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Tika Sumpter On Being Dark-Skinned In Hollywood: “I Was Truly Unprepared”

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[BLACKDOCTOR.ORG]

Actress Tika Sumpter is one of those actresses who has taken Hollywood by storm on her terms. She’s been a star on Tyler Perry’s “Have And The Have Nots”, Ice Cube’s “Ride Along” and “Ride Along 2”, as well as playing the First Lady Michelle Obama in an upcoming feature film, “Southside.”

But Sumpter believes that her success is very rare. You don’t always see dark skinned Black actresses in lead roles in Hollywood that much. In her own words, she describes the ups and downs of her skin tone within her own people and outside of her race.

“It’s important to understand that I was born into a family with seven children, each of us equipped with varying personalities, dispositions, and, yes, skin tones as well,” explains Sumpter. “My mom has the most beautiful café au lait complexion, which she shares with my two older sisters and older brother. My three younger siblings have skin tones that range from caramel to a golden bronze.”

“And then there’s me.”

My mother says that when my father, a striking man with kind eyes, broad shoulders, and deep ebony-brown skin, first saw me in the hospital that day, his eyes lit up brightly as he promptly proclaimed, “’She has my color. She looks like me!’”

“Though I obviously have no recollection of that day at all, I’m quite certain that hearing that story heavily influenced the ways in which I’ve been able to navigate my journey as a woman, an African-American woman, and a woman of a darker hue.”

Both of my parents, and particularly my mother, worked very hard every day to make sure all their children had exactly what we needed to grow up with minds of our own, confidence to spare, and strength to endure. Even after my parents separated and later divorced, I always felt worthy, supported, and loved.

Finish reading the story at BlackDoctor.org.

Freddie Allen is the Editor-In-Chief of the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA.com. Focused on Black people stuff, positively. You should follow Freddie on Twitter and Instagram @freddieallenjr.

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