"Gimme Some Skin": What's the Story on Human Skin Colors?

1.Class discussion, lead by teacher:  Have you ever heard the expression "Gimme some skin?"  It can mean shake hands, slap hands up & down, fist bump, etc.   Did you know "gimme some skin" is a very OLD expression?  WATCH THE VIDEO attached, called GIMME SOME SKIN.   Some white ladies ( who were very famous singers back in the 40's & 50's) are talking about a black custom they like (which developed in Harlem ( a mostly black neighborhood in New York City).  They sing the song (and do some very cool dancing) and are inherently saying "hey - being friendly is GOOD... let's shake hands, slap hands, dance, sing, HAVE FUN TOGETHER! 

 2.  WATCH VIDEO: "Gimme Some Skin." (Notice the racial  composition of the "audience" at the nightclub, the band members playing music, and any other people you saw in the film. This was filmed during the decades of SEGREGATION, when laws for inclusion of all people were skirted because of long-standing prejudices, and traditions of separatism, so tthere are NO black citizens shown in this scene.  Also notice, when discribing "gimme some skin", the singers mention that this type of "hello" is done in HARLEM, which was a traditionally black neighborhood in New York City.)

3.  DISCUSSION :  Today, White,  Black,  Latino, Asian, and all other ethnicities of  people are becoming aware that WE SHOULD ALL BE PROUD OF OUR HERITAGE, and the skin tones that we have inherited from our ancestors.  EVERYONE who lives in North America is descended from IMMIGRANTS from another country,  unless they have Native American ancestry.    If you know a positive story about an ancestor in your family, or an actor, actress, scientist, teacher, writer, or any other career person/ family member who has come to the U.S.A. and become a successful citizen, share these in a class discussion. 

4. VOCABULARY: 

ethnicity       race         gender           skin pigmentation      colorism      melanin          hunter-gatherer   

white         black            African-American         Latino             Latina        Hispanic        equator          

5.. Read this excellent explanation on differences of skin pigmentation/ color, quoted below  (quoted from a SMITHSONIAN  MUSEUM  website explaining human skin color variation)

 **As early humans moved into hot, open environments in search of food and water, one big challenge was keeping cool. The adaptation that was favored involved an increase in the number of sweat glands on the skin while at the same time reducing the amount of body hair. With less hair, perspiration could evaporate more easily and cool the body more efficiently. But this less-hairy skin was a problem because it was exposed to a very strong sun, especially in lands near the equator. Since strong sun exposure damages the body, the solution was to evolve skin that was permanently dark so as to protect against the sun’s more damaging rays.

**Melanin, the skin's brown pigment, is a natural sunscreen that protects tropical peoples from the many harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) rays. UV rays can, for example, strip away folic acid, a nutrient essential to the development of healthy fetuses. Yet when a certain amount of UV rays penetrates the skin, it helps the human body use vitamin D to absorb the calcium necessary for strong bones. This delicate balancing act explains why the peoples that migrated to colder geographic zones with less sunlight developed lighter skin color. As people moved to areas farther from the equator with lower UV levels, natural selection favored lighter skin which allowed UV rays to penetrate and produce essential vitamin D. The darker skin of peoples who lived closer to the equator was important in preventing folate deficiency.

5. CRAYOLA Corporation, makers of crayons, markers, and paints, have created a DIVERSITY/multicultural  collection of crayons and markers,  which represent a great variety of skin tones, worldwide.  The CRAYOLA company that has been in existence for decades... and  now they see the importance of RECOGNIZING & HONORING all the different skin tones of humans that exist in our world.  

6.  Our skin tones may be different, but what color is human blood?   A  human heart?   A human brain?   Do you think an ethnic or racial difference changes these physical body components? 

THE ANSWER IS NO.  No difference.  Blood, organs, bones, etc. do not vary in cellular composition between races or ethnicities. A human is a human, no matter what skin color, ethnicity,  language, facial features, hair, or eye color.

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIORS BETWEEN PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT RACES - read and discuss:

- What is a MICROAGRESSION?  (quoted from Jenee Desmond-Harris, author, article on MICROAGGRESSIONS written on VOXMEDIA)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority.

2. "WHAT EXACTLY IS A MICROAGRESSION? ( # 3  thru #7, from  author Jenee Desmond-Harris, from her article on VOXMEDIA)

3. **  "An Asian-American student is complimented by a professor for speaking perfect English, but it's actually his first language.  A black man notices that a white woman flinches and clutches her bag as she sees him in the elevator she's about to enter, and is painfully reminded of racial stereotypes. A woman speaks up in an important meeting, but she can barely get a word in without being interrupted by her male colleagues."

4. **  "There's a name for what's happening in these situations, when people's biases against marginalized groups reveal themselves in a way that leaves their victims feeling uncomfortable or insulted: microaggressions."

5.  

