From Chocolate to Caramel

While reading "Black Sitcom Portrayals" by Robin R. Means Coleman, I thought the section on lighter-skinned African Americans vs. darker-skinned African Americans was really interesting. "...Hollywood's preference for lighter skinned African-Americans... [is] a new twist on 'White is Right'..." (Coleman, 84) Immediately I thought of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, when Daphne Maxwell-Reid, a lighter-skinned (referred to as caramel) African American woman was brought in to replace the mother character of Vivan Banks, who was previously played by Janet Hubert-Whitten after three seasons (1990-1993), a darker skinned (referred to as chocolate) African American. I think this replacement definetly is proof of Hollywood's preference for lighter-skinned African Americans and further generates the idea that 'white is right'. As the image shows, Janet Hubert-Witten is on the left and is clearly much darker than Daphne Maxwell-Reid, who was her replacement.