A QUESTION OF COLOR

Interviews were filmed over an 8-year period.

Curtia James

a dark brown-complexioned woman, mid-twenties, who tells of dating a dark-skinned man who maintained she was "too dark" for him to introduce to his mother.

Esther Lloyd

a light brown-skinned woman, late forties, who recalls an aunt who favored her lighter-skinned, curly-haired cousins over herself and her sister as children.

Wiley Woodard

a light-complexioned man, early twenties, who admits his preference for light-skinned women with long hair and "nice eyes."

Harriet Mayner, Jr.

a dark-complexioned woman, late forties, who questions the word "but" in "dark but pretty." (Mother of Kim and Harold, described below)

Kim Mayner

a dark-complexioned woman, mid-twenties, who jokingly threatens to disown her younger brother Harold for his Eurocentric standards regarding Black women.

Harold Mayner, Jr.

Kim's younger dark-skinned brother who, when asked by his mother if he felt he "could be dark-skinned and handsome," admits that he never actually thought about the consequences if the situation were reversed.

Mrs. Caldwell

a 96 year-old great-great grandmother who thinks that "black is the most beautifullist color."

Dr. Benjamin Payton

the fifth president of Tuskegee University, one of the oldest Black colleges in the United States.

Bobby Davis

a light-skinned 32 year-old bank vice-president, and a member of Tuskegee's elite.

Mrs. Davis

mother of Bobby Davis, retired secretary, "I suppose if we were dark-skinned we'd still be regarded as respectable citizens."

The Honorable Johnny Ford

dark-skinned man, late forties. In 1972, he became Tuskegee's first African-American mayor, overcoming not only White segregation but color and class discrimination within the Black community.

Keyonn Sheppard

urban teenage boy and aspiring rap musician (with friend Keith), "we're not friends over the color of our skin..."

Keith Brown

Keyonn's lighter-skinned best friend and rap partner, "...in America, people like light, people like White."

Kayin Latson

Keyonn's younger brother, is interested in "lightening" his skin "like Michael Jackson."

Cheryl Anthony

mother of Kayin and Keyonn, dark-skinned woman, late thirties, "People expect dark-skinned women to be just grateful to be alive..."

Dianne Houston

light-skinned woman, early thirties, who was made to feel she had to "prove" her Blackness.

Pat Williams

a light-skinned woman, late thirties, who is embittered about the resentment she faces in Black America because of her complexion.

Vertamae Grosvenor

author, late forties, reads from her story, "Skillet Blonde."

Melba Tolliver

one of the first African-American women anchors in television news, was temporarily removed from the air when she chose to wear her hair in a natural (afro) style.

Karen Halliburton

late twenties, in the process of having "hair extensions" braided into her hair, who describes braids as an African-American woman's "great White hope, maybe."

Robin Peagler

brown-complexioned woman with dreadlocks, talks about the response from friends and relatives to this natural hairstyle.

Dr. Ofodile

black-skinned man from Nigeria, head of plastic surgery at Harlem Hospital, recommends and demonstrates "fine tuning" a young woman's facial features.

Khadija Diggs

dark-skinned woman with very short natural hair, former Howard University homecoming queen (1986).

Kathe Sandler

producer/writer/director of A QUESTION OF COLOR, "Black people resent the way we are treated by White people, so if you look like a White person, you can catch some real hostility in the Black community."

ITVS Independent Television Service