Turning Pages:
Kenna's Birthday Wish A Book About Race
Written by Kennice Wong, Asra Fatima, & Mary Ortega Illustrated by Samantha Santos & Mikaela Jurado
Author's Note As a young, impressionable child, consuming media that lacked proper representation of BIPOC communities conditioned me to subconsciously internalize racist biases extorted by our society that upholds white supremacy. These biases led to a distorted perception of my Chinese heritage, one that idealized white people as superior, and belittled my own race as less beautiful. Throughout my childhood, I felt so embarrassed of my Chinese background that I tried to erase it. Unfortunately, even though I am now aware of how harmful and inaccurate my racial biases are, I still struggle very much with embracing my cultural identity; in a way, I still wish I was white. As someone still on the journey of unlearning her internalized racism, I was inspired to create this story for fellow children of colour who may not see how special they truly are. Children should have the opportunity to find role models in their lives who look like them. Today, I am lucky enough to have numerous women of colour in my life who inspire me, guide me, and help me take pride in the person I am. Every child deserves to be empowered, and it all starts with proper representation. I wish that every child of colour never forgets how worthy they are. -Kennice Wong [Disclaimer: this story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, events, are used fictitiously. ]
Dedication
Dedicated to every child of colour who has ever doubted their worth. Your culture is beautiful. You are beautiful. You are loved.
[This book is inspired by the childhood experiences of our team members. Please recognize that this book explores topics not commonly taught in schools. ]
Today is Kenna’s 8th birthday. On this very special day, her mother takes her to the toy store to buy anything she likes.
“Hmm, should I get a castle? A robot? A huge plushie? A huge robot plushie who lives in a castle?” Kenna grins at her teddy bear.
Kenna’s mother laughs. “You can choose whatever you want.”
Kenna skips along the aisles, pausing in the doll section. “They’re so pretty!” she exclaims. Stepping back, Kenna tilts her head and wonders to herself, Hmm. Why do none of them look like me?
A girl taps Kenna on the shoulder. “Hi! My name is Liz! I like your bear.”
"Hi! I’m Kenna,” she replies. “This is Blue!”
Kenna then notices the doll in Liz’s hands, with the same blonde hair and blue eyes. “Are you getting that doll?”
“Yes! She's so pretty, I want to be just like her!” Liz beams. “Are you going to get one?” she asks.
Kenna nods. “I want a doll that looks like me, just like how your doll looks like you!”
Someone approaches them from the other end of the aisle.
This must be Liz’s mom.
“Mom, isn’t she pretty?” Liz asks joyfully, holding the doll up to her mother.
“She looks just like you!” her mother replies.
Kenna’s mother sees the sad look on Kenna’s face.
“What's wrong, Kenny?”
“Mama, why do none of these dolls look like us?” Kenna asks. “Liz found a doll that looks like her. I want a doll that looks like me, too!” Kenna frowns.
“Oh yeah! Why is that?” Liz adds.
“These are great questions!” Kenna’s mother replies. “When dolls were first invented, they were made based on the idea that some colours are more beautiful.”
“People of colour, like Kenna and I, are treated unfairly because of the way we look. This unfair treatment is called racism.”
“Racism is when a group of people believe their race is more worthy than others. Racism can be shown through a person’s words or actions, and they often hurt people’s feelings,” Kenna’s mother finishes explaining.
Liz’s mother also clarifies to Kenna and Liz, “It is a privilege for Liz to find dolls that look like her. This privilege is unfair because it makes some races seem more worthy and beautiful than others, which is wrong. It is always important to remember that all skin colours are beautiful and worthy.”
“Because of the society that surrounds us, we learn things that are not always true. Asking questions is a great way to learn more!” Kenna’s mother tells them encouragingly.
“When someone is being racist, we should try to handle the situation with patience, even when the other person is not being kind. After that, talk about how you’re feeling with a person you trust.”
“No matter what others say, you should always remember that you are beautiful,” Kenna’s mother reminds them.
"Mama, I know what my birthday wish this year is!" Kenna exclaims.
"Can I know what it is?" her mother asks.
"Only if you keep it a secret. I wish for all the kids in the world to know that even if they don’t see dolls that look like them, every child is appreciated no matter what."
Acknowledgements As a team based in Richmond, BC, we would like to acknowledge that we work on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Musqueam, Stó:lō (Staw-low), Stz'uminus (Sha-Main-Us), Kwantlen, and Tsawwassen peoples. We would like to thank everyone who has helped bring this vision to life, particularly the young people and teachers in schools across BC, whose support gave our team the encouragement and motivation to execute this initiative. A special thanks to Andrea Lam for assisting our team in editing multiple drafts of this book, and for her unwavering dedication and support. Thank you to Rianna Lal and Minaho Chiew for proofreading our manuscript and providing us with meaningful suggestions. Our appreciation also goes out to Danae Tracey, our mentor, for guiding us and helping us build our organization. Most importantly, we would not be who we are without love and continuous support from all of our families! Index Racism: Discrimination or hatred based on race. Race: Human beings come in many different shades and colours, we call these colours race.
People of colour: A term used to collectively refer to anyone that isn’t of European descent. Privilege: A right that is given only to a certain person,
Credits Written by: Kennice Wong, Mary Jra Ortega, & Asra Fatima Edited by: Syndio Chun & Silvia Li Illustrations by: Samantha Santos & Mikaela Jurado Peer Reviewed by: Andrea Lam, Rianna Lal, & Minaho Chiew
group, or social class. Our definitions are from: “Children's, Intermediate and Advanced Online English Dictionary & Thesaurus.” Wordsmyth, 2020, https://kids.wordsmyth.net/.
On Kenna’s 8th birthday, her mom takes her to the toy store. While browsing for a toy, Kenna and her new friend, Liz, learn something surprising about the dolls. Helping Hands is proud to introduce Turning Pages, a series of kid-friendly books explaining current social issues. Kenna's Birthday Wish is the first of, what we hope to be many more books to come!
WHO ARE WE? Helping Hands is a youth-led charitable organization based in Richmond, BC. Our mission is to provide youth with the proper knowledge and resources on social and humanitarian issues. By empowering fellow youth through our local and global service projects, we strive to encourage them to make positive changes in their communities.
Scan this QR code to find resources about race, racism, and positive racial identity.