SOUTH INDIA NEEDS A JAMES BROWN...

I didn't want to go here...really, Ididn't. Lord knows, being a Sista from the US, aka African American...yes, this has to be said. Looking into the sea of faces in southern India (Chennai), there is a sea of black faces...yet looking at the bill boards, nobody is posted who is truly "BROWN"...nary a brown face on the television shows...all the palest hughes only allowed. Look at the billboards...same thing. Walking through the toy stores, looking at the dolls, nary a brown-skinned baby doll. Even Miss India Barbie, just a tinch darker than our white standard American Barbie...This reminds me of the Oprah show where the African-American child wants to buy the white doll when presented a choice of either black or white toys, ultimately feeling that the white doll was good, the black doll was bad.
Yes, I got ticked off after getting a massage the first week here, and being offered to get a facial to bleach my skin lighter. UNFREAKIN' BELIEVABLE...this is like America 50 years ago... INDIA NEEDS THEIR OWN JAMES BROWN...."SAY IT LOUD, I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD"...
There's nothing wrong with loving your white skin, but HONEY, why oh why do you hate your CHOCOLATE, CAFE OLAIT SKIN TONES.... WHO HAS YOU SO BRAINWASHED????
Yes, I wish Oprah could come here to help the Sista's out, because this deep rooted problem is beyond the pale...(no pun intended).
I'm still trying to figure out why we are getting starred at every time we leave the house; it is so annoying. We really try to blend in and not look too western, anyway they stare, probably trying to figure out what nationality we are. My advice, get a company to produce brown baby-dolls for a brown population and let your children know, yes it's okay to love your brown skin. All of God's children are beautiful.
Speaking of James Brown, "I feel good -- dun-nuh-dun-nuh-dun-nuh-dunt"...my baby got baptized today in the Bay of Bengal. We were singing songs (don't get me wrong, I was a little leary someone would rush me from behind and plant a dagger between my shoulder blades)...I know it's not quite that bad to be Christian here; true enough one of the brothers at the congregation did lose a hand preaching out in the rural villages...but you never know) Yes, a true test of your faith...we are so used to our securities in the states...anyway, it was a good day.