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Showing posts with label racial self esteem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label racial self esteem. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Red Table Talk's Episode About Transracial Adoption & Black Hollywood Live's Talking Red Table Talk (Reaction Video) About That Episode

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a short video segment of Red Table Talk's October 18, 2019 episode about transracial adoption as well as a link to that entire episode.

This pancocojams post also showcases a October 21, 2019 Black Hollywood Live's Talking Red Table Talk reaction video about that Red Table Talk episode.

A definition of transracial adoption and information about Red Table Talk and Black Hollywood Live are included in this post.

This post also includes two comments that I posted to the Talking Red Table Talk. One of those comments consists of a small portion of an Adoptalk article by JaeRan Kim, a South Korean woman who was transracially adopted by a White couple when she was two years old.

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are are associated with Red Table Talk and all those who are associated with Black Hollywood Live. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.

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WHAT "TRANSRACIAL ADOPTION" MEANS
From https://definitions.uslegal.com/t/transracial-adoption/#targetText=Transracial%20adoption%20refers%20to%20the,country%20with%20Caucasian%20adoptive%20parents Transracial Adoption Law and Legal Definition
"Transracial adoption refers to the process of placing a child who is of one race or ethnic group with adoptive parents of another race or ethnic group.

In the U.S., transracial adoption is the placement of children of color or children from another country with Caucasian adoptive parents. A transracial adoption is also transcultural, with the adopted child coming from a different country or culture as well as a different racial background."...

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INFORMATION ABOUT RED TABLE TALK
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Table_Talk#targetText=Red%20Table%20Talk%20is%20an,thirteen%20episodes%20of%20the%20series
"Red Table Talk is an American web television talk show starring Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris that premiered on May 7, 2018 on Facebook Watch. On June 13, 2018, it was announced that Facebook had ordered an additional thirteen episodes of the series. These new episodes premiered on October 22, 2018. The show's second season premiered on May 6, 2019.[1]

Premise
Red Table Talk provides "a forum where the perspectives of three different generations on a wide variety of topics are shared."[2]

[...]

Genre:Talk show
Presented by
Jada Pinkett Smith
Willow Smith
Adrienne Banfield-Norris
Country of origin: United States
Original language(s): English
No. of seasons: 2
No. of episodes: 37 (list of episodes)"....

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS:
Video #1: Red Table Talk: All New Episode| Transracial Adoption



OnlySkye, Oct 18, 2019

On our all-new Red Table Talk, our ladies sit down with transracial adoptee, Angela Tucker, as she discusses the struggles she experiences being a black woman that was raised by a white family. We invite you to take a seat at the table with us, next Monday – only on Facebook Watch. “But it’s hard to walk around every day and have people see a black woman, but for me, not to even feel like a black woman.” Our ladies are having an open and honest conversation about transracial adoption on an all-new episode of Red Table Talk....

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video #2: https://eurweb.com/2019/10/21/on-red-table-talk-transracial-adoptee-admits-shes-not-comfortable-being-with-black-folks-watch/ ON ‘RED TABLE TALK’: TRANSRACIAL ADOPTEE ADMITS SHE’S NOT COMFORTABLE BEING WITH BLACK FOLKS – WATCH
FISHER JACK, OCTOBER 21, 2019
"On today’s newest edition of Facebook Watch’s “Red Table Talk,” things get interesting all over again. The hosts: Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield Norris get into a candid conversation about transracial adoption.

On the show, they are joined by Angela Tucker, a black woman who was raised by white parents, who opened up about something she says people “often don’t want to admit.” And that is …?

“People often don’t admit this but a lot of black transracial adoptees look in the mirror and are surprised, when we look in the mirror and see a black person,” she explains.

“Because we’re so used to seeing white people and we see our parents and they’re white and we love them and then we see ourselves, like, oh yeah, I forgot, I’m black,” she continued.

Adding that while she doesn’t identify as white, “of course,” she says that it is still her “culture.”

The full episode of Jada’s incredibly popular series will tackle the “struggles” of adopting across racial lines. Check it out above.

Fans can expect new episodes of “Red Table Talk” every Monday at 9:00 a.m. PT / 12:00 p.m. ET on Facebook Watch."

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Video #3: Raised by White Parents: A Black Adoptee Speaks



Black Hollywood Live, October 21, 2019

Hosts Tyler Simone, Tyler Tyson, and Jade Ming sit down to discuss Angela Tucker, a black woman who was raised by white parents in a predominately white neighborhood. She joins the ladies at the red table to discuss the struggles of trans-racial adoptees and her own lack of connection with black culture.

