As Christmas approaches, many people begin searching for angel trees so they can bless children and their families during the holidays. A popular TikTok trend shows influencers filming themselves choosing tags and fulfilling the wishes written on them. One woman in Virginia wanted to do the same, but she came across an angel tree tag that left her stunned.
The tag belonged to a 10-year-old girl who listed perfume, soccer, dolls, and Barbies as her favorite things. Nothing about that seemed unusual. What was troubling, however, was a handwritten note at the bottom of the tag. The child specifically requested “No Black dolls.”
As a Black woman herself, the donor immediately knew she could not choose that tag. She put it back and selected a different one instead.
The Virginia woman’s video quickly sparked a debate about whether she reacted appropriately. After many viewers tried to defend the little girl, the woman posted a follow-up video explaining her decision.
She pointed out that there was no way for her to know what the child looked like. Because of that, arguments claiming the girl simply wanted a doll that resembled her did not make sense. As she noted, the child could just as easily be Asian or any other ethnicity. What the note clearly stated was that the girl would accept any dolls except Black ones.
To the woman, that signaled exclusion, and she was not comfortable supporting that request. She also emphasized that just as the child and her family were entitled to write that note, she was equally entitled to put the tag back and choose a different one.
People Reacting to the Virginia Woman’s Video
A lot of people were upset by the Virginia woman’s video and how the little girl didn’t want black dolls. The majority of those who were upset were Black people who felt like the note was racist. This is why one woman wrote, “Audacity is at an all time. Imagine being broke and RACIST.” Another woman then said, “It’s racist af begging with a nasty spirit is terrible.” When one person tried to justify the tag saying that maybe the girl wanted a doll that looked like her, another person replied, “Don’t be dense. She doesn’t even specify what she looks like? Is she Hispanic? White? Hawaiian? Asian? The choice of words made it CLEAR, she’s accepting of every other race of doll EXCEPT black. She could’ve easily said, ‘White dolls only…Hispanic Dolls only…Asian Dolls only…’.”
Some viewers encouraged the Virginia woman to be petty, suggesting she should pick the tag and give the girl only Black dolls. Others took it even further, saying she should throw the tag away so no one would buy the child anything.
That level of spite made another commenter speak up: “Saying throw it away is insane. That’s a child’s whole Christmas, and let’s be real, she probably wasn’t the one to write the note. She deserves the toys she wants like everyone else in the entire angel tree program.”
Another person also defended the girl, writing, “Okay, this is a stretch. I probably would’ve put ‘no white dolls,’ and no one would’ve seen a problem with it. Baby girl probably just wants her doll to look like her, just like any little kid.”
It is also possible that the note came from the parents rather than the child herself.
