To those of us who have called Lolo’s two medaling teammates meanies, or worse, I have this to say.

I can sympathize with them. Now, I don’t think that the comments that they made about Lolo in their NBC interview were appropriate. Yes, they said things that they shouldn’t have said; indeed, their comments were very mean spirited. But, these women are angry. Angry that they have worked so hard to achieve what they have, only to be ignored because, let’s face it, they aren’t the right complexion to be media darlings in America. Yes, what happened wasn’t Lolo’s fault, it was the media’s, but could we very well expect them to slam the very same media that was interviewing them at the time? And how many of can honestly say, that when really angry about something, that we took our anger out only on the people who deserved it?

Nor is any of this new. For centuries, light complexioned black women have been put on a pedestal above dark complexioned women. And, for centuries I imagine, us black women have taken out our frustrations over this pigmentocracy out on each other, and not on the white supremacist society that perpetuates it. Kellie and Dawn took out their frustrations on Lolo, instead of the media (and let’s face it, society) who was truly at fault. It wasn’t right, but when you’re in that position it can be really hard to criticize those responsible, especially when they hold all the power.