While the opinions of Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris may cover a wide variety of topics, what about our opinions on their opinions of those topics? Join us for Black Hollywood Live's TALKING RED TABLE TALK where every week we're discussing the topics of Red Table Talk and breaking down the opinions of the hosts and why we agree or disagree with them! Be sure to subscribe and rate to stay up to date every week!

Hosted by Tyler Tyson and Tyler McKinney....
-snip-
Comments that I posted on that video's discussion thread:
Azizi Powell, 2019
"I somehow happening upon a video of the Red Table Talk about transracial adoption with Angela Tucker, a Black woman who was adopted by a White couple when she was 13 months old. This was my introduction to Red Table Talks. After watching that short video of that Red Table Talk episode, I found your video. I wish I could watch the entire episode, but for various reasons I'm no longer on Facebook. Can people who aren't on Facebook watch Red Table Talks?

I appreciate the comments that each of you made about that segment and wanted to share the following information with you and your readers:

I'm an African American woman who is a birth parent, adoptive parent, and a former foster parent. In the late 1980s to the early 1990s I was active with an adoptive parent support organization that still exists- North American Council On Adoptable Children (NACAC) https://www.nacac.org/. When I was active with that organization, I was program director of a Black adoption agency which advocated and helped place Black children (include children with one Black birth parent and one birth parent of another race). I'm retired and haven't been involved in adoption circles for decades. However, as a first choice, that agency placed (and probably still places) Black children with Black couples and Black single people, and with interracial couples (one Black person and one person who was non-Black). We advocated that any person who fostered or wanted to adopt a child who had a different racial background than they had (including mixed race children) should understand the realities of personal and institutional racism, and should be proactive in involving their family in their children's culture/s.


(By the way, in the 1980s and 1990s, it was next to impossible for a non-White couple or non-White single person (including a mixed race person with some White ancestry) to adopt a White child from a public or private public agency. I'd be surprised if that has changed.


I could go on and on but prefer to share this link with you and others who are interested in the subject of transracial adoption and the need for transracial adoptive parents to help their children develop & reinforce personal self-esteem AND a clear and strong group identity. https://www.nacac.org/resource/the-personal-is-political-racial-identity-and-racial-justice-in-transracial-adoption/ I'll quote a small portion from that article in my next comment.

**
Azizi Powell, 2019
Here's a brief portion from https://www.nacac.org/resource/the-personal-is-political-racial-identity-and-racial-justice-in-transracial-adoption/

"From Adoptalk 2018, Issue 3; Adoptalk is a benefit of NACAC membership

By JaeRan Kim, PhD © 2018

JaeRan Kim was born in South Korea in 1969 and adopted into a white family in Minnesota in 1971. Today, JaeRan works as an assistant professor at the University of Washington – Tacoma. Her research focuses on vulnerable children, specifically those in out-of-home care. This article is adapted from JaeRan’s keynote presentation at the 2018 NACAC conference...

When I was growing up, the only bit of Asian culture I was exposed to was the occasional can of chicken chow mein.

As the only adoptee and person of color in my immediate and extended family, I was always assured my parents didn’t see color and loved me no matter what, and that was enough. After going to college and being exposed to the racial and cultural diversity I had been missing growing up, I began to explore my racial identity and realized that for transracial adoptees, a parent’s love and rejection of racial difference does not meet the need for racial, ethnic, and cultural identity development and support.

For me, and other transracial adoptees, the development of a racial identity is an inevitable aspect of growing up: in the anonymity of a new city, school, or job, a transracial adoptee’s visibility as a person of color eclipses their visibility as a transracial adoptee in a white family. By helping children develop that racial identity before they’re faced with this reality, parents can help their children develop the tools they will need to fight against oppression, racism, and discrimination. Although it is often uncomfortable and difficult work, implementing racial and ethnic socialization with their transracially adopted children helps strengthen trust and attachment by showing transracial adoptees that their parents care about, and support, their racial and ethnic identities.

Becoming an advocate
Helping a child embrace their racial identity is more than just having conversations about race and culture. Instead, parents need to be active advocates for transracial adoptee justice, a process that requires parents to address their own biases, alter their own mindsets, and take action"...

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Sunday, March 5, 2017

Is The Caribbean Game Song "Brown Girl In The Ring" Racist?



