Black Disney princesses are breaking the glass (slipper) ceiling for little kids

By Elise Solé via https://www.today.com/

“Your skin, your hair, your braids, your curls — all of those things are princess-worthy. Girls need to hear that.”

Growing up, Simone Brown adored Disney princesses — but as a Black girl, she got the message that she couldn’t be one.

When Brown was in 6th grade, she was so excited to be cast as Cinderella in her school play, a starring role that typically went to older students.

Although her cast was diverse, Brown felt disapproval from others that a Black person was playing Cinderella. 

“My mom had volunteered to help with makeup for the shows and she overheard (some) students … saying something along the lines of wishing something bad happened to me so I wouldn’t get to perform,” says Brown, 30, who lives in Maryland.

In another example, says Brown, “A teacher … told me I needed to ‘tone it down’ because I was ‘making the other girls in the show feel bad.’”

She wondered if a white Cinderella…

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