http://blog.michelebardsley.net/?p=1026 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 08:12:40 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://blog.michelebardsley.net/?p=1026&cpage=1#comment-2669 Susan Groom Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:30:22 +0000 http://blog.michelebardsley.net/?p=1026#comment-2669 First, a little background...I was raised in a small town in central Oklahoma - the local high school didn't integrate until 1973, after my parents graduated. So, when I was nearly 7(my birthday is on Christmas day), I opened my last present at my grandmother's house on Christmas eve. I was so excited when seeing the box with a picture of the newest babydoll - one of the first that actually peeed! When I opened the box, the actual doll ended up being African-American. My parents were shocked and my grandmother quickly apologized and took it away! Have you ever seen what happens when you take away a babydoll from a 7-year-old girl? On Christmas eve? Which is also the day before her birthday?! Needless to say, I cried for days and kept asking where my dollie was! Nearly 27 years later, and I'm still waiting on the replacement! But the biggest disappointment was in seeing how my family felt about "other" races - that will never change! First, a little background…I was raised in a small town in central Oklahoma – the local high school didn’t integrate until 1973, after my parents graduated. So, when I was nearly 7(my birthday is on Christmas day), I opened my last present at my grandmother’s house on Christmas eve. I was so excited when seeing the box with a picture of the newest babydoll – one of the first that actually peeed! When I opened the box, the actual doll ended up being African-American. My parents were shocked and my grandmother quickly apologized and took it away! Have you ever seen what happens when you take away a babydoll from a 7-year-old girl? On Christmas eve? Which is also the day before her birthday?! Needless to say, I cried for days and kept asking where my dollie was! Nearly 27 years later, and I’m still waiting on the replacement! But the biggest disappointment was in seeing how my family felt about “other” races – that will never change!

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