y piece "Lighter Than The Brown Paper Bag" aka

             "What If I'm Not The Same Color" is the piece that

                propelled my painting style into what it is today. This 36"x72" mural was created on the concept of African-Americans being "lighter than the brown paper bag" and if it really mattered in today’s society. All of my subjects are of African-American descent, but I changed their complexion to every and any color imaginable to denote that the "brown paper bag” should not be a standard of privilege, equality, beauty, etc.

   For those who do not know what the “brown paper bag” test/ideology is, here is a really brief synopsis of it: African Americans would place value on one another based on the color of their skin. So if your skin color was lighter than or equal to a brown paper bag, then you were considered “better” than those who were darker than the brown paper bag.

  And from this, I have painted all of my figures in bold beautiful colors, to state that every shade of every color is the standard of privilege, equality, beauty, etc.

-Serena Renee

M