JAFS Project,  Dec 15, 2018
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Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision : July 19, 2026

This pancocojams post presents information about the Jamaican originated children's game "Brown Girl In The Ring".

This post also includes my opinion about whether "Brown Girl In The Ring" is racist as well as selected comments on this subject from a YouTube discussion thread for a Boney M video of this song. 
This post also includes an example of a 1904 version of this song and includes my editorial comments about whether "Brown Girl In The Ring" is racist.

In addition, this post showcases several YouTube videos of  the Jamaican circle game "Brown Girl In The Ring" with selected comments from some of these videos' discussion threads.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown composer/s of this song. Thanks to all those who are featured in these showcase videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to he publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
This post has been extensively revised since its initial publication on pancocojams in 2017.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/01/theres-brown-girl-in-ring-youtube.html. . Most of the YouTube examples, lyrics, and comments in that post were included in the original 2017 post.

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/11/boney-m-brown-girl-in-ring-video-lyrics.html Boney M - Brown Girl In The Ring (Video, Lyrics, & Comments) for another pancocojams post about the song "Brown Girl In The Ring". That post showcases a different Boney M clip of this song than the clip that is shown in this post.
This pancocojams post showcases YouTube examples of the Jamaican circle song "There's A Brown Girl in The Ring".  Information about an 1904 version of this song is included in this post along with some lyric examples of this song.

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IS THE GAME SONG "BROWN GIRL IN THE RING" RACIST?

I believe that the concerns about whether the "Brown Girl In The Ring" song and game are racist reflect the heightened awareness in some people (particularly White people) that favoring one race over another is wrong. The people who are questioning the racist or non-racist nature of this song and game are trying to eradicate elements of racism from the pay activities of their children and the children they teach or otherwise interact.

Since at least the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, "colorblindness" is largely considered the ideal value to have in the United States and in most other nations throughout the world, My guess is the reason why people have concerns about the "Brown Girl In The Ring" game song is that the lyrics of that song can be seen as promoting one race or one skin color over others. A very successfulr example of society cleansing a children's recreational rhyme of racist content is removing the "N word" from the "Eenie Meenie Miney Mo" rhyme and substituting another word. That change has worked so well that most people don't know that the N word was ever a part of that rhyme."

The concern that "There's A Brown Girl In The Ring" is racist could be true in the 2020s if the people playing that game chose to have racist viewpoints-meaning if they  sing that song  or play that game to call negative attention to players with that skin color. However, historically, "There's A Brown Girl In The Ring" ( or it's earlier version "There's A Black Boy In The Ring" ) was sung to help Black children develop and reinforce positive self-esteem and group esteem.

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THE COLOR REFERENT "BROWN" IN THIS GAME SONG REPLACED THE EARLIER REFERENT "BLACK
"There's A Brown Girl In The Ring" can be considered to be suspect regarding its use of skin color referents because at least one early example of that song used the word "black" instead of "brown". 

The earliest example of "There's A Brown Girl In The Ring" that I've come across was published in a 1904 collection Jamaican Song and Story: Annancy stories, digging sings, ring tunes, and dancing tunes by Walter Jekyll. The title of that game song was "There's A Black Boy In The Ring".

A digital version of this book can be found at https://www.gutenberg.org/files/35410/35410-h/35410-h.htm#Page_207. [This singing game is actually on page 208] .

Here are the lyrics to that song along with the collector's notes.

There's a black boy in a ring, tra la la la la,
There's a black boy in a ring, tra la la la la,
There's a black boy in a ring, tra la la la la,
He like sugar an' I like plum.
Wheel an' take you pardner, jump shamador!
Wheel an' take you pardner, jump shamador!
Wheel an' take you pardner, jump shamador!
For he like sugar an' I like plum.

The boy inside the ring chooses his partner, whom he leaves there after the dance. She obtains release by choosing another partner, whom she leaves behind. So there is alternately a boy and a girl in the ring.

"Shamador" is possibly a corruption of "camerado."
-end of quote-
"Camerado" is probably a variant spelling of "comrade" (friend).

Presumably, as is the case for contemporary versions of this song, while playing this game, the gender referent "boy" was changed to "girl" when it was (is) a boy's turn to be in the middle of the circle. The use of "boy"  instead of "girl" in that 1904 example could reflect the early 20th century's preference for boys over girls. And, the use of "girl" instead of "boy" in later versions of that game song could reflect the fact that circle singing games came to be considered as recreational activities mostly for girls rather than as co-ed activities. (The recent de-emphasizing gender because of the LTBGQ movement didn't affect the historical use of gender terms in this song, but certainly could be a reason why some people nowadays frown upon this song.)

