Harmony Jones lives in Memphis, Tenn., and was excited about her 10th-birthday party last week, which included a sleepover at her house. But Harmony’s parents were shocked to learn that one of their daughter’s friends at Highland Oaks Elementary wouldn’t be able to attend the festivities because Harmony is black.
Fox 13 reports that Harmony’s classmate wrote her a note in colorful markers explaining why she wouldn’t be coming to her celebration: “I will not be able to come to your birthday sleepover, because my dad will not let me go because you are black not trying to be races [sic], but my mom let me no [sic] Happy birthday!”
“It angered me a little bit. It hurt me that my 10-year-old girl had to deal with this, and I myself never thought I would have to deal with this,” Harmony’s father, Christopher Jones, told television station WREG.
Jones added that he wasn’t upset with the child who wrote the letter but noted, “I guess us as parents need to be more aware and conscious about what we teach our children.”
According to Harmony’s parents, until she received the letter, they had no problem with Highland Oaks Elementary or their neighborhood, which Jones described as a friendly, multiracial environment. In the end, the sleepover was a success and the letter, while shocking, didn’t dampen the celebration one bit.
But Jones did add, “[I] never thought anything like this would happen,” according to Fox 13.