‘Melanin is worth more than gold’
UNIA president, attorneys encourage Jamaicans to embrace their skin
Despite the bullying and hate they received because of the colour of their skin, two melanin-rich attorneys-at-law decided that they would embrace their dark complexion and not bleach.
Kara Cardis told THE WEEKEND STAR that, as a child, her dark complexion was celebrated by her family, so much so that she loved and embraced it. However, that changed after she entered grade five when, for the first time, she was told that her skin colour was ugly. After that, Cardis struggled for many years in secondary school to learn to love her skin again.
“I battled a bit, especially when I saw that persons with lighter skin would receive more benefits or would be treated better. They were more liked by the guys our age and then I started to wonder if having dark skin was more of an issue or more of a burden rather than a benefit,” she said. Cardis added that all these factors started to make her feel insecure. She pondered her self-worth and wondered if those who had praised her dark skin were actually lying. The 25-yearold attorney said that, because of these insecurities, she changed her appearance and considered bleaching her skin.
“At one point, I creamed my hair to ensure that my hair was black because then I would be like, okay, if my hair is darker then it would make my skin look a little bit lighter. I also avoided really bright colours because I always heard that vibrant colours weren’t for dark-skinned girls. The red lipstick, the neon colour, it just wasn’t for us,” Cardis said. She even edited her photographs on social media to appear lighter.
Like Cardis, Kuruma Reid told THE WEEKEND STAR that, in his late teens, he considered bleaching his skin but, after witnessing a friend suffer from the dangerous practice, he quickly changed his mind.
“When he did it, he became fairly ill, to the point that he was hospitalised, and, with the lightening of his skin, his veins started to show. You could almost see blood rushing through his veins,” the 26-year-old said.
President of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), Steven Golding, is encouraging Jamaicans to recognise the wealth of their rich melanin and to desist from skin bleaching.
“If you google melanin, there is a value attached to it, a chemical substance with a value, and if you look at that value per gram and compare it to the value of gold … monetarily, melanin is worth more than gold,” Golding said, adding that Jamaicans should recognise and celebrate Black
History Month, because it was introduced to empower them.
“We had to introduce that because we had to counter the white supremacy, colonial educational system and culture that we were being given,” Golding said. Reid said that Black History Month means a lot to him.
“It affords me a time to reflect on my ancestors, it affords me a time to look in the mirror and appreciate my skin, and it also affords me the opportunity to think back on my childhood to appreciate how far I’ve come, and it makes me more proud to be of this complexion,” he said. The month is a time of celebration and reflection for Cardis as well, and she also encourages those of dark complexion to “Love yourself to the core of your being”.
“Love every inch of your skin and don’t allow the little things that people say to have such a big impact on your life. You are more than that, so act accordingly,” Cardis said, adding that she has grown to recognise and embrace the beauty of her skin.
“I enjoy the smoothness of it, I enjoy how it looks amazing when the sunlight hits, I enjoy how – I do need sunscreen – but I enjoy how the sunburn won’t affect me as badly as a lighter [skinned] person,” Cardis said, adding that she regrets ever listening to the negative comments.
“I realised that this is the skin I’m going to have for all my life and it doesn’t make sense to hate who you are when you are always going to be that person. It’s not something you can change without damaging yourself.”