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28804: Peterson: (reply) Re: 28799: love haiti: (reply) felix (comments) RE: 28794: Morse (comment) (fwd) destarke (comment) (fwd)
From: Audrey Peterson <destarke@yahoo.com>
In Brazil, also is a phrase used in want ads, "must be
of good appearance" (I have no idea if it's still
used) that is a euphemism for "must be light-skinned
or white".
I have a Haitian friend, from Bel Air in
Port-au-Prince, married to my friend, an American. I
mention that my friend is white because I believe it
is germaine to this email. My friend is dark-skinned
and is very conscious of her skin color. I'm mixed
race and a medium brown and she's constantly going on
about my skin color, how much she loves it, touching
my skin, etc. She is gorgeous but does not think
herself so, pointing at photos and saying "I look
ugly". She has not asked me about skin lightening
products, but she also knows how much I disapprove of
them, even if I sympathize and understand the
motivation behind them.
She's been here in NYC since January 2005. Her husband
went through hell and high water to get her into the
United States. I still don't know how he did it
because it didn't look promising when he started (and
he had an immigration lawyer). What I do know is that
she is here legally. The roadblocks were absurd. I
helped as much as I could, but not being an
immigration lawyer or anyone in immigration (I'm the
editor of a black history magaziine), there was not
much I could do but lend moral support.
Since she's been here she started taking English
classes and learned enough to get a job (another bout
with red tape got her a worker's permit), and got a
job at a fast food restaurant. When others raise their
eyebrows at the minimum wage, she ignores them. The
idea of sitting around her house doing nothing is
terrible to her. She has no intention of working at
minimum wage for the rest of her life, and I have no
intention of letting her.
Audrey
--- Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu> wrote:
From: love haiti <loveayiti@hotmail.com>
Nothing strange about people going to a pharmacy to
buy products to lighten
their skin before a trip to the consulate
They should remember the codes used by the Consulate
in Brazil
"These initials are LP (looks poor) - this is used
in reference to an applicant
that looks poor. LR (looks rough) is used referring
to someone who has no or
little formal education. TP (talks poor) are in
reference to those who express
themselves poorly. TC (take care) is in reference to
someone who seems
suspicious and the last is RK (rich kid) referring
to an applicant that appears
rich."
US District Court in Washington later ruled that
such practices are unlawful
and that the firing of a consular employee in Brazil
who refused to follow
orders to use the profiles was also unlawful. Don't
know what happened from
there.
I wonder what kinds of codes they would use in
Haiti?
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