Kia Goodell,
Hopkinton, MA.

Both my parents are white, my mother being an earthy-crunchy liberal, and my father a stereotypical red-neck. Racist comments by him were frequent, and my mother, wanting to make sure I didn’t catch onto that gave me a black baby doll for Christmas when I was two. I opened the present and claimed that she was perfect, and the entire time I had her not once mentioned the fact that she was black. I have no problems today with people who are different than me and am thankful to my mother for instilling that in me, despite my father’s racist tendencies.