A little Black girl has made her mom proud after standing up to a peer in class who remarked about her natural hair.
After a classmate commented on her hair, Preschooler Leila Danai proved that she had been listening to what her mom, Mildred Munjanganja, had been teaching her. Munjanganja spoke to Today about her daughter, who went viral on TikTok after she pleasantly schooled a classmate about her hair earlier this year. Danai is one of the few Black students who attend her preschool, and her mother shared with the outlet how teaching self-confidence at home prepared her daughter for the encounter about her hair.
In the viral TikTok video posted on July 17, Danai, three years old at the time, can be seen telling her mother what she said to her classmate who did not like her hair.
Leila, who appeared to have her hair done up in a high ponytail with an orange bow, said she responded to her classmate by saying, “I like it.”
forwp-incontent-ad2">She told her mother, “He said, ‘I don’t like that hair. It’s crazy. And I said, ‘My mommy made it. If you don’t like it, I’ll keep it for myself.’”
Munjanganja responded, “I’m so proud of you, baby. You stood up for yourself.”
“I love hearing about Leila’s day!” Munjanganja wrote in the video’s caption. “Today she shared how her classmate didn’t like her hair, and she replied, ‘Well, I like it!’ – I have never been more proud!”
Danai’s mother also included in the caption how happy she was after seeing her daughter not seeking the validation of anyone else, being able to express how she felt, and maintaining her confidence. She concluded with an empowering message for women: “Strong women, may we be them, may we know them, may we raise them!”Munjanganja’s goal is to prepare her daughter to be able to navigate the world around her and protect herself. She practices real-life scenarios with Danai, like asking her for an opinion about an outfit. She tells her preschooler, “…I love it, and I think it looks great on me.” This teaches the child not to internalize the opinions of others.
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