I’m Darker Than My Daughter. Here’s Why It Matters.Posted in Articles, Family/Parenting, Latino Studies, Media Archive, United States on 2019-05-25 02:31Z by Steven |
I’m Darker Than My Daughter. Here’s Why It Matters.
NYT Parenting
The New York Times
2019-05-21
 Norma Newton and her daughter at their home in Los Angeles. Carolina Adame |
Breaching colorism with my little girl sent me reeling back into my childhood shame.
Our bedtime routine that night started off like so many others, harried but mostly sweet. After making our way through brushing teeth and getting into pajamas, my daughter and I lay down on her bedroom floor to sing songs, the final step before crawling into bed.
When I tried to curl up next to my 4-year-old, though, I sensed her hesitation. She wiggled her little body away from mine each time I inched closer. “Do you not want mommy close to you, sweetie?” I asked, assuming she was initiating a game to extend our nighttime ritual. Her light-brown eyes locked in on me as she brushed her honey-colored locks aside with her hand.
In a casual on-the-edge-of-sleep voice she cooed, “Your skin is dark. I don’t want you to touch me.”
My brown Indigenous Latina body stiffened; I labored to breathe, outraged and confused. She rendered me speechless…
Read the entire article here.