These declarations do not change anything.

There are many dark-skinned Blacks who are fixated on light-skin as an integral part of their concept of beauty, symbol of success, and upward social mobility. Society, including parents and the television, taught them that. They are like that although they are in dark-skinned Black relationships and families. Often they settle for dark-skinned Black partners because they could not get the light-skinned ones they preferred. I am not saying that you are like that. I am showing that the declarations you are making do not necessarily mean what you think they mean.

Certainly declaring love for everyone does not invalidate the point Bantu Kelani is making. She is showing a preference to be revolutionary in terms of her focus. Seeing that Bantu Kelani is advocating that Black people should uphold dark-skinned or otherwise indigenous black people as the highest standard of beauty deserving of love, in the context of wanting to redress historical wrongs, she is quite in order. Too many want to maintain a symbolic relationship with change while they remain with their colonial illusions and habits.

Light-skinned ones mostly mix with other light-skinned ones. It is not like they generally embrace dark-skinned Blacks. Some light-skinned ones may get involved with darker-skinned ones only when the darker-skinned ones have lots of money, and/or can give them more of their perception of upward social mobility.

I understand Bantu Kelani’s point quite well. Most dark-skinned Blacks who get materially successful show a preference for lighter shades. The dark-skinned Black partner is only to get by while they struggle. Whether you agree or not, there is more than a grain of truth to what she is saying.