Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (black) a dark-skinned black person.

1960, 1975		Wentworth & Flexner DAS.
1979		(con. 1954–5) Pepper & Pepper Straight Life 170: You never called them black then. You respectfully called them colored or suedes.
1983		I.L. Allen Lang. of Ethnic Conflict 47: Color Allusions, Other than ‘Black’ and ‘Negro’: […] suede (presumably from the often dark color of suede].

2. see suedehead n.