08/21/2026
Today, my 8-year-old daughter came home and told me another student said they were “allergic to Black people.”
Read that again.
Children are not born believing that the color of someone’s skin makes them less worthy of kindness, friendship, or respect. Racism is learned. And as parents, we have a responsibility to pay attention to what our children are hearing, repeating, and being taught—directly or indirectly.
Laniya has already had to carry more grief than any child should have to carry after losing her brother, Tristan. School should be a place where she feels safe, accepted, and able to simply be a kid. She should not also have to carry the weight of someone else’s prejudice.
I’m thankful the school took this seriously and addressed it. This post isn’t about blaming the school—it’s about reminding us as parents that what we teach at home matters.
There’s a song many of us learned as children: “Jesus loves the little children.” Every single one of them. No matter the color of their skin.
If we claim to teach our children about Jesus, then we also need to teach them to love like Jesus.
Talk to your children. Teach kindness. Teach respect. Teach them to stand up against racism and bullying.
We have to do better. Our children are listening. And they are learning from us. đź’ś
