In 2017, Sophia Benner, a toddler from South Carolina, was ecstatic to pick out a doll at the local department store after successfully being potty trained.
When time came to pay, however, the cashier questioned little Sophia’s choice of the doll. Why? Because the doll just so happened to be black, as opposed to Sophia, who is white.
Sophia’s mom Brandi told her that she could pick out a special reward for being such a big girl and completing potty training. So the two of them went to the department store in their South Carolina town and Sophia perused the aisles to find what she was looking for, reports CNN. Sophia is really into playing doctor and loves to give everyone check-ups.
She had already made up her mind to find a doctor doll and when she found one she was ecstatic. She picked it up and the family headed to the cashier to pay.
Brandi posted the story of what happened next on her Facebook page. Sophia had picked out a black doll, and she is white. When the cashier asked her if she was sure that was the doll she wanted, both Brandi and Sophia were puzzled. The cashier pressed on and said that there were many other doll choices that looked more like Sophia. Before Brandi could give the cashier a piece of her mind, Sophia came back with an amazing response saying:
“Yes, she does. She’s a doctor like I’m a doctor. And I’m a pretty girl and she’s a pretty girl. See her pretty hair? And see her stethoscope?”
Brandi knew that if it were any other child, the cashier’s questions could have discouraged her. She was proud that her daughter was actually un-phased in that moment and that she didn’t have to come to her child’s defense. Her proud mom posted on Facebook that:
“This experience just confirmed my belief that we aren’t born with the idea that color matters. Skin comes in different colors just like hair and eyes and every shade is beautiful.”