**
I don't know when or why the color referent in this game song changed from "Black" to "Brown"

Did people change the color referent in this song from "Black" to "Brown" because "black" was considered a pejorative racial and/or skin color referent that no one playing that game wanted to be associated with? Said differently, did a growing number of Jamaicans where this song was composed favor being brown skinned (lighter) than being darker skinned?

And/or was a version of this song that used the "brown girl" rather than the "black boy" words so popular that people sang those words and by force of repetition, that wording became the standard?
 

By 1946/1947 the eminent Trinidadian Calypsonian Lord Invader wrote his version of this game song with the and title "Brown Girl In A Ring". 

Here's Lord Invader's Calypso version of that game song:

Yes sir

Very often i am left amazed

when i remember my childhood days

when me and my girlfriend used to play about together

and sing the song of hug and kiss your partner

There's a brown girl in the ring

Traala lala la

There's a brown girl in the ring

Trala lala lala

Brown girl in the ring

Trala lala la

And She looks like a sugar on a plum (plum, plum)

You'll show me your motion

Trala lala la

You'll show me your motion

Trala lala lala

Show me your motion

Traala lala la

And She looks like a sugar on a plum (plum, plum)

You'll hug and kiss your partner

Traala lala la

You'll hug and kiss your partner

Traala lala lala

hug and kiss your partner

Traala lala la

And She looks like a sugar on a plum (plum, plum)

But now that i reached to maturity

I know how happy my childhood days used to be

But now the kids haven't got no responsibility

They are taken care of by their families

Anything they need, they just have to say

And after school at home all day will go and play

There's a brown girl in the ring...

Now if i happen to be reincarnated

I like to do the same things i did as a kid

when I'm permitted to have my fun at times

With my playmates i'll sing some nursery rhymes

Whether in my backyard, or in the playground

We will join together and sing this song

There's a brown girl in the ring...

And Miss Lilly White looks so fresh and gay

With a bunch of roses by her side

Give her the kisses, one, two  three,

Wonder who shall be her bride.

Show me your motion ...

- posted on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0lp40UnuBM Lord Invader - "There's A Brown Girl In The Ring" by [commenter] SenhorBovinoGadoso, 2015

-end of quote-
Notice the "brown" and "White" color references in Lord Invader's version of "There's A Brown Girl In The Ring". Lord Invader's song could have helped standardize the "brown girl" rather than "black boy" words in that game song. However, it appears the "brown girl" words were used during Lord Invader's childhood. 


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The next two sections of this pancocojams post provide some historical and current usages of the word "brown" in Jamaica when it is used to refer to certain populations.

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19th CENTURY MEANINGS OF THE WORD "BROWN" IN JAMICA 
Judging by Jamaican sea chanties, since at least the 19th century in Jamaica, the word "brown" used as a skin color referent means "light skinned" and/or mixed race (i.e. Black mixed with White and/or another race. "Sally Brown" shanties are examples of the 19th century use of "brown" as skin color references in Jamaica and elsewhere.

Here's some information about Sally Brown shanties from my 2012 pancocojams post with that title:
"
 "Sally Brown" is a Jamaican sea shanty about a mixed race (mulatto; Creole) woman. Like all shanties, there are multiple versions of "Sally Brown". In addition to the song titled "Sally Brown", there are many other shanties that mention "Sally" and "Sally Brown".

The surname (last name) "Brown" may have referred to Sally's mixed race ancestry. Note that the word "shallow" (challow) in the song "Shallow Brown" means a person of mixed race."
-end of quote-
In the Jamaican sea shantie "Roll And Go", Sally Brown is referred to as a "bright mulatto". In those lyrics "bright" very light and "mulatto" is a person who has one Black birth parent and one White birth parent. (The term "mulatto" has been retired from formal usage in the United States since around the mid 1960s). "Bright mulatto" means the same thing as the United States term "high yellow". That term has also been retired from formal usage since at least the mid 20th century.

