Race Matters

[dyvinesweetness]

I remember when I was about 7 years old I was coloring in a coloring book. I wanted to color one of the pictures to look like me. Seeing as how I knew I was a Black little girl, I picked up a black crayon and began coloring. Instantly it felt weird, but I kept doing it. When it was done it looked SO odd to me. I couldn't reconcile why I was Black

Comments

[psalms_of_nia]

My first time was when my uncle slapped my favorite baby in her head and said “why are you caring around that bald headed WHITE baby? Don’t you have any black dolls?” and my other uncle chimed in “who bought you that white crap anyway?”
I cried so hard because I loved her ….but I never carried her around again……I feel that, he stole some innocence in that moment and made a rip in my thinking ever since. Then I made an effort to purchase “Afro-American or Latina” dolls…
I didn’t want Lydia to be like this, since our family is very diverse in race I don’t want it to be something made such a big deal out of…. So I buy her dolls of all colors if they are cute. AND on sale.

[forwhataim]

I don't know, I grew up in a segregated city raised by race people.
I'll give you two oddities though
1. I didn't look in the mirror often as a child. Sometimes I would surprise myself with my light skin because everyone around me was darker and I identified with them.
2. This secular Jewish girl started getting friendly with me in 4th grade (whites were a minority in my school system). One day we drew pictures of our families in class. When she saw all my relatives were brown she questioned me about it, revealing that she thought I was mixed. After that she wasn't friendly with me anymore (the authentic recently mixed kids were cool with her though).

[musikmanmike]

i dont have a concious memory of the realization.. but ma mom said otherwise. idunno how it came up, but she told me that when i was about three, she had me in the store with her and suddenly i busted out with "look momma, it's a Mexican

[musikmanmike]

and i remember once i thought this Latino dude was Asian-American

lookin back on it, that mighta been the other way around, im not sure. i know i got it mixed up tho, and that i was lucky enough not to mention it before i found out otherwise.

This Reminded Me of Something

[lovelylind]

...o/t first: I did always wonder why the white kids would use orange or yellow crayons to draw themselves.

Well, in 5th grade, there was a reading program where, if you read for a certain amount of time, you would get a free Pizza Hut personal pan pizza (this program still exists). Along with it, you got a fake jewel that sticks to a button you can pin on yourself. Anyway, one day, I went to Pizza Hut, and the girl behind the counter said she didn't have any of the jewels left. I was waiting for my pizza to cook, and a lil white girl came in after me asking for the same thing. The worker did not hesitate to give the jewel to the lil girl. When I went to the worker and inquired about it, she shadily said "Oh, I forgot it was there..." and gave it to me. Although, at that time, I was not too aware of racism, that whole situation didn't sit well with me.

[ny152]

I used to color the white people yellow. Until someone said to use peach. I dunno.