If the Clark doll experiment, along with recreations of the test, taught us anything, it’s that race relations in society can greatly impact the way children see themselves and one another in terms of race. But if you ask us, it’s learned, and learned at home. Luckily for a toddler named Sophia, she’s been taught better.
In a story that has since gone viral, South Carolina mom Brandi Benner shared with her followers an incident that happened at a Target store. As she prepared to buy her daughter Sophia a doll after the toddler had been successfully potty trained, a cashier at the store had a lot to say about the child’s choice to pick a Black doll instead of a White one. Before Benner could say anything to the cashier, it was Sophia who opened her mouth and set the employee straight:
“Nick and I told Sophia that after 1 whole month of going poop on the potty, she could pick out a special prize at Target,” Benner said. “She, of course, picked a new doll. The obsession is real. While we were checking out, the cashier asked Sophia if she was going to a birthday party. We both gave her a blank stare. She then pointed to the doll and asked Sophia if she picked her out for a friend. Sophia continued to stare blankly and I let the cashier know that she was a prize for Sophia being fully potty trained. 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 replied, “But she doesn’t look like you. We have lots of other dolls that look more like you.” I immediately became angry, but before I could say anything, Sophia responded with, “Yes, she does. 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?” Thankfully the cashier decided to drop the issue and just answer, “Oh, that’s nice.” 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. #itswhatsontheinsidethatcounts #allskinisbeautiful #teachlove #teachdiversity #thenextgenerationiswatching”
Sophia’s message, that we are virtually the same, has since attracted a lot of attention. It has been shared more than 195,000 times on Facebook and has more than 493,000 likes. And while it’s had an impact on those who have read about it, we hope it had a major impact on the mindset of that cashier — or at least just encouraged her to shut up and ring.
Image via Instagram
Let’s click on to buy Sunglasses.
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