He receives a text message saying "Your daughter is dating a black guy" and decides to answer in kind
Do you think racism is a distant memory in 2021? Unfortunately, this is not the case and even though slavery in the USA was abolished on December 18, 1865, African Americans, and people of color in general, still struggle in certain circles to assert their equality. There are still those today who turn up their noses if a white woman is dating a man with darker skin: but where would the problem be? A mom felt compelled to respond to someone who was covertly judging her daughter for dating a black boy. Her response to the comments and questions was exemplary: if we were all of this opinion, there would probably be no episodes of racially motivated violence as unfortunately still happens.
Heather Boyer, a mom from Houston, Mississippi (USA), was able to react swiftly to some nosy people who had started judging her daughter Kennedy's choices in terms of relationships, based on a Facebook profile photo. This last detail in no way mitigates the fact that "choosing who to hang out with" is nobody else's business but her daughter's.
One day, Kennedy changed her Facebook profile picture to a beautiful photo of her with her black boyfriend. As Kennedy's mother recalled, after less than 5 minutes, she received a message like this on her cell phone: "I didn't know your daughter was dating a black guy, did you know?".
Heather might just have ignored a question like that, as rude as it is covertly racist - it's true - but in the face of so much ignorance, the woman has decided to make her voice heard. Instead of answering privately, however, she did it publicly, so that everyone would know what she thought of her as compared to her daughter's boyfriend. Her answer was as simple as it was effective:
"Yes, I actually knew who she was dating, but the color of his skin doesn't define who he is. What really defines him is the way she treats my daughter. At the moment, I see my daughter dating a guy who when he comes in my house he always shows great respect. I see a guy who takes her to church with him every Sunday. He plays in church and she sits with his family. How many young people today make church a priority? None. He doesn't beat her, doesn't swear, doesn't lie to her, and doesn't make her cry. Would I rather her date a white guy, who might act worse, just to keep her from dating a black guy? Absolutely not! I know people have their opinion, but in the end, the fact that my daughter has found someone who truly loves her and treats her like a queen makes me happy. It's something I've never had in my life and that's why I'm happy for her. "
To be honest, Kenedy and her boyfriend are now a real close family, as the two have had a beautiful baby girl. Congratulations to both of you!
