South Asia’s Fair Skinned Obsession Contributes To The Black People’s Systematic Oppression

By Nisma Chauhan

Few weeks ago, a 46-year-old unarmed black man was brutally killed in police custody. The death of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police officer sparked outrage among the black community residing in the US.

Demanding an end to the systematic oppression faced by the community, the movement ‘Black Lives Matter’ gained momentum with nationwide protests that even witnessed white allies joining the cause.

The statement by protestors is clear: it no longer is enough to just not be racist, people actively have to be anti-racists.

And as other countries joined the movement with demonstrations being held in some European countries as well, South Asia’s active social media audience also took part. Even celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor, Karan Johar and our very own Zara Noor Abbas turned to social media to show solidarity.

But as the statement reinstates: is that enough?

Is posting on social media platforms about the movement and perhaps being angry about seeing a man scream for his life saying ‘I can’t breathe’ and slowly lose conscious in front of our eyes (in a widely circulated video of the incident) enough? It isn’t!

South Asians have been silent spectators and in many occasion part of the systematic oppression against black people. And its most blatant proof is our obsession of faired skinned people over people with dark complexions, thanks to our colonial mindset.

From our television channels to our drawing rooms, we have all heard of someone advising us on how to become fair. To apply fairness creams. To use ‘totkays’ for a fairer skin. To drink less tea. To avoid going in the sun. To look for ‘gori bahus’. To not eat iron supplements when pregnant. And the list goes on and on.

The very celebrities who showed solidarity to BLM movement have been the ones who have endorsed fairness cream brands in their careers. The friends posting ‘black squares’ on #BlackoutTuesday, are the ones who refer to a dark complexioned person as ‘kala’ – a derogatory term used to describe black people. We also have individuals in our friend circles who fight for their right to use the word ‘Nigga’ – a variation of another insulting term Nigger, used to refer to black people.

For you and I, as South Asians, radio silence on the matter can of course become costly as we may seem complicit to the oppression. So, while posting anti-racism posts on social media platforms and being angry, we have to also have to look inwards and call out the anti-blackness in our own households.

While, I – a fair skinned person – may not be able to relate to the struggles of people with dark complexions, I am tired of seeing people close to me book appointment for whitening injections. Tired of little cousins using fairness creams and mothers silently weeping when they give birth to a child with a dusky brown complexion.

If I, a person with pretty privilege, am tired, can we then blame the black community for saying it’s enough!

Dear South Asians – including Indian and Pakistanis, we need to do more than just post on our social media because the next generation of black people or our very own dusky brown-skinned people do not deserve to be discriminated for the color of their skin.