Thief

Two days ago my child came home and told us that while she was waiting in the car rider line to be picked up at school, a first grade girl came up to her and told her, "I don't like you, because you're Mexican" and walked away.  It totally blindsided her.  No explanation or prompt.  She still doesn't know the child's name or who's class she is in.  That child just felt the need to let her know that "Mexicans" were not liked by her.  I was thrown back for a few seconds when she told me.  I asked her what she said back to the child.  She said, "Nothing. I just said under my breath that it was rude."  Her friend who she was sitting with said,"Why did she say that?!"  Then my daughter said, "Maybe it's because of my skin.  It's dark."  I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach.  I quickly turned to her and softly but surely said,"Don't ever let anyone tell you ANYTHING about your skin.  It's beautiful.  People pay lots of money to sit in tanning beds to just try to have a little bit of what your skin looks like.  You are so lucky."  Her siblings quickly chimed in and raved about how lucky she is that she tans even more at the beach and that her skin was so pretty.  She smiled and I hoped that we had built up what someone had tried to tear down.

I agree with her friend.  Why?  I have thought about it and thought about it over and over.  Why?  We live in a pretty diverse area of the country.  In a suburb of Houston, Texas, one of the nation's largest cities.  We have people in our community from every part of the world.  Different religions, colors, creeds.  So why?  I mean it's 2016.  Why would a first grader already harbor such feelings about someone she knows nothing about just based on my child's skin?  I have gone through every emotion.  Anger, sadness, pity for the child and her family, and pride of our heritage.

Racism is ugly, but mostly a thief.  People who have these feelings about someone who looks different than themselves are being robbed everyday.  Being robbed on meeting someone who could be their best friend.  Someone who could help them in times of need.  That person could be a shoulder to cry on.  They could be someone who would share a snack with them if they were hungry.  Help them when they fell.  Wiped their tears when they were hurt.  Help them learn to sound out a hard word in their book at school.  Run with them in gym.  Sit next to them at story time.  Laugh at jokes together.  Make silly faces together.  My daughter or most kids would love to do that.  They would love to have more friends.  However, that little first grade girl is being robbed of that by hatred.  She doesn't know what she is missing.