~ "Does my dark skin offend you?"~
Jaycee Catalina Wei
October 7th; 1:30 P.M.
Jaycee—the sweet, woke, and observant young lady— walked into her Intro to African American Studies class fashionably late at Howard University. Her professor, Mrs. Tamara Fisk, was in her late thirties looking as if she could still run in with Jaycee's crowd had called her out for walking into her classroom late.
"Miss Wei," Mrs. Fisk called out at her and all eyes were on Jaycee, something she truly hated.
"Yes ma'am?"
"Care to explain why you decided to join my class fifteen minutes late?"
"I um, I um, I was um—"
"Words please Miss Wei."
"I got stuck in traffic."
"And where are you coming from knowing that you have my class to attend?"
"The tattoo shop," Jaycee mumbled while playing with the thumbs of her new Full Set.
"I'm sorry louder please."
"I was leaving the tattoo shop."
"Why yes! I see the fresh sleeve coming down your arm. It's very pretty."
"Thank you, it's my birthday I just wanted to do this and this was the only time I could make my appointment work, I apologize."
"Oh wow, that tattoo must've been real important happy birthday hun. Take a seat please. Back to what I was stating though, we are having an open topic discussion," various responses flew threw the classroom while Jaycee found her seat in the back next to her friends who had saved her a seat, like usual. One of the best parts of sitting back here was Adonis—a tall, brown, Colgate smile, dread head young man. They were casual friends who sometimes hung out and chilled because being in each other's presence is comforting.
"What's the word for today?" Adonis quietly leaned over and asked Jaycee resulting to her digging in her bag and pulling out her orange index card that she had ready for him like always. "Melanin, where my definition,"
"Do you really need one Adonis?"
"I mean I see a gorgeous example but I don't see a definition."
"Fine, a dark brown to black pigmentation that occurs in skin, hair, or the iris of an eye, happy," she asked him while pulling out her notebook and pen to take notes on whatever the topic of discussion is today.
"Who would like to throw out a topic," Mrs.Fisk asked and Alex stood up.
"Me!"
"Okay me, takeover," Mrs.Fisk told her while taking a seat at her desk which is in the corner of the classroom.
"Great," Alex swayed to the chalk board and started writing on the board then stepped away to reveal the word, Colorism.
"So for those of you who do not know.... colorism is discrimination based on skin color, also known as shadeism, is a form of prejudice or discrimination in which people are treated differently based on the social meanings attached to skin color."
"Can I leave?" Some dude asked while smacking his lips.
"Why, does my dark skin offend you? Does me touching up on the topic that nobody wants to talk about piss you off? Baby boy I don't care how light brown ya' little ugly ass is you still black and I'm pretty sure you're apart of this problem that needs to be fixed," Alex stated.
"Period," Jaycee said to herself while sitting up in her chair because class...was now in session.
"How you gone tell me I'm apart of this problem, youn een talk to me shorty. Mind ya B and do ya little colorism bullshit."
"I'll spit on you. Keep popping ya gums at my frannn like that," Phoebe spoke up before popping a stick of gum in her mouth.
"She always ready to argue with somebody," Adonis spoke out loud, but low enough so nobody around the class heard him.
"Lil mama stay yo little fine hot headed ass in the back where you sitting at."
"Hey! Regardless of if you want to be here class is in session until I say leave so all y'all shut the hell up and listen, Miss Wright, continue."
"Entyways', y'all all see what just happened right? Phoebe, my friend, lighter complexion mixed girl got the shorter end of the stick with that fuck ass—"
"Miss Wright," Mrs.Fisk called out and Alex sat down on top of the desk in front of her.
"Like I was saying, with that fuck ass argument he just tried to put up. Not to say that lighter skinned people don't receive hate from the black community, but it is less likely for a girl that looks like Phoebe to get called out for her shit and people find it more attractive. Just like how he found a way to try and shut her down all while sliding her compliment."
"You just gone let her talk about you like that?"
