The Dark Girls documentary movie about dark-skinned women has a fansite!

From a reader:

I grew up in a big loving family. My mom use to sing this little song to my sisters and me, “You may not be the prettiest girl in the world, but you look so pretty to me!”

That was to only reference to looks or appearance I knew. That is until I started school. The first time I was made aware of my skin color was in Kindergarten.

To two kids that said it out loud to me were my cousins surprisingly. They were of course “light skinned”.

Once they started, it was a ripple affect. I went from being Black, to Black and Ugly, to Midnight, to Blacker than a Crayola Crayon by the 4th grade.

I remember being scared, angry, and just purely depressed at even the thought of going to school. By 6th grade I was numb. By the 7th grade, God answered my prayers and everyone finally moved on.

The worst part was they moved on, but inside of me had grown this creature of self-hate, doubt, and insecurity that has pledged my life for over a decade.

My family was loving, but large. I’m the baby child. So as I floated threw this time in my life, no one had the time to notice me. It was the longest 7 years of my life.

Thankfully, Mommy’s song kept my head above the horrific waters.

“You may not be the prettiest girl in the world, but you look so pretty to me!” I love you Mom!

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