American actor and author Taye Diggs, who came to fame after he made his film debut in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, yesterday expressed surprise at the phenomenon of skin bleaching in Jamaica.
Diggs, who is in Jamaica promoting his children’s books Mixed Me and Chocolate Me, says he is focused on issues of self-esteem, self-love and self-awareness.
“This trips me out. I was just told yesterday at dinner that there was an issue with skin bleaching here,” the actor said as he participated in the launch of National Career Week at the Junior Achievement BizTown Project located at Caenwood Centre, Arnold Road, in Kingston.
National Career Week will take place February 13-19.
Diggs argued that he was ignorant to the fact that skin bleaching was a problem in Jamaica, which is why he was surprised to learn the practice was prevalent here.
“I didn’t think … those issues were so serious that people are trying to alter how they look,” he added.
HOPING TO FOSTER ACCEPTANCE
Diggs hopes that his books will help people with accepting themselves. “We have these lines of self-esteem and self-love and I think those are things we could all use, but the fact that people are still trying to lighten their skin, that is something I think needs to be looked at, and I am hoping that books like these will start a conversation.”
Mixed Me and Chocolate Me address issues of racial identity and self-acceptance.
Diggs said Chocolate Me was inspired by his own childhood experiences of being teased about his skin colour.
Diggs’ cousin, Shane Evans, who did the illustrations for both books, is confident that the books can help people to accept themselves and change the mindset surrounding the bleaching phenomenon.
“These works can deal with not just the ideal and the surface, but also the inner person as well … . No one is chocolate in terms of the ideal … , and no one is black, really. These are just ideas, and I think that us working in the world of publishing is very important, because you learn how words can manifest in society and change people’s minds, so we are trying to expand the dialogue around what race really is,” he said.
For Diggs, the books have a universal meaning and are aimed at fostering inclusion.
Mixed Me, which is his latest work, was inspired by the experiences of his interracial son.
The release of the book was the subject of much controversy in the United States after Diggs said he wanted his son, Walker, to be labelled mixed instead of black.
Suck yuh child’s mum white pussy cuz u breed white gyal gweh and dnt considered your child black! Get awaay yes yes nuff.man hate dem colour das y nuff a dem breed light skin gyal yow mi haate.ja govament inuh.cuz most of his actress fren dem.a.bleach.ja kno star gaa yuh.f**k country wid yuh raas book kmt met u.upset mi wid di post mi want beat yuh up :marah :batabig
Mi waa send him up under something wid him book. Damn bright
He is right. His child is not just black, hes’ biracial. His father is black and his mom is white; regardless of how the child look, hes’ still biracial. I don’t understand the logic of disregarding the none black parent of a biracial child. I don’t think it’s fair to the other parent.
is one race and its black and im sure he is a mixture of many ”races” and dont dem call him black? him need fi go sidun
Society says hes “black” but at the end of the day both of his parent is not black. Again, the other parent is being denounce.
Society admits scientifically that there is only one race. BLACK
Thank you for writing what I am thinking.
Yuh son black point black i memba that interview u racist piece of shit
Lol……why you MAD, though!
Thought we was anti- bleaching here daily! This is not a Jamaican problem as it has spread out of Africa if I am not mistaken.
Go ahead Taye……self love, right!
Quena-
Whey u mean quena? him have a black son whey him nah call black so who is him fi come seh anything to jamaicans?
Taye explained that, that statement was taken out of context. He said that he is leaving his son to identify with what he wants to be labeled as. He said to call his son black would be to exclude his mothers part of his genes and to call himself white will be to exclude his genes…..he is hoping that he just choose to be a human being. His book is along those lines as well.
My boys identify with being “mixed”.
Quena-
Mixed with what Quena? Hispanic is not a race
Phuck that weak chin, soft mouth bitch! He’s attempting to promote his book on what is well known…f**k! youtube done have it and JMG already highlight it on many levels.
He should have outrage pon bitchoncye, kerri washington, the jacksons and rayy.
The outrage is the fact him damn well a know about the bleaching shit and want to ise it to his benefit! Him love fi white women wid him riches is what give rise to self hate bleachers. Phuck that mandingo him and dapps cam go suck each other.
Can sumady carry him up a one a dem public hospital deh fi tell him fi help out a considerable amount fi help dem please….We can read,we don’t have a problem in dat area sirrr.Mine u bizniz
Saying you’re mixed with this dat and the other is like saying ‘I’m a Colony’ blacks never mix with them own only Chinese/English/Indian/Syrian etc and now we have chocolate and Mixed, two new species. I want know what makes being called chocolate or mixed any less offensive or more appropriate tha being called black. Why don’t he do one called vanilla me or twirly worly me and go sell it to the white kids?
