Lol if he's darker than a paperbag he's black or what?
The "brown
paper bag test" was a ritual once practiced by certain
African-American and
Creole fraternities and sororities who discriminated against people who were "too dark." That is, these groups would not let anyone into the sorority or fraternity whose skin tone was darker than a
paper lunch
bag, in order to maintain a perception of standards.
Spike Lee's film
School Daze satirized this practice at historically black colleges and universities.
Anna Mae Winburn and
William D. Alexander in the 1940s
The “brown
paper bag test” form of colorism is also believed to have been used in the application process to the prestigious Historically Black College
Howard University. The University once required students to submit a photograph of themselves, most likely to ensure that the majority of the Universities students were of lighter complexion. Along with the "
Paper Bag Test," guidelines for acceptance among the lighter ranks included the "comb
test", which tested the coarseness of one's hair, and the "flashlight
test," which tested a person's profile, to make sure their features measured up, or were close enough to those of the Caucasian race.
[2]
Colorism is prevalent in the
job application process as well, research shows that a light skinned African American male with a bachelors degree and mediocre experience is more likely to be hired for a typical job than a dark skinned man with an Masters in Business Administration and past experience in the field.
[3]
IE: to me he fails with solid colors