When Tameka Foster posted the blog entry 'She's Pretty for a Dark-Skinned Girl' on the Huffington Post, both celebrities and regular women alike celebrated her message.
Unbeknownst to them, while they were saluting Usher Raymond's soon-to-be ex-wife's essay on skin complexion, author Aisha Curry, who wrote the book 'Pretty for a Black Girl' (AuthorHouse/$10.49) read the piece and was outraged that her tome had been lifted and used by Foster, who allegedly passed the work off as her own.
Read Foster's full essay here.
"My heart sank into my stomach. All the hard work, all the sleepless nights I had endured was playing back in my head as I read this article written by a woman I didn't even know," Curry told BV Buzz. "Why did I feel so connected to this article? Suddenly, it came to me. It was my work! It was my work, my voice, but in her words. I was frozen. Tears began rolling down my face as I read line after line after line. I couldn't believe it. The idea that someone could gain notoriety from an issue that I first brought to the forefront is mind-boggling. People were praising her for tackling an issue that had never been exposed. Hello? I wrote the book on it and started it years ago. The only difference between her article and my book is she used 'dark-skinned' and I used 'black.'"
Curry said she began writing 'Pretty for a Black Girl' in 2007 after receiving compliments about her beauty, only to have them followed up with a reference to her ethnicity.
"One day about five years ago, I was absolutely tired of being tol
d that I was pretty for a black girl," she explained. "I started asking my friends if they had heard this statement before, and as time went on, I realized how prevalent the issue was."
The 96-page pocket-size book, which was self-published in March of 2008, was written as a labor of love by Curry, a college student who is dismayed at the idea that Foster plagiarized her hard work.
"I received the link, and it changed my life. A friend told me that they had read an article in the Huffington Post called 'She's Pretty for a Dark-Skinned Girl' written by Tameka Foster. I knew the title was similar to my book, but I didn't jump to any conclusions," Curry recalled. "So, I went to the site and began reading this article. If she would have changed the words 'dark-skinned' to 'black,' it would be exactly the same title as my book. My frustration quickly turned to anger, and I sought God for answers. 'What do I do? What can I do?' At that moment, the appropriate reaction was tears. All I could do was cry! Thankfully, I had the support of my family and close friends who surrounded me with love. They quoted scriptures from the Bible, which gave me strength. I began to receive phone calls from people who had read the book and they said: 'Wow, I felt like I have heard all that before.' That's when I decided to do something. I picked up the phone and called as many supporters as I could."
The Fresno, Calif.-based mother and wife of a professional athlete acknowledged that there is the slim chance that Foster could have penned the blog essay, however, she believes otherwise.
"I cannot and will not say she stole my idea, because you never should assume. However, I will say that It seemed like one heck of a coincidence and everything I touched on she did," Curry offered, before adding, "I just want other people to know that you don't have to sit around and do nothing when you feel wronged."
Incidentally, Curry shared that she had sent her book to an Atlanta-based foundation more than a month ago, so the timing of Foster's story is eerily coincidental.
"I offered to send my book to an Atlanta foundation whose purpose was to encourage and uplift young women in their community. I am a local author out of Fresno, so I jumped at the chance to change lives and get some exposure for my book. After sending my book and failing to receive a promised phone call from the foundation members, I was baffled. Though I had sent the book about a month and a half ago, I shrugged it off and went on with my daily duties of being a wife, mother and book author," she explained.
Though discouraged and heartbroken by Foster's alleged actions, Curry still hopes the message of 'Pretty for a Black Girl' resonates with people.
"It's written for a entire generation of women being told they are nothing if they are not what some people consider pretty. I focused on that topic because I can onl
y speak on what I know and what I have experienced. People would tell me all the time that I was 'pretty for a black girl' and I wasn't sure what to make of it. I felt it was a compliment, but it also felt like an insult. I reached out to the community via YouTube in 2008 and sought the opinions of others. I had over 80,000 viewers and at the time. It was an issue that no one had really addressed publicly. My goal was to empower young women and to help them realize that they are beautiful no matter what color, race or gender they are. The book was self-published, and I was ecstatic but also nervous because I knew the topic would stir up controversy. I was prepared for the backlash about the subject matter, but I wasn't prepared for what happened now," she concluded.