Him just want mek some money any time di farina dem find sumn weh dem tink profitable dem fuss stop is here smfrh!!! Dis a gwaan fi years and naa guh stop wid him book kmt its all abt money in this world momey momey and mo money and use items to mask their intentions :dp
Ah who him ah talk to, betta yet who de hell ah listen to him. Maybe when him move outta de glass house then him cyan throw stones. Neva got the vibe that him like himself, from back inna the Stella days. If him neva did know him Nuh different from the bleachers. So, it cudda Neva be me and my pickney him a luk fee support him. We are quite comfortable being black.
I google his son the boy look black boy look nothing of mix race wonda y black man so frighten for white woman as him being the black father him should have common since to teach the boy to be proud of his blackness. If he can stop reminding the world about the boy having a white mother I would never know. all a this foolishness a bet him vex the boy come out black n not with blonde hair blue eye
A choo him doe look mix him waa call him mix…….racist him mouth feva fish in slow motion
him mouth feva fish in slow motion , a whe de!
Ah who him ah talk to, betta yet who de hell ah listen to him. Maybe when him move outta de glass house then him cyan throw stones. Neva got the vibe that him like himself, from back inna the Stella days. If him neva did know him Nuh different from the bleachers. So, it cudda Neva be me and my pickney him a luk fee support him. We are quite comfortable being black.
What him need to do is go uppa Public or walk go ova one a di home them n see how the ppl a live bout him a tawk bout bleaching kmft dem too nuff every fu@@ery dem bring go JA unnu run dem if dem not helping the cause gwaan back whey unnu come from knft
Jamaican people know dem race a dat him fi know. Carry di book go gi him son cause him is a chocolate boy whey him want to call milk or white chocolate and there is no such thing as white chocolate
Met a bleach out guyanese-american gal that use to be in music vidios name chankeong3 on insta freak him out and black mailed him they had to settle out of court
Im in awe all now mi cyaaaaa i mean cyaaaa believe him reach out yah wid him delusional self! Yyyyy him naaaay guh NIGERIA? Mi naaa laaaf! Cuz him get nufff back lash in di USA him decide fi come out yah cuz him kno how most jamaicans gullible and frighten! Gaaa NIGERIA MAN!
Yes kaw dem bleach more dan we
Aiii sah..no words!!
NIGERIA IS THE BLEACHING MECCA! They need to be edified more than us cuz dem staay reeeal bad ina real life!
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Good night Met and Metters..
I just wanna know why “Black folks” wanna be recognized so badly by the “White race?” It’s like most Black’s feel like they’re no one without other races and ethnicities validating them….
And for the last time… PUERTO RICAN IS NOT A RACE, IT IS AN ETHNICITY!!
That’s why I will never and could never date outside of the African race because I will never value people that doesn’t value me or my kind.
And that PR that come on here have a piece of hatred for us and everyday she come yah and always a gwaan like she above us…
Tae diggs son looks almost like BLUE IVY esp wit the kinky hair thats how dominant the negro gene is him shudn even seh di child mix or black him a preach self hate and he himself hate him dam self cuz him want likle milk in him offspring gene smh IAN BOYNE RACIST TO! BREED CHINEY WOMAN BUT YET WEDS A BLACK WOMAN WHO THEY SHARE NO KIDS TOGETHER SMH BLACK MEN RAAAACIST BAÀD
Actually South Asia is the bleaching Mecca. It is scientifically proven that the black gene is so dominant it cannot be mixed. There you have it. No one is excluding the child’s mother she can only be included if she has a child with a non black man.
Taye didn’t have no damn problem growing up with his skin color. His mom is light yes (very sweet person), but the only problem was in his own damn head. He wants to promote self esteem he better start in his own family. Both him and his sister believe that they are white. His sister don’t hang with nothing more than white people facts and believe she better than anybody else. His sister personally said that her brother will never deal with a black woman. Jamaica has its issue’s yes, but he need to f**k off and go worry about his own family. Mother still live in a apartment and sister can’t keep a job for shit. Oh and please also take care of her drug issues. That’s what he should have wrote a book about.
He better go write a book for his son telling him how to deal with society….the cops don’t give a fμ€k about you being MIXED… when you fill out that application to apply for that job or loan you don’t get first pick for being MIXED ! He better prepare his son for this world as a black person because at the end of the day that is what he will be seen as regardless if his mother white.. Taye Diggs sorry your not the “BEST MAN”
Him and his wife are divorced so it appears this man has some unresolved colour issues as I am sure Idina is not going around worrying about her son’s complexion. His book clearly needs much help to be whoring out his family business to assist his marketing. Damn arse!
Stop bleaching and know who you are
Taye Diggs is ah certified eediat. Mi waan knoe how di baxside him end up ah Jamaica ah promote book. Lean mouth bwoy guh clean up yuh front yard before yuh worry bout smady else backyard :marah Das why mi favorite part eena “Best Man” is when Morris Chestnut beat out him claat :ngakak Taye Diggs mi doe like yuh on or off screen. Yuh head nuh good and yuh need fi nyam yuh book and wash it dung wid some salt water from the Caribbean Sea…..:travel
when since jamaican people call mixed people black some a unno live a america