Nobody is born racist - Facebook group spreading a message of hope

Nobody is born racist.

This is what a group of mothers is trying to prove on Facebook, by posting pictures of their offspring playing with children of other races.

The thread on Mamahood Gauteng was started by long-time member Esti Peens, following a spate of racist outbursts across the country since January 1.

Peens wanted to spread some good cheer during what she said had been a “depressing few days in South Africa”. She put up the post following a trip to a park with her children.

She said she encouraged her children to make new friends, regardless of race. On that day, when her son hugged a girl at the park goodbye, she took a photo and decided put it on the group, in a bid to show racism was not something people were born with.

Since the first post on January 6, almost a 100 other parents had responded with pictures and comments showing their children playing with children of other races, with the hashtag #nobodyisbornracist.

Mamahood page administrator Lizanne Oved said although they did not allow topics like race or politics on the parenthood page, they had kept the post as it spread a positive message.

“We see so much on the news, but this is real life. These are real moms connecting with each other and the message was very clear, everyone wants to embrace respect, tolerance, and understanding.”

Oved said the #nobodyisbornracist thread had been carried over to groups in Cape Town, KwaZulu-Natal, and Eastern Cape. The page had over 22 000 members in Gauteng and the groups combined had 65 000 members.