BV Buzz contacted the Huffington Post about the the matter. Their press rep said they needed more details before commenting.
Foster's publicist sent BV Buzz an inflammatory statement. The gist of it read: "Tameka has never even heard of the book you referenced nor does she believe you even deserve a response."
*****
To learn more about Aisha Curry's book, 'Pretty for a Black Girl,' visit her Web site www.aishacurry.com.
Read also: 'Twitter Talk: Tameka Foster Bashes Divorce Attorney'
& Read also: 'The Week That Was: Tameka Foster-Raymond, Nia Long, Omarosa & Lionel Richie.'
*****
VIDEO: See the original video Aisha Curry posted on YouTube last year about 'Pretty For A Black Girl.'


Comments: (157)
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By: Nicole on 8/28/2009 1:03AM
By the way, I read and saw the juxtaposition of the passages from Foster and Curry. Yes, there are similar ideas, and wording, however, I don't see plagiarism here. I do however, agree that Foster has probably heard of or read Curry's book at some point, I think that response, (if true), was from Foster's publicist; then that was a stupid move.
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By: Q on 8/28/2009 3:52PM
First of all I dont think Aisha is trying to gain fame from Tameka because no one even knew who Tameka was until she married Usher.You know you read her book and you stole someone else's hard work for your own game.Its a shame and I think you need to grow up Tameka and find you another young dude to trap!!!!
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By: Miami on 8/28/2009 10:31PM
WOW!!!! most of the comments was post by none other than TAMIKA herself you know why because she don't have a LIFE she is a LONELY OLD ASS STUPID BITCH her LIFE IS A MERRYGOAROUND she do the same shit all year long i don't know some people would even side with her its not about her looks its about her ways and how she lived her Life females like that they don't change they just moved some where else and repeat the same FUCKING pattern they sick She is a PREDATOR that plan everyday of sick shit to do WOW!!!!!
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By: Renee on 9/07/2009 4:08PM
Miami-I am a Miami native and rarely embarrassed to admit it, but WOW!
Your profanity and hate laced response is disheartening and unnecessary....
Take a moment to research the "Willie Lynch Law and Process". My hope is that you'll understand that while your response is disappointing, it is in no way surprising.
Let's NOT perpetuate the willie lynch practices into another generation, but spend the remainder of this year, working to end them both.
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By: Whatever on 9/13/2009 6:32PM
All I have to say is, give me a freakin' break. This subject had been broached long ago by countless in the black community, well before anyone heard of a Tameka Foster or an Aisha Curry. I understand both women wanting to be recognized for their efforts, but come on now. (Rolling eyes)
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By: Chocolate Girl on 9/15/2009 11:12PM
I'm late on this one, but this issue doesn’t belong to any one person. Women that are darker than a brown paper bag have faced this remark for years and it still continues. It seems to me that the author is taking issue with Tameka because she wrote about it first. Did she lift the words verbatim? I was told for years by my best friends family that I was a "Pretty Dark skinned girl". Me in my ignorance always said thank you. As an adult I know that they didn’t mean any harm but that being dark-skinned is not a curse but my blessing and I am beautiful no matter...
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By: Anne on 10/03/2009 8:13PM
Aisha, I'm glad you prayed about the situation before just jumping to conclusions. It is hard to say if Tameka stole your words because there are alot of black women, especially from an older generation like Tameka and myself who have experienced such comments. Timing? Who is to say. If your words were lifted, then the lifter will not get away with it. God will answer one way or another, but no deed goes unrewarded or unpunished, situation warrented. What is interesting and not mentioned by you is how we women perpetuate and project our negative image on each other. I have had immature black women think highly of themselves because they were light toned, and belittle me becaus eof my dark skinned tone. I in turn reply that I would rather have my brains and dignity than to live my life in such shallow exsitence.
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