activities do not go beyond the material world, without recognizing that there is no difference between this world and the beyond.

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