When my daughter Amy was in third grade, I was in an art store and found a packet of crayons that were all shades of skin tones, from light pink to dark brown. “What a neat idea,” I thought, and bought two sets, one for home and one to gift to Amy’s art teacher. A couple of weeks later, I asked the teacher how the crayons were working, and she said, “Oh dear, it really wasn’t a good idea. The kids starting comparing their skin colors, and I just had to put them away. I can’t use them.”

I was so surprised I hardly knew what to say. Often, when topics of race come up, especially unexpectedly, or in a negative way, I can be caught off-guard and only think of what I could have said, hours or days later.

What might you have said in this crayon situation? Has a comparable incident happened to you? How do we help children appreciate all the beautiful skin-colors in our communities and nation?

Sharlene