Color and racial prejudices persist - my response!

    Color and race are topics that have a life of their own in spite of all the strides we have made. Around Siam Square, Bangkok's equivalent of New York's So-Ho area or Shibuya in Tokyo, skin-whitening clinics abound. The first photo was a South Korean advertisement that was recently banned. The following three depict a Chinese laundry detergent advertisement in which a Chinese woman wipes an African's face and washes it in a washing machine. A few seconds later, a Chinese man mysteriously appears. The owners of the ad. did not find it racist until it was pointed out to them. The following photo is from the Ivory Coast encouraging young African women to lighten their skin-tones. 
   For the young, regardless of race or ethnicity, the pressure to have a fair complexion is intense. Like 17th century Europe, Asians associated darker skin with laborers or farmers exposed to the sun; while lighter tones are seen as a sign of wealth and privilege. Attitudes may be shifting; but, they persist. A pro-tan group in Thailand has emerged urging the young to stop worrying about their skin-whitening creams. I do not think they will have much success. Skin-whitening products are a $20 billion yearly industry. And yes, I want to remain optimistic.
   I am from the Caribbean island of Trinidad where we have had centuries of intermarriages between different races and though, we have an enviable balance of tolerance and acceptance of mixed- race individuals (I'm one of them), lighter skin gets the attention. 

 We have subtle expressions like "hope you add some milk to de cocoa" by parents urging their children to marry those of a lighter complexion. I often wonder how we will ever change attitudes. Prejudice persists. I could write a book filled with stories of my family's racial history. My advice to my nephews and nieces who are a mixture of Native Taino-Spanish, African, English, Indian and Chinese holds true today: "Know you are loved, appreciated and valued in our family. You are beautiful and in the words of fellow Trinidadian Stokely Carmichael: Let no one damage your spirit. Survive and live well.That will be your answer to peoples' prejudices."

   
Perhaps my words can touch a wider audience today?

Here is a photo of my nephews and nieces from my family album. 
       
       +Don Ronaldo.  Summer 2016.