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EARLY 20th CENTURY EXAMPLES OF THE WORD "BROWN" IN JAMAICAN SONGS
There are numerous other Jamaican examples of folk songs which feature a person whose last name is "Brown". One example that interested me was  

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JAMAICAN PATOIS DEFINITIONS FOR "BROWN" AND "BROWNING"

Here's a Jamaican Patois definition for "brown" from https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/Brown-man/1311#.Y8BszHbMK1s

Brown man (Noun)

English Translation

Light skinned black male

Definition

Slang expression used to refer to a light skinned black male

Example Sentences

Patois: Who dah brown man deh ova deh suh?

English: Who’s that light skinned black man over there?"

 posted by anonymous on September 10, 2013

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Here's a Jamaican Patois definition of the word "browning" from  https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/Browning/928#.Y8BtGXbMK1s

Browning

English Translation

Mixed race

Definition

a person who is mixed race with light skin

Example Sentences

Patois: Look pon dah browning deh!

English: Look at that light skin person

posted by alicia.dean.7940 on March 22, 2017
-snip-
Dancehall star Buju Banton had a smash hit called "Love My Browning" in 1992. In that song he may have been referring to mixed race women or to light skin women whether they be mixed race or not. He later recorded a song about how he loves "all Black women". https://genius.com/Buju-banton-love-black-woman-lyric

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WHY DO PEOPLE THINK THAT "BROWN GIRL IN THE RING" IS RACIST
1. I believe that some people think that "Brown Girl In The Ring" is racist because they believe that any mention of race or skin color is racist. 

For what it's worth, I don't agree with that. 

Under some circumstances, I believe that it is appropriate and perhaps even necessary to use racial or skin color references- for instance for descriptive purposes that don't have or imply a positive or negative valuation.

I believe that the words "There's a brown girl in the ring" (with its earlier words "There's a Black boy in the ring" was written to describe who was playing that game. Given the oppression and prejudice that children of African descent or some African descent live/d under, my guess is that that skin color reference was purposely used to boost up the self-esteem and the group esteem of those children.

**
2. Some people think that "brown" in the song "Brown Girl In The Ring" means a light skinned Black person, some other light skinned person who isn't White, and/or a mixed race person.

Those people who think that might also believe that the song (or people who play that game)  encourages children to favor light skinned/mixed race people over other people.
Doing so would be an example of colorism. Colorism means the preference of one skin color over others, for instance favoring light skin Black people over dark skin Black people. 

Here's a comment exchange from the discussion thread for the  YouTube video of Jamaican school girls playing "Brown Girl In The Ring" that is embedded at the top of this pancocojams post. That comment exchange includes a comment that I wrote:


(Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.)
 

1. Phillip M. Ranglin, 2021
"Did someone stop a girl at the start, saying that she’s not brown?"

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Reply
2. 
JAFSProject, 2021
"Yes. Right around 6 seconds. I never noticed it before. I can't say that I'm surprised. Unfortunately there is quite a bit of colorism in the schools, and in society here."

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Reply
3. Lael Wildgoose, 2021
"I definitely didnt see or hear it...

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Reply
4. Ms Sophia Ffrench, 2022
"Yes that's what I hear🤣🤣

**
Reply
Azizi Powell, 2023
"
@JAFSProject ,I revisited this video because I read a comment in the Wikipedia page about colorism in Jamaica that states that "Colorism in Jamaica was perpetuated through social and cultural institutions such as music, social games, sports, and school [28] For example, in one particular school-yard game, Jamaican children have been heard chanting "Brown girl in the ring." According to Dr. Petra Robinson, in her dissertation, the game promotes a preference for 'brown skin girls' over dark-skinned ones,"

I assume that Dr. Robinson meant "lighter brown skinned girls over "darker" brown skinned girls.  I'd like to read her dissertation to see how she arrived at that conclusion instead of interpreting "brown" as a group referent for all Black people in Jamaica (as well as as a group referent for other non-White girls in that nation).

With regard to this video,  It appears to me that all but one of the girls in this video are the same Brown skin color. The girl who appears to be a little lighter  than the others isn't the one who is addressed (at .06 in this video). I believe that one girl told the other something like "You're not brown". I think this comment might have meant something innocuous like "You already had a turn being the brown girl in the ring" or "It's not your turn to be the brown girl in the ring".

As such, I don't think this video is an example of colorism."

