"This sista is of a lighter skin tone. Maybe for some her words may have not any qualifications."

All information that causes one to gain insight and knowledge is relevant, isn't that the purpose of this website?

A few months back someone began a thread on the tendency of Black Rastafarian males, to date, mate and marry Caucasoid females. I remember reasoning that the offspring of such interactions should not be considered African because according to all of nature's laws, such progeny could only be conflicted in their loyalty and in all probability would lean towards the "white" mother's culture. I also reasoned that the product of "white" males and African females would be more inclined to identify with African culture since in both cases the nurturing of the child is the mother's domain.

The distinction was by no means intended as an absolute, for inevitably there will be a few exceptions, however, if things proceed according to their natural order, one cannot help but concede the essential truth in this observation.

As your caveat implies, some members of this forum are uncomfortable with the topic of colorism within the Rasta community. It is viewed as divisive, someone even suggested that the practitioners of "White" supremacy were having a good laugh at those of us who choose to make it an issue.

Uncomfortable as it may be, it is a subject that needs to be discussed, dissected and explored till its dynamics are completely understood. In light of this, I'd like to respond to your subject question. "What does it mean to be black in the 21st century"

Is it Nature (Genetics/Pedigree) or Nurture (Culture/Socialization) that determines our loyalty to one group vs the other?

What causes a young "African-American" to go against everything they've been raised to love and respect? Why are there so many "Black" male luminaries with "White" women on their arms? What causes a "Black" woman to take a "White" man to her bed? How should the collective view these interactions and their respective offspring?

Statistics say that 30% "Black" males in North-America possess European genes. How is the collective to view their progeny by a European female? Is the "One Love" ideology meant to encompass all these variations? How can one be true to ones' African-ness, while still indulging in and adhering to European standards and values? Is the decision already made for us by genetics, and are hybrids forced into a culture by society, that is antithetical to their very nature?

I ask these questions because as a descendant of enslaved Africans I am confronted by this Catch-22 on a daily basis within my own family circle; and I trust that there aren't many Africans in the great Diaspora who have been spared this dilemma.

It is impossible to serve two masters as we've been told by the sages, so to bestride the fence is not an acceptable option. We must declare our intent one way or the other. Therefore, it is the natural right of Africans on the path towards African liberation to demand that their icons be 100% African. Anyone who has a problem with this should be viewed as suspect. In a world saturated and overwhelmed by the influence of the European, there must no hint of ambiguity in those who dare to speak for the African.

I restate my position without apology; there is a need to separate sheep from goat. This by no means implies the exclusion of hybrids, it is a word of advice to those who would willingly accept everyone labeled by society as "Black" at face value.