"As a matter of fact they'd blacken us down. I guess there's a reason that according to what the Caucasian wanted us to look like. He wanted us to look-if we were Black, then he had his idea of what we look like"

This quote by Billy Eckstine talks with the racism as well as discrimination that African Americans dealt with in the past. He is describing the suggestion that Caucasians had a particular idea of what African Americans ought to look like, and would certainly "blacken us down" to fit that image. This is a recommendation to the concept of colorism, which is the concept that lighter skinned African Americans were seen as a lot more attractive as well as preferable than darker skinned African Americans. This quote speaks to the racism and discrimination that African Americans faced in the past, and how Caucasians had a certain concept of what African Americans need to resemble. It also speaks with the concept of colorism, which is the suggestion that lighter skinned African Americans were seen as a lot more appealing and also preferable than darker skinned African Americans. This quote is a tip of the racism as well as discrimination that African Americans have actually encountered in the past, and also just how it has actually shaped the way they are seen today.