out of the mouths of babes | other people's kids

i went to pick up jada from kindergarten this afternoon. while in the hallway, a little blonde girl stopped and pointed directly at me, with her arm outstretched, and said to her friend, "look at that girl's hair!" her friend wasn't paying attention, so she slapped the little boy on the shoulder until he turned to look. she pointed and exclaimed again, "look at that girl's hair! it's funny looking!" then she doubled over with laughter and her friend joined in, slapping his knee.

it might not seem like a big deal when kindergartners insult you, but it really is. especially when that insult is racialized. regardless of race or age, we should all be considerate and mindful of the things that we do and the words that we say. the little blonde girl with naturally straight hair didn't hurt my feelings with her racist remarks about my naturally thick, curly hair which defies gravity, but she would have hurt jada's feelings, deeply, if she had done that to her. in my family, we already tell jada that her thick hair and dark brown skin are beautiful and wonderful things to be proud of, but there will always be someone who tries to convince her otherwise.

my point: fear and hatred of blackness (and otherness) begin earlier than we often realize, and we are all responsible for combating this.