How a Box of Crayons Helped a Child to Win The Battle of Racism

Dr. Gail Hayes
Dr. Gail Hayes

How a Box of Crayons Helped a Child to Win The Battle of Racism

In today’s world, race appears to permeate every facet of our society. With all the sights and sounds of diversity, the American Diversity Report (https://americandiversityreport. com/category/i-am-sienna-by-gail-hayes/) and Thrive Global (https://thriveglobal.com/ stories/i-am sienna) recently published I am Sienna, a unique article on race by Th ought Leader and International Communicator, Dr. Gail Hayes, describing her first childhood experience with racism. Hayes, who is an Army brat, left the United States in 1961 to live in Okinawa, Japan and attended the

1st – 4th grades in Department of Defense Schools while living there.

“I am a child of the 60’s and I was immersed in the safety of the Black community in Durham, North Carolina when I went to live in Okinawa, which is now a part of Japan. I had no idea what lessons I was about to learn on this island. When I went to the 2nd grade, my mother purchased a box of 64 Crayola Crayons for me. When I got the crayons, the first thing I did was find my skin color; not because I had a problem with

my color, but because I wanted to see how my color looked in my coloring book. When I got my crayons, I found a Sienna crayon and immediately fell in love with it,” said Hayes, who is also an award winning author and publisher of numerous books and who lived in Asia for over 4 years and in Europe for over 12 years.

The article tells of how Hayes, armed with the 7 year old color knowledge she acquired from her box of Crayola Crayons, went to 2nd grade and had a classmate to tell her what “color” he saw when he looked at her. Because she had already discovered her color in her crayon box, she was able to “correct” her classmate.

This helped to shape Hayes into a leader in diversity and years later, she served as the first African American female law enforcement officer and firefighter in Chapel Hill, NC and as a Governor appointed Commis- sioner on the African American Heritage Commission for her state.

Ignited by her years in law enforcement, she also works with young men of color and wrote a book entitled, Th e Conduct of Kings which helps them embrace their identity and interact with law enforcement. When young men hear her speak, other leaders have said that they are transformed. Looking at her life, one can see how the beauty and simplicity of “knowing your colors” can transform and empower a child.

“Dr. Gail shared a powerful story, beautifully told. She found a way to turn an awful childhood moment into one of strength and wisdom,” says Bill Sherman, COO of Thought Leadership Leverage of New York. Many agree with Bill’s assessment of her story and it has caused a wave of attention in social media.

“This story is a part of my life’s mosaic, and especially in light of what’s happening in today’s world, I believe it has great significance because of its authenticity and simplicity. I was especially excited to see Crayola Crayons announce the introduction of its Colors of the World Multicultural Crayon collection on the same day I shared my article on social media,” says Hayes.

Hayes, who has also shared this story in the international arena as a speaker and consultant, says that she wrote the story so others could see through the eyes of a child, the beauty of our differences. She plans to add her children’s book, I am Sienna to her catalog later this year.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.