when I was in college (35 years ago!) I had a friend from South India with very dark skin, but she carried herself with so much grace - when she wore a sari, she was gorgeous. And a fair skinned Indian guy was very much crushing on her. She was just a very charming person and her skin color didn't matter.

I had been raised to value the fact that my skin was considered fair for an Indian girl. But as I got older I realized that this is not the something to be judged. Having friends of all skin colors and races has helped me get over the biases of my youth and I'm glad more people are rejecting those prejudices.