Get On Code & Stay On Code Dark Skinned Women

Greetings fellow dark skinned black women...We need to get on code and even more importantly...STAY ON CODE.

I am sure you have heard the word “code” thrown around the black woman blogs and vlogishpere but what is it? Simply put, a code in this sense is just an unspoken set of rules and conduct specific to whatever group you are a part of.

It appears that every race, gender, social, and peer grouping has a code...except dark-skinned black women. In my opinion this lack of code, or lack of following a code is part of what keeps us losing and keeps us at the bottom to fight for the scraps left by groups who stay on one.

White women by and large have and follow a code;Why do you think you saw mostly white women show up and protest at the women’s march, only to turn around and have over 50% of them vote for trump? Or why they will be all over the internet talking about patriarchy and talking about fighting men and portraying that in movies all to use those white woman tears when faced with a real confrontation?

It’s because they have a silent understanding of what benefits them as a group and will in the end neutralize any real threat to their position. Mixed women also have a code especially when it comes to their representation. They understand they have a privileged position in the black community so they use that to take roles and opportunities meant for black women for themselves without remorse (see Amandla Steinberg and Alexandra Shipp).

One of the main ways dark skinned women can get on code is to stop judging and tearing down other dark skinned black women for doing what is best for them, especially publically. This goes for everything from who dark skinned women choose to date and mate with to the types of activities they choose to participate in.

Another way is to stop focusing so much energy of the issues of other groups and spend more time advancing our image and fixing our issues. Dark skinned women are known for picking up the gauntlet in the fight for justice for other groups of people, who rarely if ever would return the favor for us. We are always sister soldiering and protesting and spending energy on things that do not serve our interests. As a group we rarely focus on our own elevation and level up, or fixing in house issues, yet we are always upset when we aren’t represented properly, or when we are pushed to the bottom.

I think the most important part about staying on code is realizing that we need one in the first place and secondly(ironically), being silent about it. However, we just need to get to step one and understand that the process to elevating our image is one of strategy.

Liv is a new blogger for DDS Magazine. She graduated University in 2018, with a degree in History & English Lit and in her free time is an avid creative writer, History & Fashion enthusiast, as well as a cat-mom to three kittens. When she is not creating, she works at a children's non-profit and enjoys spending her weekends doing Pilates, hiking, shopping and indulging in Sci-fi novels.