Paper bag test 

The use of a brown paper bag to determine if a black African is light enough to gain admittance to a party or organization. If said African's skin tone is lighter than or the same color as a brown paper bag then they are judged worthy to enter the party(as in a social event, not a political party) or be admitted into the organization, such as a fraternity.

"Girl, don't you go thinkin' 'bout joinin' no Gamma Rays, you is darker than de night sky on a moonless night, you ain't never gonna pass the paper bag test."

Paper bag test by Nunya B. August 14, 2008

brown paper bag test 

An actual test, along with the so-called ruler test in common use in the the early 1900s among upper class Black American societies and families to determine if a Black person was sufficiently white to gain admittance or acceptance. If your skin was darker than a brown paper bag, you did not merit inclusion. Thousands of Black institutions including the nation's most eminent Black fraternity -- Phi Alpha Phi, Howard Univiersity, and numerous church and civic groups all practiced this discriminiation. The practice has 19th Century antecedants with the Blue Blood Society and has not totally died out.

Zora Neal Hurston was the first well known writer to air this strange practice in a public. The practice is now nearly universally condemned (at least in public) as being an example of "colorism". Particularly cogent modern day critiques can be found in Kathy Russell's "The Color Complex", Tony Morrion's "The Bluest Eye" (an Ophrey Book Club choice) and Marita Golden's "Don't Play in the Sun." The best known send-up of the pactice, however, is Spike Lee's scathing and hilarious 1988 movie, "School Daze."

"Though the brown paper bag test is antiquated and frowned upon as a shameful moment in African-American history, the ideals behind the practice still lingers in the African-American community" -- Rivea Ruff, BlackCollegeView.Com

brown paper bag test by Bill Peters August 19, 2006