POLITICAL | URBAN | ENTERTAINMENT | GOSPEL | HISTORY & CULTURE

By Mona Austin | The Slice News PART 1 In America's hierarchy of social value dark skin resides on the bottom while light skin is always at the top. This prejudicial system was designed by pioneers of the country and people in power in other parts of the world.   The divisive effects linger today.  Currently, the United State is undergoing a period of racial metamorphosis that beckons attention.  What happens when the rules of racial identity change?  Colonial society introduced a color caste system that assigned value to race.  By law the enslaved were of lesser value than enslavers.   It was never about respecting, preserving or protecting Black people or blackness. Let us be clear about that from the beginning. The legal architecture that defined Blackness in America consisted of real   laws that determined which children were enslaved, which bodies were property, and which bloodlines were considered contaminated — was built entire...

  CULTURE Is the beauty content creator right to "throw shade" at the Youthforia" By Mona Austin An influencer's claim about foundation inclusivity has put Youthforia Cosmetics in the hot seat. Golloria George told over a million followers that Youthforia failed to understand Black women's needs for inclusive foundations after they allegedly created a shade of liquid make up that is supposedly too dark for human use. The video, which was made on April 30, went viral. with over 7 million views to date George is a popular presence on social media who reviews foundations for dark-skinned women on her Tik Tok and You Tube channels to see which make up brands are best suited for deeper-hued Black women's skin tones. For years many brands lacked the color spectrum and/or undertones for all shades of women and Blacks began to create their own (i.e.m Fenty, Mented, Uoma, TLB, Pat McGrath Labs) and demand that others offer a broader range. George was clearly d...

buzzz worthy. . . I have been attune analytically to the social impact of race and politics since 1992 when  I read the ground-breaking study on the subject of colorism entitled "The Color Complex." The book thoroughly examined how standards of beauty in various ethnic groups affect a person's outlook on life and looks at the social and political implications of both internal and external racial descrimination.  (A highly recommended revised edition of the book is now available.) It was not until I moved to Virginia that I was reintroduced to the intra-race prejudices that attempted to slay my self-esteem as a child. A documentary that recently aired on the OWN Network, "Dark Girls," has brought into sharp focus a regressive sideways shift in our growth as a people caused by colorism.   I;m reminded daily that many African Americans are still "color struck" in 2013.   This struggle is evident in online debates, in churches, schools, on the job, i...