Fa sho. I agree with everything you said there (I think- after a glance at your response.)
An old girlfriend of mine who is very dark skinned and absolutely gorgeous endured rejection and ill treatment and being called "ugly" from her own family particularly a grandmother who objected to her (lighter skinned) mother marrying her very dark dad. Just one example I could think of so for sure colorism is in operation in the US. But as I said before it is not quite as pervasive and obvious as in the caribbean I think (from my perspective as a lighter skinned brother).
It's good to clarify these issues cos I think people misunderstand what you and others are saying sometimes.
Can I ask, what is your definition of "leader"? (I think you're getting at it in this post but if you could put it more explicitly.)
I'll probably be away from the computer for another few days but I'll check back for responses later.