| The other morning my daughter and I were driving her | | | | of their skin and/or lip color? What makes brown lips |
| to school. In the midst of sipping my coffee and | | | | not pleasant to her and pink lips are. |
| enjoying the abundant sunshine. She blurted out, "I don't | | | | It's not as if she was expressing the racial stereotypes |
| like black people." | | | | of blacks and whites. Like blacks are thugs. Whites are |
| Needless to say I was taken aback. I asked my little 6 | | | | trailer trash. She was simply noticing a difference in the |
| year old, "Why is it that you don't like black people?" | | | | skin tone of the lips and making a decision based on |
| She says, "Because their lips are brown." | | | | that. My husband and aren't racist and don't make |
| I asked, "Because their lips are brown?" | | | | racial remarks, so it isn't as if she collected this |
| She answered, "Yeah, I like pink lips." | | | | information from us. |
| I said, "Oh, well you realize that the color of their lips | | | | I didn't delve into the specifics of her remark any |
| are just that, a color." | | | | deeper. I didn't want to make it out to be more than |
| She said, "Yeah." | | | | what it was, a simple observation and therefore |
| I said, "The color of their lips have nothing to do with | | | | opinion of a child. She is a 6 year old, after all, confused |
| who they are. Its simply the color of their lips." | | | | about someone's appearance versus their personality. |
| She said, "Yeah." | | | | Linking looks with what makes a person who they are. |
| I pressed, "Well, you do like Brittney and Aldora, right?" | | | | I will ask her though about what remarks other kids in |
| Brittney is an older girl in her school that she just loves, | | | | her class make about blacks and see if that is where |
| who is black and Aldora is a dear friend of mine, who | | | | this comment stems from. |
| is also black. And yes they both have brown lips. | | | | I sit and wonder, do we inherently have a predisposition |
| She said, "Of course, I love them both." | | | | to racism? Could that little 3 minute conversation with a |
| I said, "Well, then you do like black people, you just don't | | | | 6 year old have broken through the stereotypes of |
| like brown lips." I was trying to get her to see the | | | | racism as a learned behavior? The ultimate question: Is |
| difference between the lips and the person. She did | | | | it a choice or something we're born with? This ultimate |
| see it and even seemed to understand. | | | | question may never be answered, on an unbiased |
| But it got me to thinking. How can a 6 year old | | | | level. |
| determine that she doesn't like someone just because | | | | |