This is my mother when she was about thirteen. It’s a fairly typical picture of a gawky teenager – sweet and awkward enough to earn a cruel nickname from teasing brothers and sisters, but not about her oversized teeth or skinny legs.

Her lighter-skinned siblings dubbed my mom ‘Black Betty’ because she was too brown.

I’ve always hated that nickname, even though she laughs about it. I think it says something socially pathological about people of color and our brainwashed ideal of beauty.

I created the Black Betty website for several reasons: as an opportunity to look at the evolution of racism in America; to understand the psychological principles of advertising and to embrace these images as black memorabilia.

Some people may be offended by the idea of marketing what they consider self-hatred – just continuing the job Valmor products created. Like it or loathe it, these images are a part of our history – perhaps a strong reminder we still have a long way to go erasing color castes and bigotry.