By far, the most divisive thing among black people is skin color. This is because of the power and privileges that are given to those who are lighter in complexion over those who are darker. In the days of slavery, light-skinned blacks were assigned to the house while dark-skinned blacks had to work the fields. Today's society still continues to think, to some degree, the same way. Those who are light-skinned have a better chance at succeeding in politics and business, achieving a higher education, and gaining more prominent social status than do those who are dark-skinned. For example, take the following elected or appointed black leaders: Robert Weaver, the first black United States cabinet member; Edward Brooke, the first black Senator since Reconstruction; Thurgood Marshall, the first black Supreme Court Justice; Maynard Jackson, the first black Mayor of Atlanta; Andrew Young, the first black United States delegate to the United Nations; Patricia R. Harris, the first black woman cabinet member; Douglas Wilder, the first black Governor of Virginia; Colin Powell, the first black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The one thing that they all have in common is their light-skinned appearance and, in a country whose political structure is dominated by white people (mostly men), they have achieved considerable success. Although there are those dark-skinned blacks who have achieved the same level of success, such as Shirley Chisolm, the first black Congresswoman, and Harold Washington, the first black Mayor, the perception lingers that skin color does determine how wide the doors of opportunity will open for Black Americans.

Physical features are another factor that has divided the black race. The size of a black person's nose and lips, and their hair texture have contributed greatly to whether that person would achieve success in life. In the book THE COLOR COMPLEX: The politics of Skin Color Among African Americans it states that "In an unusual research project conducted in 1968, anthropoligist Melville Herkovits measured the lightness of skin and width of facial features in Blacks of two different socioeconomic groups.... The well-to-do men were found to have generally lighter skin color, and their noses were an average of 3.8 millimeters narrower than those of men in the poorer segment of the research group. Similarily, the average lip thickness in the well-to-do group was 1 millimeter less than the thickness found in the other group."

Another key factor is the type and texture of hair a black person has, especially if it is a woman. The politics of hair parallels the politics of skin color. Straight or "good" hair has long been associated with the light-skinned middle-class woman while curly or "kinky/bad" hair with black women who are less fortunate, economically speaking. One black male's description of what he thinks is a beautiful black woman seems to be the consensus among many black men. In the book "Color Complex", he states that " 'If a Black woman is light-skinned with good hair and features, then she's the [best]. Even if she has short hair, but good features, she'll be all right. But a dark-skinned girl with short hair can forget it. And if she has a big nose, then she should just be a nun. But if she has long hair and good features, then her skin color can be overlooked. Long hair really helps out those black ugly girls' ". It seems that light-skinned blacks not only benefit from their social contacts with other light-skinned blacks but also from looks that, in a predominately white society, are more mainstream. This "look" among black society influences how much they earn, how they date, and how they want to appear in public.