Colorism, best defined as “prejudice against people of a certain skin tone, especially from members of the same race,” remains a hot topic among many races – especially people of African or Latin descent. As the fire surrounding debates on the issue rage on, music mogul/manager Matthew Knowles adds his two cents to the conversation with his latest book, ‘Racism: From the Eyes of a Child.’
Dropping some jaw-dropping quotable moments throughout the text, Knowles took to our friends at Ebony recently in promotion of the set in an interview that not only highlighted moments of colorism throughout his life, but specifically weighed in on the issue in his own family – namely with ex-wife Tina Knowles and daughter Beyonce.
Admitting that he at one time he only dated White women or women who looked White, he was also sure to emphasize his idea that pop icon daughter’s light skin directly contributes to her fame:
E: I’m sure you noticed similar patterns of colorism once you joined the music industry.
MK: Oh, of course! I challenge my students at Texas Southern to think about this. When it comes to Black females, who are the people who get their music played on pop radio? Mariah Carey, Rihanna, the female rapper Nicki Minaj, my kids [Beyonce and Solange], and what do they all have in common?
E: They’re all lighter skinned.
MK: Do you think that’s an accident?
E: Of course not!
Read more by clicking here.
(Photo credit: Chris Polk/FilmMagic)
Your thoughts?