Racism Is Real

Summary

The article discusses a mother's struggle to prepare her Black teenage daughter for the realities of racism while instilling pride in her identity and appearance.

Abstract

The author, likely a retired educator, reflects on the challenges of raising a young Black girl in a society where racism persists. She emphasizes the importance of her daughter embracing her natural hair and skin tone, despite societal pressures to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards. The mother frequently has difficult conversations with her daughter about the discrimination she may face due to her race. These discussions are necessary to equip her daughter with the resilience to confront the racism she will inevitably encounter. The article concludes with the author's desire for her daughter to be aware of and prepared for the potential injustices she may face, while also encouraging readers to explore related articles on race, parenting, and education.

Opinions

The author believes it is crucial for her daughter to appreciate and take pride in her natural Black features, such as her skin and hair.
She acknowledges the existence of racism and the need to educate her daughter about its impact on her life.
The author is concerned about the emotional toll that discussions about racism have on her daughter, leaving her sometimes silent or angry.
There is an underlying frustration with a world that does not universally love, respect, and accept her daughter as she is.
The author wants her daughter to be mentally equipped to deal with the sting of racism, suggesting a proactive approach to dealing with potential discrimination.
She values the importance of sharing personal stories and insights on race and education to foster awareness and understanding in a broader audience.

My daughter has to be exposed to the truth

My daughter is a young teenage girl. Innocence best describes her.

Her world is filled with loving and kind friends who don’t look like her. My daughter has melanin in her skin. Her kinky hair is filled with ringlets. My daughter is a Black girl. She is so beautiful.

Sometimes, well, most of the time, I feel like I have too many talks with her about the differences related to being Black. I have to remind her that her hair does not need to be flat ironed so much of the time. She needs to be told that she doesn’t have to let it hang straight so that it can blow carefree in the wind, or tossed and bounced around, or gathered behind her ears. I have to remind my daughter that braids are beautiful, too.

She needs to be told very often that braids look especially cute, pretty, and simply gorgeous when she wears them. My beautiful girl needs to know that her hair must be worn with pride as she celebrates her natural texture, waves, and curls.

I have to remind my daughter that her rich almond brown skin tone always looks like the sun has softly embraced her and loved her with a special kind of love that comes from above. My daughter’s Black skin is beautiful. I need to make sure that she knows that.

Another Thought to Consider

I always need to help my precious daughter remember that part of the world that she lives in is not filled with people who love, respect, and accept her like her friends do. She needs to know that there are some in the world, even among those with whom she frequently encounters, that have hearts filled with hatred for her because she is Black.

There have been far too many discussions about her Blackness that her left her in absolute silence. Some of them have left her angry. At times my child becomes upset after our talks about racism.

Conclusion

I just want my daughter to know that there may be people who may marginalize her and deny her because they won’t want her to experience the joy of success. I just want my daughter to know that some people may treat her unequally and unfairly because of the color of her skin. I just want my girl to know that some people will probably distrust her and be very suspicious of her because they may unfairly profile her.

I just want my daughter to be prepared for what lies ahead of her in the not too distant future. My beautiful Black child must be prepared for the powerful sting of racism when it attacks her.

Thank you for reading this story. If you enjoyed it, I invite you to read a few more articles that I published that are related to race, children, and education. The links are found below.

Here’s my golden ticket that helps me accomplish my mission.

Racism Is Real

My daughter has to be exposed to the truth

Another Thought to Consider

Conclusion

Surviving As A Black and Brown Parent In A Predominantly White School System

Experience the family engagement failures that some parents endure

Color Blind Educators

Block family engagement in schools