LA MORENITA, Chapter 2

Although Norm didn’t notice, Maria knew instantly how gifted her child was. To her, it seemed like Araceli came out of the womb babbling in two languages. In the evenings just before bedtime, when Marie and Araceli were alone together—and sometimes during the day when Norm was at work—Maria taught her songs, like Mariposa, Canta al Agua, and Duerma, Negrita. The second time Maria sang Duerma, Negrita, Araceli asked her why she sang “Sleep, Black Baby” to her. Maria said she was singing to the part of Araceli that was African.
“But I’m not a black baby,” Araceli said. “I’m a brown baby.”
Maria laughed. “But you’re German, too, and German is white. Brown and white make tan, so maybe you are a tan baby.”
“Don’t sing ‘Negrita’ to me.”
“But it’s true, m’ija. You are part Negro. You got your high cheekbones from the indios, but your other facial features, like your beautiful lips, came from Africa, like mine.”