I was watching Dr. Phil. Yes, I was watching Dr. Phil. Don't act like you don't. The topic of the show was about the "N" word. On the show Paul Mooney was mentioning about how they did the doll test in the 1960's and then recently did the test again. The children when asked which one is pretty the black child would choose the white doll. The same test in the past was given recently and it showed the same results. I found this sad but not shocking. My close friend was telling me her daughter was making fun of her lips. She told her mother her lips poked out and were big. I laughed when my friend told me this because I was like wow she has lips just like yours. Who told her big lips were ugly? My own son doesn't like to wear his hair out and has a problem if I let his little brother wear an Afro. Where did he get this? I know I didn't teach him to feel that our hair must be tamed to be beautiful. What about the children that chose the white doll in the test? We must surround our children with the beauty of black images. Read to them about it. Have beautiful black images on the wall. Media, strangers, or maybe sometimes we have tainted our black children's views on beauty. They say: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Through the eyes of a child we have the opportunity to guide them the right way. I refuse to let my sons feel they are ugly in this society. Let us always examine the thoughts and words our children bring to us. The black woman today with her hair dyed blond and fake blue eyes could had been the little girl playing with the white baby doll. Her mama never told her what was beautiful she just knew from what she saw on television. Think about it...
-Peace Mamas
