Hillary Ad Darkens Obama

Guide Note: A Hillary Clinton campaign ad debuted on March 3rd that included footage of Barack Obama in which the rival candidate's skin seemed to have been darkened. The change from the original footage was quickly caught by diarists at Daily Kos, and the story soon spread to mainstream news sources including FOX News. The Clinton campaign has made no comment as of 3PM EST, March 4th, and it remains unclear whether the darkening was intentional, or whether the entire commercial was released (or reproduced) in muted tones.

Fast Facts:

1. An infamous 1994 Time Magazine cover featured a darkened photo of OJ Simpson
2. The prior Clinton ad came under fire for a perceived similarity to Republican ads
3. Gradations of racism according to skin tone have been common in American society
4. A hierarchy of skin tone is also historically prevalent within the African-American community
5. African-American author Zora Neale Hurston lists the hierarchy as, "High yaller, yaller, high brown, vaseline brown, seal brown, low brown, dark brown”