Skin bleaching in Jamaica
needs to be looked into, says American actor
AMERICAN actor and children’s
book author Taye Diggs, who was in the island to promote his latest book,
Mixed Me, and endorse
National Careers Week, said he was shocked to learn that Jamaicans are
bleaching their skin.
National Careers Week was launched
on Tuesday at JABizTown, the simulated business community that gives grade five
and six students the opportunity to take on the role of employee, tax payer and
consumer. JABizTown is a project of Junior Achievement Jamaica, with support
from USAID and the ministry of Education. It is located on the CaenWood Centre
property on Arnold Road in Kingston.
“I was just told that there is an
issue with skin bleaching here and that shouldn’t be happening. I thought that
that was... in my ignorance.
The
practice struck a chord with the author because the storylines of both Chocolate
Me and Mixed
Me deal with self-esteem
and self-love.
“We have these lines of self-esteem
and self-love and I think that’s something we all could use,” he said of the
books. “People lightening their skin is something that needs to be looked at
and I’m hoping that this these books will start that conversation.”
Chocolate Me was first published in 2011.
“It’s based on my personal
experince of feeling like I didn’t fit in, and my mother taking me aside and
explaining to me why I should love myself, why I shouldn’t listen to what other
people say, and that my love for myself became real. Black is beautiful,” he
said yesterday.
His other title,
Mixed Me, was
published last October. It was inspired by his son Walker, who is bi-racial.
“These works deal with not just the
idea of the surface of a person, they deal with the inner person as well,”
added illustrator of the books and Diggs’ cousin Shane Evans. “No one is
chocolate and no one is black either; these are just ideas. They show how words
can manifest inside a society. We’re trying to expand the dialogue around what
race really is.”
Diggs and his team landed in the
island last Saturday and were scheduled to leave Wednesday. They visited Mt
Alvernia Prep in Montego Bay, and St Richard’s Primary in Kingston and
Fundaciones El Centro to read Mixed Me for the students.
“It’s great reading and sharing the
book with young people who look just like the character in the book,“ Diggs
told reporters.
— Kimone Thompson
Jamaica Observer
January 16, 2016
Contributor:
Sherry-Ann Nelson
4th Year History and Social
Studies Student
Bethlehem Moravian College
Citizenship education helps us to develop pride in our nationality thus accepting who we are. Therefore as Jamaicans we can accept our nationality and heritage thus eliminating skin bleaching in society.
ReplyDeleteCitizenship education can help us and other people to be more appreciative of their culture and their national identity. In the teaching of citizenship education and by promting citizenship education we Jamaicans can accept and appreciate their national identity and culture on a hold.
ReplyDeleteRecently, scrutinizing the Civics curriculum I observed that there is a section in the document that speaks to self-consciousness which is highly link to Marcus Garvey's ideas of self-identity. With being exposed this, students will be able to give greater appreciation for themselves as well as recognizing that history and nationality has an impact on their appearance. Removing it will means removing their heritage, history and integrity.
ReplyDelete