2.
Colorism Within the Black Community. In the post-Civil War era, skin color differences continued to play an important role within the Black community, as elite mulattoes
121 sought to maintain the privileged status they had acquired during slavery. In order to distinguish themselves from the darker-skinned masses, these mulattoes established separate communities in which skin color served as the key to access.
Mulattoes formed exclusive social clubs, like the Blue Vein Society of Nashville,
122 and created separate churches.
123 In the former, admission was based upon whether an applicant's skin color was light enough for the veins in the wrist to be visible.
124
In the latter, the paper bag test was sometimes employed to determine admissibility. Under that test, persons seeking to join a
[*pg 1516] color-conscious congregation were required to place their arm inside of a brown paper bag and could attend church services only if the skin on their arm was lighter than the color of the bag.
125
Mulattoes also lived in separate residential communities like the Chatham and East Hyde Park sections of Chicago, and the Striver's Row and Sugar Hill areas of New York, which were known to be populated by light-skinned professionals.
126 In addition, mulattoes formed separate professional and business associations.
127
One of the most important areas in which mulattoes received superior treatment to darker-skinned Blacks was in education. Mulattoes formed preparatory schools and colleges that denied access to persons who were too dark.
128 Many historically Black colleges and universities established in the nineteenth century also discriminated on the basis of color in their admissions process.
129
Not only were educational institutions segregated by color, but their curricula differed as well. In schools attended by mulattoes, students received a liberal arts education. By contrast, darker-skinned Blacks were taught in schools and programs that focused primarily on vocational learning.
130 This focus on training in practical skills reinforced the placement of darker-skinned Blacks into lower-paying, less-skilled positions.
Thus, at the turn of the century, the class of successful Blacks was largely comprised of the visibly-mixed population. These differences were reflected in the leadership of the Black community, where mulatto elites also dominated the intellectual and political life.
131 Indeed,
[*pg 1517] of the twenty-one men and two women among W.E.B. Du Bois's Talented Tenth,
132 all were mulatto save one.
133
Although the mulatto elite were generally in a higher socioeconomic class than unmixed Blacks due to their historically favored status,
134 they were nonetheless rejected by the White community because of their Black blood.
135 In addition, their lighter skin and better socioeconomic status spawned resentment within the Black community.
136
Some of this resentment may have been fueled by the practice of passing, whereby light-skinned Blacks who looked sufficiently White would conceal their Black ancestry and pretend to be White.
137 For the most part, however, the mulatto elite was admired by Blacks
[*pg 1518] and, throughout the early part of the twentieth century the bond among Blacks of all skin tones grew.
138
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I needed that laugh!! Thank you! 'K I have to go now and clean the milk from my cereal off of my monitor that I spit on there from laughing! 
, yes there is color discrimination/biases withing the black/colored/AA/negro community. It existed years ago and still remains. Light skinned (or fair) people of color, especially those with fine/straight hair were/are many times perceived as not being "truly" black/AA/colored/negro. It has a lot to do with "looking white". The term "high yellow" is thrown around when referring to fair /light skinned peope of color. I have a friend (dark skinned) who feels that the fair skinned people think that they are better than everyone else. This isn't something that we like to discuss in mixed company, but I put it out there. Now referring to the OP's question, I say all of the above. I feel that they have all made up our culture (in a positive way) so i refer to all of them at different times. If I'm talking about how my daughter is the only one of color in a certain situation, I may refer to her as colored in my conversation about the situation. If I'm talking about a group of people that are all black, I would say that. If I feel that there is a situation that leads me to believe that there were some racism involved, I may use the term negro. And for my friends who are pc, I may use AA out of respect for them. I would expect that different people would refer to me by all of these as well. Very old white/caucasion/non-colored people have used negro. Children thru adults have used black/AA. And some friends my age and older sometimes use colored to make a specific point. Just don't call me ******, and we're ok.
I like the chocolate idea, lol. 
Gotta love her...
