The legacy of Queen and the enduring battle against colorism
Now, idk if it's a true story, but Alex Haley was on to something with the miniseries Queen.
Happy Sunday, brunchers! Let’s jump into it? We’re one day away from the end of March, and the end of some crazyyyyy astro activity. Chile, iykyk, remember to use your discernment, suge. Remember what I always say, ya gotta find out for yourself! Amen? Now, if you’re active on any social media, you’ve probably come across 1 too many conversations about race in America.
Specifically, conversations about colorism, if you’re not white, that is. I believe you are whatever your parents are. Makes sense? For example, my mother is Black, with two Black parents. My father’s parents are Black and Creole. Making me Black, Amen? I guess some parts Creole, but that is a conversation for another day.
Just know that “I’m Creole” is the new “I got Indian in me” LMFAO. If you know someone that has ever said that, REPLY TO THIS EMAIL AND LET ME KNOW. Folks be talkin’ ‘bout they Cherokee and Apache, whole time… you know what? Nvm, because I’ve ranted for too long. But the point of today’s SB IS to talk about race, in the case of mixed race folks. Out of all my social media I am most active on Twitter, which is not often. But often enough to see folks discussing race and race politics.
Now my good sis Wiki defines race as: a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. Did your English teacher tell you Wiki wasn’t a reliable source too? What was she on? Anywho, to sum it up, race is a social construct used to oppress others. As a Black person or a nonwhite person, I’m sure you already know this because every nonwhite person has been a victim of white supremacy in some type of way.
The continued race discourse on Twitter reminded me of the miniseries, Queen. Have you heard of it? The series is supposedly about Alex Haley’s grandmother. If that name sounds familiar, he is behind the novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. A 1976 novel that tells the story of Kunta Kinte, an African man captured and sold into slavery, and traces his descendants' lives in America. The novel was adapted into a highly acclaimed miniseries in 1977. Which we all know and love today, and if you haven’t seen it, and you’re Black American, you can go ahead and turn over that Black card, Amen? Because ain’t no way.
I say “supposedly” because Mr. Haley was accused of embellishing and using other’s work as his personal life story. *EYE* am not calling him a liar, I’m just letting you know sha. Remember? Find out for yourself! In my research, he ain’t lied. But you never know, ANYWAY. Ancestor whispered to me one day and said, “Go watch Queen” so I streamed it and watching as an adult clarified my thoughts on race in America.
If you haven't seen it, Queen follows Halle Berry's character (Queen), who's born to a white plantation owner and an enslaved Black woman. I do have to add that, in the show, the enslaved woman Easter (Jasmine Guy) and the plantation owner are said to have “fallen in love”. You know just as I do that, that is horse shit and a complete imbalance of power. Enslaved people did not love their owners. Not now, not ever. Argue with ya maw! I think this little tidbit was added to try and coddle white folks because some white people just cannot handle the truth. The show tracks Queen’s life as she tries to figure out where she belongs in a world that doesn't really want her anywhere.
Easter, Queen’s mother, is A BIT darker skinned than Queen, and their different experiences show how even back then, skin tone created this messed up hierarchy where lighter skinned folks got certain "privileges" (though calling them that feels wrong since we're talking about basic human dignity).
What's wild is how the colorism in Queen feels like scrolling through social media today. The series shows this system where lighter skin meant better treatment, and darker skin meant more obstacles. Sound familiar? Look at who gets cast in leading roles vs. supporting roles in movies, and check out how many filters automatically lighten skin (this is a HUGE pain btw, a reason to not use filters!) also, notice which Black creators get bigger brand deals if at all.
The "paper bag test" (where your skin had to be lighter than a brown paper bag to get into certain spaces) isn't officially a thing anymore, but let's be real we all know versions of it still exist.
While Queen focuses specifically on colorism within Black and mixed-race contexts, it's important to recognize how this poison affects virtually every non white community in America. The closer to whiteness you appear, the more "acceptable" you often become in mainstream spaces.
In Latinx communities, lighter skinned folks are overrepresented in Spanish language media. In Asian American communities, skin lightening products remain bestsellers. In South Asian circles, matrimonial ads still specify "fair skin" as a desirable quality. In Indigenous communities, those with more European features often face fewer barriers.
The common thread? White supremacy created a global system where proximity to whiteness equals proximity to power. "Queen" shows us one version of this story, but similar dramas play out across cultures and communities daily.
What makes this especially heartbreaking is how communities of color sometimes enforce these hierarchies themselves another way systems of oppression get people to police each other without the oppressor having to lift a finger. Which is why EVERYONE AND THEY MOMMA feels entitled to policing Black people, specifically Black women.
One thing that hit me watching "Queen" as a grown ass woman (that part!) is that racism hasn't necessarily gotten worse since the 1990s, it's just gotten a megaphone. Amen?!
Back when "Queen" first aired, people could pretend racism was "over" because it wasn't in your face 24/7. Now with everyone having a platform, we see exactly how many people still hold these views. Your racist uncle is not just saying that stuff at Thanksgiving anymore, he all on Facebook spreading racism and hate. Then he probably ugly; racism makes you ugly suge. I don’t make the rules! I just follow em.
The algorithms reward extreme opinions, crazy because even on social media, where you’re supposed to be enjoying a curated experience, hateful people and comments still snake their way through. My point is, what was once whispered in "Queen" is now hashtagged and going viral.
The most relatable part of "Queen" is watching Halle Berry's character try to figure out who she is when both sides of her heritage reject her. That "what are you?" question that mixed race folks still get asked ALL THE TIME.
The scene where Queen looks in the mirror and doesn't know where she fits? That's still happening for so many people navigating mixed identities today.
As someone who isn't mixed race myself, watching "Queen" gave me a deeper understanding of struggles I'll never personally experience. It's one thing to hear about identity issues in abstract terms, but seeing them portrayed so vividly through Queen's story made me realize how complex and painful these experiences can be.
Watching "Queen" in 2025 forces us to confront an uncomfortable truth. That racism in America was never just about hatred or ignorance. It was deliberately engineered as an economic and political system.
The racial hierarchy we see in "Queen" and the one we still live with today wasn't an accident. It was created to justify slavery and then maintained after emancipation to control labor, divide working people, and preserve power. Colorism became a tool to fracture solidarity and create false divisions within communities.
What "Queen" shows us so clearly is that America's racial problems aren't just about individual bias they're baked into systems that were designed to benefit some at the expense of others. The system is SO BROKEN, but I’m gonna save that rant for another time. Before I let you go, I want you to reflect on your place in the system and what that looks like. Now, what are you going to do about it?
Have you seen “Queen”? I encourage you to take a look, for the reasons I gave here, but also because it’s a really good series. A star studded cast; we LOVE Halle Berry, Jasmine Guy, and Danny Glover over here! And there are buku white people in the show whose names I am not familiar with or care to be, but of course when you Google the cast all the white people listed first. LMFAO that’s so wild, really, because Halle Berry is the literal star of the series but I had to SCROLL just to find her name on IMDB! See, this is exactly what I’m talking about, lord. I’ll see yall next week!