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 MAKEUP4SISTERS
SALUTES PATTI LABELLE'S ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Patti LaBelle to Appear on
ABC's Good Morning America; Black Comestics Firm Rewards the
Soulful Diva's Fans
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By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, BlackNews.com
columnist
The Mexican government's sale of the racially
offensive cartoon character Memin Pinguin as a commemorative
stamp is an outrageous sign that top Mexican officials still
refuse to deal with the country's racism. But it's just that
a sign. Racism goes much deeper in the country. Even while Mexican
writers and politicians rail in articles against American racism,
many Mexicans are quick to boast of differences in skin color
among their own family members.
A few years ago, a Mexican-American friend
made me acutely aware of the rigid race differences in the country.
When I told him that I'd be traveling extensively in Mexico,
he urged me to pay close attention to the workers doing the hardest
and dirtiest work in restaurants and hotels, and who the beggars
and peddlers on the streets were. They were overwhelmingly dark,
and in most cases with pronounced Indian or African features.
Many Mexicans refer to dark skinned persons,
both Mexican, and non-Mexican, as negritos or little black people.
This is not seen as racially offensive, but rather as a term
of affection even endearment. A popular afternoon telenovela
has a comedian in blackface chasing madly after light complexioned
actresses in skimpy outfits. Ads have featured blacks in Afros,
black face, and distorted features. The most popular screen stars
in film and on TV, and the models featured on magazines and billboards,
are white or fair skinned with sandy or blond hair. That's the
standard of beauty, culture, and sophistication that's held up
as the penultimate standard to emulate, and that standard is
unabashedly commercialized, and peddled as top commodities in
Mexico and other Latin American countries.
Mexican President Vicente Fox and most of
Mexico's past presidents, top officials, business leaders, educators,
and government leaders, for instance, are light skinned or Castellan
Spanish. They routinely boast that they can trace their bloodlines
to Spain (Fox's mother is from Spain).
HOT OFF THE PRESSES - NEW SAN DIEGO WOMEN'S MAGAZINE
 (coming soon)
"Success With Leon Isaac Kennedy" Debuts
On The Inspiration Network; Highlights Black Success
Burbank, CA (BlackNews.com) - "Success with Leon Isaac
Kennedy" currently airs on The Inspiration Network as a
national weekly hour show, Tuesday nights at 10:30 P.M. EST.
Leon, known for his classic action flicks, such as Penitentiary,
Body and Soul, and Lone Wolfe McQuade is looked upon as a filmmakers
icon. One of Hollywood's first minorities to take a project from
the idea stage, script it, raise the financing produce, and star
in the project.
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