Preloading

Iyanla Talks Candidly About Colorism with 6 Black Women

Season 5 Episode 515
Aired on 04/14/2018 | CC tv-14
Colorism— the discrimination against people, often of one's own race, based on the shade or tone of their skin—has been prevalent in the African-American community for generations. In this digital exclusive, Iyanla tackles the topic with six black women: reality star Arica "Hazel-E" Adams and her mother, Angela Cross-Nettles; actresses Chrystale Wilson, Raven Goodwin and Rashan Ali; and British singer/songwriter Estelle.

Arica, Angela and Chrystale represent women with lighter skin tones, while Raven, Rashan and Estelle represent women with darker skin tones. Each takes a turn sharing her experience with colorism and the pain it has caused her, regardless of whether she's a "coffee girl" or "cream girl" girl, as Iyanla says. Then, Iyanla delivers an empowering speech about the importance of honoring African-American trailblazers and ancestors who paved the way for this generation and those to come.

Watch this full episode