Name: Nikki Sofia I.

San Gabriel
Section: 11 STEM 3 - Our Lady of Fatima

RACISM IN THE EYES OF CHILDREN

(DOLL TEST)

Racism is the belief that different races have unique characteristics, abilities, or qualities
that classify them as inferior or superior to one another. It is a noun that means prejudice,
discrimination, or hatred directed at a person or group based on their membership to a
specific racial or ethnic group, usually a minority or marginalized group." Racism has an
impact on everyone, regardless of skin color. We have all been directly or indirectly
affected by racism, whether we are black, white, red, or tan.

As stated from the video, the "Doll Test" is a psychological experiment designed in the
1940s in the United States of America to test the degree of marginalization of African
American children caused by prejudice, discrimination, and racial segregation. The test was
recreated with Italian children, and it shows how Italian children see race. The children
were asked questions including, "Which doll was the nice one, the black one or the white
one?" And to answer the question, the youngsters had to choose a doll. And this experiment
demonstrated that young toddlers are aware of race and have racial preferences. I got sad
when the children favored the white doll when asked about which doll is the nice doll and
the one that looks good. But when the brown boy said that the black doll was pretty, I was
happy because he loves his color. The one girl was asked why she chose the white doll as
the good one and her reason for preferring the white doll was simple. She said that it is
because she has blue eyes, which makes the doll prettier than the other. While for the
brown doll's rejection, it was characterized as "because he is all black." But as I am
watching the video, I can see the pain in their eyes because of what is happening. When the
children were asked to self-identify which doll looked like themselves, they pointed with
sadness in their eyes at the black doll. Honestly, I see them all as beautiful, and I want to say
that they should not be ashamed of their skin color because they are so pretty and that we
are all the same. And from this video, I learned that it is necessary to understand what
racism is, and we should respect each other's uniqueness and differences. One girl said,
"That one is looking at me funny," this line seems like it comes from repeated bullying, and
I feel bad for that girl because she is still young to experience that issue. I learned that we
should promote equality and we must work together to end racism. For me, that one girl
who felt offended that she was black towards the end was painful. That demonstrates her
belief that being called black is an insult, and hence that being black is wrong, and that is to
say, she feels inferior as a result of it. It hurts so much when the kids disregard their skin
color, but I think they are just being honest because that's what the people around them
force them to believe. Meaning, racism is not natural but taught. All of those single babies,
children, or even adults deserve equal opportunities, respect, and value. It's just
unfortunately sad that racism's impact has reached the youngsters.

Racism can take various forms, including unintended offense or hurtful jokes or
statements, name-calling or verbal abuse, harassment or intimidation, and media or online
criticism that inflames antipathy against certain groups. The simple way to end racism is to
teach acceptance and understanding and teach love rather than hatred toward one another.
As Nelson Mandela said once, "No one is born hating another person because of the color of
his skin, his background, or his religion. People may be taught to hate, and if they can learn
to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more easily to the human heart than
hatred." Furthermore, I believe that action must be taken on the issue of racism to prevent
future generations from making the same mistakes that previous generations have made.
Those racial problems must be handled by love and understanding, and that peace and
prosperity must be disseminated throughout schools and households. We are perfect just
the way we are because God created us with His likeness, and that loving and respecting
each other and seeing everyone as equal is what makes us truly human.