A RACIST FIVE-YEAR-OLD IN MEMORIAL PARK?

Topher Sanders: Photo:ProPublica

Readers of the Sunday Review section of this weekend's New York Times may get a surprising view of Maplewood as local resident Topher Sanders writes a piece about a disturbing incident of racism from a five-year-old.

Sanders, who moved to our town in the last year, is a veteran journalist who now writes for the respected ProPublica.org website and non-profit investigative news outlet.

And he is also a Maplewood parent and African-American. 

His piece, titled, "Only White People, Said the Little Girl," recounts a recent incident in Memorial Park in which his five-year-old son was told by a white five-year-old girl that he could not play with them because he was not white.

Sanders recounts it in the troubling piece that is now online HERE, and will be in the widely-read Sunday print edition. He writes that he overheard this, it was not something his son told him.

We reached out to Sanders, who politely declined to comment further, but said he has enjoyed living in Maplewood, although this moment was troubling.

Those of us who have lived in Maplewood for a while know that we enjoy an image of diversity, openness and acceptability. But we have also seen issues of racial concern in the recent past, whether it was fear by some black students to a police officer being assigned to Columbia High School or the recent ACLU lawsuit and findings of disparity in promotion and punishment for black and white students.

And if a five-year-old child is using prejudicial language at play -- whether in fun or due to parental teachings -- that is a sign of something amiss.