All Rachel Muir did was take her daughter to a Disney children's event in Melbourne, Australia, 3-year-old Samara, dressed as Queen Elsa from "Frozen," and she soon became the subject of racial abuse. A woman and two of her daughters in front of them in line were the perpetrators, as the woman told Samara she couldn't be Elsa because of the color of her skin and one of the daughters told her she was "black" and "black is ugly." What can we learn from this blatant and disgusting showcase of racism?
We can learn that racism is not engrained in children from the beginning, it is taught. How else would that woman's daughter have thought that black is ugly unless she was following the example of her mother? Can we hold that little girl accountable for following the obviously-flawed example of her mom when she is so young that she arguably doesn't know how to think independently?
We can also learn that even toddlers can follow ideological and behavioral precedents set by their parents and that no child is too young to be considered impressionable. We should blame the example, not the product of the flawed beliefs.
We can understand that hateful racial slurs have serious repercussions that should not be underestimated. In Samara's case, her mother reported that she was taking baths frequently and trying to wash off her skin color after the incident. When her mother stopped letting her take so many baths, Samara resorted to scratching her skin until it was red and raw.
Samara was also so affected by what happened that she told her mom she didn't want to go to her Aboriginal dance class "because she was black." We can see that racism knows no boundaries and affects everyone, even precious little 3-year-olds.
And perhaps most importantly, we can learn that love overcomes hate. After the incident, the Muirs received an outpouring of support from thousands of strangers all over the world through social media. Indigenous rapper Adam Briggs heard of her story and Samara will now be featured in his newest music video. Queen Elsa sent Samara a video message all the way from Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Ms. Muir exclaims, "we are very overwhelmed and shocked by the kindness of people. I didn't think people would care so much. I can't express how much it has meant to us. I just thought it would be a story people would click past and forget. To know that she has touched so many people, that they see her how I see her, is just incredible."
