Prejudice comes in all shapes and forms, as one little girl learned when shopping for a doll.
When Brandi Leilani took her daughter, Sophia, to pick out a toy, neither had any idea that Sophia was about to learn a lesson about how other people view skin colors different from their own.
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Brandi and her husband, Nick, made a deal with Sophia.
If she could go a whole month using the potty properly, she could pick out a new toy.
Because Sophia is a good kid, she did exactly that! So, off they went to Target.
Sophia immediately picked out a new doll.
She was obsessed with dolls, so of course that was the toy she chose for her reward.
She and her mom headed up to the cashier. Brandi detailed the interaction in a Facebook post.
The cashier commented on the doll.
“While we were checking out, the cashier asked Sophia if she was going to a birthday party. We both gave her a blank stare.”
In case you’re wondering, it gets worse.
Brandi told the cashier the toy wasn’t for a friend.
She told her that the toy was a reward for her being fully potty trained and that Sophia had picked the doll out herself! She has great taste.
Sophia confirmed she wanted the doll.
“The woman gave me a puzzled look and turned to Sophia and asked, ‘Are you sure this is the doll you want, honey?’
Sophia finally found her voice and said, ‘Yes, please!'”
The cashier wasn’t exactly comfortable with that.
“The cashier replied, ‘But she doesn’t look like you. We have lots of other dolls that look more like you.'”
Anyone else’s red flags waving pretty high right now?
Sophia explained why she wanted the doll.
She told the cashier the doll, looked like her.
“She’s a doctor like I’m a doctor. And I’m a pretty girl and she’s a pretty girl. See her pretty hair? And see her stethoscope?”
Brandi concluded that prejudice is not born in us, but learned.
“This experience just confirmed my belief that we aren’t born with the idea that color matters. Skin comes in different colors just like hair and eyes and every shade is beautiful.”
This comment summed the whole post up perfectly.
After the story took off, lots of commenters shared their own stories. This one is my favorite.
“Travel and diversity are the two greatest gifts you can give someone.” Beautifully said.
To date, Brandi’s story has generated thousands of comments and shares on Facebook, with many people saying that this example highlights why parents need to teach their children about diversity and inclusivity at an early age. What do you think of this mom’s experience?
