Zoe Saldana Playing Nina Simone Was Stupid.
Every argument supporting colorism is a problem.
Colorblind Logic Promotes Colorism (and Racism)
Zoe Saldana has had a problematic relationship regarding understanding how racism and colorism work. Being that she states she was raised to be “colorblind” (read: ignore racial issues like white people), it’s evident that she is Stacey-Dash-Clueless when it comes to what darker-skinned Black women deal with. Maybe she thought this was no different than playing a blue-skinned sapient tribal alien off of Avatar or the green-skinned Gamora off Guardians of the Galaxy. I’ve heard a few black men make this argument. If that’s her logic and yours, then we are in more trouble than I thought.
Black people are NOT aliens or fictional beings. Black people — darker Black people — exist. Some actual people look the part. I have yet to see a living being who literally looks like Neytiri or Gamora. To compare Black people to fictional technicolor beings, you have to be a particular type of stupid.
Nina Simone is a real-life historical domain figure.
But but but… she is a big name!
When playing a historical domain figure, a big name isn’t needed; Nina Simone is the big name. In fact, it’s better to…