"She's not saying anything wrong. I do the exact same things that my friends do, who are darker than me, and people turn their faces up at them and completely turn around and tell me I'm just having fun or something of that nature while they're just being black and ghetto," Phoebe responded and the boy who asked, Darius, nodded his head and golf clapped.
"But I'm not up here to talk about our personal experiences with colorist. I'm here to just bring it to y'alls attention because it's a real problem and people don't seem to care."
"I care, I get like all types of shit happening to me from colorist about my personality and shit." Valentina, the Puerto Rican girl I the class spoke while twirling her gum around on her finger while everybody looked at her like she was dumb. "What!? It's true check my ig,"
"Girl, no," Chantel said while rolling her eyes.
"She may have a point though," Jaycee spoke up and now all eyes were on her.
"Thank you Jay."
"Don't shorten my name baby girl. But because she's a darker shade then the I guess normal color for Puerto Rican's she may be having problems with that. The Latina, Mexican, Puerto Rican, And etc. community already get shit because most aren't born in America just imagine being dark and from another country. The term used to describe foreigners sometimes as Aliens as if they don't belong. Black and brown people receive enough problems as is with her being the shade of a cinnamon brown woman it makes her fall into this category as well. Brown skin people have problems just like darker ones, they may not have as many but they still have them."
"Okay but still black boys love her more because she can fluently speak Spanish, her hair is wavy, she got big lips, and a little bit of ass. But when it comes down to a black woman who had about 4b/4c hair with these same features they drop down that I don't date black girls bullshit."
"Because y'all just so damn animated. Don't nobody want a female that do too fucking much," Raymond, one of my classmates said.
"I'm animated," Valentina said while rolling her neck.
"But it's different."
"No, it's the exact same, because y'all know this girls ethnic background everything she does is sexier or it just doesn't count. If she doing some ghetto shit like I would be doing We the exact same bitch," Shelby yelled out and the class went silent.
"I just wanna know if y'all hate the skin y'all in so much why attend a HBCU where all you see is us animated black girls who do too much," Jaycee asked while making air quotes and nobody had an answer for her. "Is is it to make us feel like shit because of our color? Is it to tear us down and tell us we're not your type when really you just not happy with ya damn self? Y'all hate us because most of us are bluntly honest and y'all want a goofy bitch who gone bark when you tell her to. We're not ghetto and ratchet, we're having fun like ya favorite instagram hoe," Jaycee said and Adonis started clapping.
"That's the most you done talked since the semester started. But men love your black queens because I can guarantee you that your white privileged girlfriend that go to Cornish College of Arts ain't gone stand in front of you while a police officer got a gun to yo black ass head. Ion care how light brown yo ass get, you still black baby boy, bless up,"
"I honestly feel like that's the punishment we get for not loving our queens the way we should. We taunt them for living their best life like every other woman on this planet so we get taunted for simply just being a black man pumping gas and they call it a weapon."
"That's exactly why colorism shouldn't be going on period. We should all be protecting each other rather than tearing each other down. At some point and time you may just need that brown girl that ain't your type to get loud and ghetto with an officer just so ya moms don't have to be calling your family to put you in the ground," Alex said while sticking a sucker in a mouth.
"Aye you got twitter?" Some dude asked Alex while licking his lips. Saying he was fine is an understatement.
"TheeAlexTrinity, two E's on the 'the'."
"And I Oop. Get it Alex." Jaycee said quietly to herself.
"Jaycee you down to study later on tonight?" Adonis asked her.
"Yeah sure, what time?" This was a normal question of his to ask so Jaycee didn't mind going over to his place to study since she did need to do homework and study for other classes.
"Like eight, nine-ish meet me at my dorm?"
"Yeah of course."
••••
Sooo I'm trying something different and I like it.
This was just like a starter chapter just so y'all can get a taste of what it'll be like and a slight introduction to one of the few characters y'all will see.
Sooo keep this? I'll be updating this again tomorrow night if y'all are feeling it.