Dark Girls

Dark Girls,
a documentary about colorism aired on the OWN Network, as its highest rated show, receiving more than two million viewers.

The women in the film complain that they are often made to feel ugly and unwanted. In their lives, this translated into being passed over for certain highly visible and lucrative careers; and the opportunity to establish meaningful, long-lasting romantic relationships. One woman told a story of how she washed herself in bleach to rid herself of her blackness. There was also a young girl, around 8 years old, who told her mother that she did not want to be black anymore because she wanted to be pretty.

Shortly following the airing, several women were moved enough to launch YouTube responses. Oprah received such an overwhelming reaction that she hosted a special show to discuss the issue with singer India Arie, who had been accused of bleaching her skin; Phylicia Rashaad; Oscar winning Viola Davis; and actress Gabrielle Union. And, Bill Duke has traveled to college campuses airing the video and talking about the heated topic to standing room only crowds. What this all boils down to is that this is a passionate subject amongst women of color throughout the world. This discrimination has caused them to have severe self-esteem issues. Rather than doing an "issues" book about the pain they know well, Dark Girls, the book, takes a healing approach.

This photobook presents breathtakingly beautiful photographs of accomplished dark skin women. It also includes celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg, Rachel Robinson (Jackie Robinson's wife), Paulette Washington (Denzel Washington's wife), Cicely Tyson, Judge Mablean and Brandi and Karli Harvey, and twenty others.

This gift book will serve the purpose of showing dark-skin women that they themselves are beautiful and that the tone of their skin should not discourage them from living a full life. In the tradition of the New York Times bestselling I Dream a World and Crowns, which celebrate a slice of Black life, Dark Girls will be embraced with similar enthusiasm.