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SOME CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE "BROWN GIRL IN THE RING" COULD BE PROBLEMATIC 
The singing game "Brown Girl In The Ring" could be problematic if children sing this song in a majority White setting where there is only one or only a few children of color (meaning "children of some black African descent and/or other children whose skin complexion is brown). I've read comments about brown skinned girls who were given “the honor” or the responsibility of playing the role of the "brown girl in the ring". Even if other people thought/think that this is an honor, it may not be considered that way by those "brown skinned girls" or "brown skinned boys" (when the song is sung to reflect the gender of the child who happens to be in the middle).

Read the comments that are quoted in the Addendum below. 

The "Brown Girl In A Ring" game song can be problematic if the words are adapted to reflect the races/ethnicities of children playing that game. People usually use visual clues such as skin color, facial features, and hair texture to guess what race/ethnicity a person is part of. Those visual clues may be wrong, the person could be of ambiguous ethnicity, and/or the person may consider themselves to be a member of more than one racial/ethnic group. 

I cringe at the thought of children changing the words to "Brown Girl In The Ring" when a girl who looks "White" is in the middle of the ring or when a girl who is Asian in the middle of the ring: i. e, "There's a White girl in the ring tra la la la la" and "There's an Asian girl in the ring tra la la la la." And what of children who are first generation mixed race? Having other people decide which race/ethnicity a mixed racial person is a part of can exacerbate the issues many mixed race people have with the racial identity.

I also cringe at the thought of children changing the words to "Brown Girl In The Ring" using other skin color references such as "yellow" for Asians and "red" for Native Americans, etc..

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MY RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THE GAME SONG "THERE'S A BROWN GIRL IN THE RING"
Despite what I consider its pleasant, catchy tune, and its creative lyrics, and more positive attributes, given the racial (and sometimes racist) environment that children still have to navigate in the 2000s, my recommendation is to err on the side of caution and NOT include this song in children's music curriculum, unless it is for older children who are studying the history of folk songs.

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ADDENDUM: 
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM A BONEY M VIDEO OF "BROWN GIRL IN THE RING"

Here are some comments from a Boney M video's discussion thread in which the commenters mention racism:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1So7q6IfJ4&feature=emb_logo

(Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.)   

1. mr y mysterious video, 2009

"true story....

when i was about 6, there was only one black girl in our whole school in wales.

they played this song at our xmas party, we all sat in a circle while she danced for our entertainment - it wasn't a racist thing though - we were being literal and she seemed to enjoy herself."

**

2. Becca Secret, 2009
"funny, my aunt thought this song was rascist xxx"

 11. mr y mysterious video

"i was 7, at school in ely, cardiff, wales.

it was christmas, the entire school gathered in a big circle while the sole black girl in school stood in the middle and danced with all her heart to this song - a true story.

and yet... it was all so innocent, nobody had any malice but they wouldn't try that these days!"

**
3. mr y mysterious video, 2012

"i was 7, at school in ely, cardiff, wales.

it was christmas, the entire school gathered in a big circle while the sole black girl in school stood in the middle and danced with all her heart to this song - a true story.

and yet... it was all so innocent, nobody had any malice but they wouldn't try that these days!"  

**
4. RichXboxOne, 2015
"This is an excellent song, but if it was released now, the PC Brigade and the Loony left would complain about it being racist. "

**
5. Francisco Castillo Mata,2017 
"Qué bonitas son las pieles morenas, y cuanto han sido maltratadas por el " hombre blanco" ( y lo siguen siendo, más sutilmente, tal vez ). En un tiempo lejano, todos fuimos negros, o de un color oscuro. Son los orígenes de toda la humanidad. En EEUU, por ejemplo, todavía hay muchísimo racismo, y a veces no se molestan ni en disimularlo ( también en España, por supuesto). Bueno, el vídeo es encantador, y la música muy contagiosa. Solo espero que no me fusilen por haber expresado ciertas ideas, y que la USA Air Forcé no me bombardee."

Google translate from Spanish to English:

"How beautiful are the brown skins, and how much they have been battered by the "white man" (and they are still, more subtly, perhaps). In a distant time, we were all black, or a dark color. They are the origins of all humanity. In the US, for example, there is still a lot of racism, and sometimes they do not bother or disguise it (also in Spain, of course). Well, the video is charming, and the music very contagious. I just hope they do not shoot me for expressing certain ideas, and that the USA Air Force did not bomb me."

**
6. Ravneet Bains, 2018
"My mum just told me thought this song was about Asian girls back in the 1980's and she felt very offended at the time because she thought they where being racist. Now she has got over once I told her that the song is light skin black women."

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