    I, Too, am Harvard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.     You may have heard the term if you've read up on psychology, the academic field where the term was born, or if you've spent time perusing Twitter and Tumblr, where it's had a recent resurgence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The renewed embrace of the concept has aggravated some who think "microaggressions" simply describes situations in which people are being much too sensitive. At the same time, it's also provided a common vocabulary for those who want to put a label on the specific type of daily indignities they face. And in a society in which explicit racism is frowned upon (and thus, not a daily problem for most people) but implicit biases are going strong, there's probably more use for it now than ever before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The word "microaggression," like the behaviors it describes, is probably going to be with us for some time, so it's worth understanding what it means.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SO, CONSIDERING DARK-SKINNED OR  "OTHER THAN WHITE" SKINNED PEOPLE have been discriminated against in the past, here are  two topics for class discussion, #8 & #9, below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8.  The desire for skin TANNING: (a cosmetic choice of some white/ light-skinned people)  Especially in the 1950's -1990's, light skin (white)people wanted darker skin, especially for wearing bathing suits and spending time on the beach or at swimming pools.  There were many products sold  to CAPITALIZE $$  on this obsession ( oil and  lotions). Some brands: - HAWAIIAN TROPIC/ AZTEC / SKI TAN  TANNING BUTTER/ COPPERTONE / REVLON DARK TANNING OIL/even a 1956  product SKOL  RICH-TAN TANNING OIL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9.The desire for skin BLEACHING: (a cosmetic choice of some dark -skinned people): Skin bleaching  is not medically necessary, but sometimes people do it for cosmetic reasons. People may feel this will make them more attractive or more confident.  However, the  practice of attempting to lighten a person's complexion has some links to racism.  "The attitude of  racism frames being "white" , with European skin, hair colors & textures, etc. as superior to all other races and ethnicities.  This mistaken attitude that "white is more appealing" is an idea ROOTED IN THE PAST.   Another key driver of skin bleaching is colorism, also related to racism.  ***Colorism is a form of racism, resulting in discriminatory practices of hiring, or choosing individuals for other roles in society, by prreferring lighter skin tones over darker skin tones."        (quoted from MEDICAL NEWS TODAY.com) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISCUSSION WITH TEACHER: the ideas in # 8 and #9 above, including:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a puzzling irony when we look back on it...WHITE people wanted to be DARKER, but were still sometimes prejudiced again dark-skinned people!  And dark-skinned people were held back from being chosen for certain jobs or awards (beauty pageants, etc.) because they were deemed to be "too dark," & specifically from a race that had been "held back" due to discriminatory rules. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9.  EXTRA CREDIT:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learn about "epicanthic folds" or the eye, and why this developed in certain populations who either lived in VERY COLD & WINDY climates (ASIA or Northern EUROPE)/   or in VERY HOT & BRIGHT climates (Africa near the equator or NORTH AMERICA, southwestern areas). This protected the eyes from either extremely cold and damaging winds, or extremely hot winds + the high-intensity ultraviolet light near the equator.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Read the articles attached in RESOURCES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Write a paragraph about WHY the eye fold has the shape it has/ the explanation of what is " extra" in this particular type of eye structure, & why it helps "protect" the eye

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Make a collage of Asian and Scandanavian men/ women's faces that show the epicanthic fold, and also a collage of African, Native American, or South American faces that show the epicanthic fold.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TEACHERS  - try to guide the lesson along the science behind the development of different pigmentation development due to climate & geographical locations of human development.  

BE AWARE: Discussions of skin color can naturally leads to discussions of feelings about race, and current racial issues. The teacher SETS THE TONE for:

-civility

-staying on the topic

-not allowing the generalizations of a whole group to BE TAINTED by a few specific incidents ( whether it's in the national news, the hometown, or the school).  

FACT:  Individuals are responsible for their own specific actions, & are not responsible for the actions of whole races of persons. We each want to be judged on our individual merits and behaviors.  

INTERVIEW PROJECT 

(Have a pen & notebook ready.  Also, you may record them on a cellphone, but make paper notes also.)

1.  Interview an older relative and ask them to tell you a POSITIVE story about a time when they had a friend, neighbor, or co-worker who was a DIFFERENT ethnicity or skin color... QUESTIONS TO ASK:

-What was nice, pleasant, or helpful about that person? What was their name?

-How did you come to meet or know that person? 

-Did you ever visit inside their home?

-Did you ever try different foods that they cooked and offered to you?

-Did you ever ask them about the countries their families had lived before they came to the U.S.?

ART PROJECT: Family Portrait

-Pick out a blue or green sheet to be your background paper.  You will be gluing different circles on the background that represents  the different colors of your relatives.

 1. Gather a green or blue sheet of construction paper/ glue/ scissors/ multicultural crayons or BIG BOX of crayons that includes a large assortment:  tans, browns, yellowish-tan, reddish-tan, black, white, light peach, light pink, etc...in other words, PEOPLE COLORS.

-CUT OUT  a circle to represent your mother's face, father's face, yourself, a brother or sister... or anyone in your family that lives with you, or that you want to include. Color each circle to be the closest color to their skin tone as possible.

-Glue each colored face to the blue or green sheet of construction paper.

-LABEL who each face is, & what their relation is to you ( label with a pen or pencil).

 

POSTER:   Strategies to speak up!  ( if you or others are targeted by "microagressive" statements, gestures, or other anti-social behaviors)

[.....be sure to include:  -The Huh? ...The Echo...The Questionator...The Debunker...The Connector...The Emoter]    Cut out magazine pictures of faces to show some different emotions of feeling angry, sad, shamed, put-down, confident, triumphant, etc]

 

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