Black Mom's Viral Message to Strangers Making Assumptions: 'It's 2024'

A Black woman with a biracial daughter has turned to social media to advise people against making assumptions based on skin tone.

Faith Spoonmore, 35, who posts on Instagram under the handle @ahealthymixture, can be seen in a May 17 video speaking to the camera with her baby by her side. Spoonmore, who was born in West Africa and is married to a white man, described an awkward moment in which stranger assumed she was not related to her daughter, who has a lighter skin tone.

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In the clip, Spoonmore urged viewers not to make assumptions, saying, "It's 2024," implying that people should be familiar with multicultural families by now.

She told Newsweek that she was inspired to make the video to "encourage others to think twice before making an ignorant remark."

Spoonmore said that during the interaction, which took place in a parking lot, her daughter was crying, and a woman asked, "Where is her mother?" She said she didn't respond at the time because she was taken aback.

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"I was in shock," she said. "Direct comments like that are very hurtful."

Upon reflection, Spoonmore felt "disappointed" that she didn't correct the woman. She later shared the video to help prevent similar interactions.

"Once I gathered my thoughts, I wanted her and any others with that mindset to know how that way of thinking impacts other moms," she said.

"I will never understand why people think this is okay. It's so rude. Family do not need to look alike to be family," she wrote in the caption of the video, which has received more than 214,500 likes.

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Data from the 2020 census showed that 204.3 million people identified as white alone, making them the largest racial or ethnic group in the United States. Since 2010, the white alone population has decreased by 8.6 percent. In contrast, the multiracial population has increased from 9 million people in 2010 to 33.8 million people in 2020—a 276 percent rise.

Despite the growing multiracial population, other mothers in the comments section of Spoonmore's video mentioned having similar experiences while out with their biracial families.

"Once when I was on vacation on a resort and a lady approached me whilst I was breastfeeding my daughter and said why are you feeding a Black baby I was absolutely in shock. Like who are you Lady. I told her kindly to jog on. The ignorance of some people are unreal. You are both so gorgeous," one user wrote.

Another added: "I totally agree with you, that is so rude! My husband is mexican and I got a lot of comments like that about my baby. One person in a store stopped me because she thought I was trying to steal my own daughter!!!"

"This happened to me with both my kids," a commenter said. "Assuming & insisting I'm the nanny."

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