A girl and her doll

I was sitting in front of my shop on Wednesday talking to Renee and Robin when this woman and child in a stroller passed by. I didn't inquire as to the nature of their relationship but I assume, grandmother and child.

Something about the girl and her doll intrigued me and I asked if I could take a shot with my phone and the older woman readily assented. 

I am not sure what was incongruent but thought it was interesting that a young light to medium complected girl, probably latina, chose a non white playmate.

Could she already be aware that her own pigmentation was not that of the dominant majority in this country? Is she more comfortable with an imaginary friend with darker plastic skin? Is she self identifying? Of course, the event could be entirely random, she might have a row of different complected dolls and merely chose this one on this particular day. We will never know.

I am only 6.4% sephardic, the jewish genetic group that is darker than most ashkenazi but my family tends to be darker than most European jews. I remember being called derogatory names on the school bus all the way back to kindergarten. Caused me to feel as part of the "other" at an early age.

Interesting to think about when racial identity is actually established in a young psyche.