A mother and son are receiving praise on social media after sharing a powerful conversation on racism in the latest episode of The Skin Deep. Melissa, a white mother who adopted Evan, a Black child, is overcome with emotion as she talks about her son's experience with racism.
"I think that racism you experienced in a really small town and the trauma that's associated with that, I wish that you didn't have to experience that," she said. "You hid your bright light for a while so that you weren't seen or heard."
Evan specifically noted the racist incident he experienced at school and thanked his mother for standing up for him.
"I was having the issue with racism at the other school and you took it up with the board and everybody," he said. "You got it really and you talked to a lot of people and the school started treating me differently."
The young man also recalled the experience of another Black student who didn't have the benefit of getting an apology after facing racism at the school.
"There's another little kid that I'm very close with whose family can't do that and they're afraid to do that because they don't have the same skin that you do," he said.
Melissa said she ultimately made the decision to move her child to a different school. Although the new school turned out to be much more diverse, Evan said it was still difficult to fit in.
"People sometimes act like I don't fit in because I don't sound like them or act the way they want me to act," he said.
The mother and son also discussed other unfortunate encounters they have experienced, including incidents where people would ask them to explain what it's like to have a Black child in a white family.
Evan said it makes him feel like he wants to disappear when people ask insensitive questions. Melissa added that she stepped down from her church and stopped preaching when she realized that her child wasn't accepted among her peers.
The mother questioned much of what she had been taught as she opened her eyes to racism.
"It made me question the church I belonged to all my life," she said. "It made me question all the Bible stories that I had been told. It made me go back to look at the first Bible I was ever given and if Moses was really white and Jesus was white."
Evan later suggested other Black children keep their head up and "keep doing what you're doing."
"Don't let the negativity get to you because it really hits hard," he said.
The young man asked his mother what she would say if this was their last conversation.
"I never want you to forget that you have roots that are really strong," Melissa said. "I never want you to forget that you have a sense of belonging."
As Blavity previously reported, The Skin Deep is a program that features videos of two people having in-depth personal discussions about different types of relationships.
