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My Face Is Not The Problem, Malique I. Morris

Capstones

In 2019, after a weekend full of rejection in the gayest neighborhood in Los Angeles, I became so ashamed of my phenotypically black facial features, I completely stopped looking in the mirror. As it turns out, I’m one of many black people who have internalized anti-blackness to such an extent. Skin bleaching is a multi-billion-dollar sector of the cosmetics industry, with Africa being its biggest market, and studies show that black people with darker skin and wider noses are more likely to be killed during encounters with the police. So, an honest conversation about systemic racism is actually a conversation …