Whah?! There has to be some sort of explanation for this, right? I really want to hear the other side of this story, because right now, this sounds too incredible to be true.

Could someone at the D-news POSSIBLY do something slightly related to publishing a newspaper -- you know, like a little investigative journalism -- and get us the rest of this story. Please?!

Have you gotten a lawyer? Any adults that could do this to any child need some financial incentives to clean up there act. Start by calling the ACLU.

C'mon, Lady.

You ought not to submit a letter like this without naming names.

It's not fair to the rest of the organizations who have parade entries and have not acted in a racist way.

What else could you expect from these people?

While the people doing this float should be held accountable if they indeed did something as stupid as what is being claimed, the entire parade should not be blamed. I'm pretty sure the Days of 47 parade does not support racism. Last time I watched the parade, there were quite a few minority groups represented.

I am having a little trouble believing that this is actually true. I can't imagine anyone being stupid enough to say something like that in this day and age. I would really like to know more about this story. I hope the Deseret News will follow up.

The story is too vague. Was this little girl denied
based upon racism, or political correctness?

I see no difference between the two, both are ugly
and perverse.

Cats, do you not remember the comments made by Senator Chris Buttars? There are people "stupid" enough to say something like this today, just as there are "stupid" people today who will re-elect them come November.

This is terrible. I am so sorry Monica. You should tell us who told you she could not be on the float. Which float are we talking about? The float should never be in the parade. And yes there are people stupid enough to say something just like this in this day and age.

You believe everything you read, don't you?

This letter sounds like sour grapes, I'm with the others, let's hear both sides of the story.

You know the original writer never said that her child was black or hispanic or what. Could it be possible that her white child was replaced by a minority child to be politically correct?

Racism, even against whites, is racism. So I agree; D-News, investigate this.

To Agki: Petty, immature cheap shot.

I know Monica, and the part she left out is that her daughter is caucasion. Of course that really should not matter though, should it?

If the letter is true, I hope the papers will print a copy of it for all to see.

Is in not 2008? WOW

we need to see names to back up this comment. We also need to identify the float and the people sponsoring it.

There should always be room for children when it comes to a parade. What are we teaching our children if we deny them space on a float because of who they are and what they look like?

The best of luck Monica and I sympatized with you...

"...her daughter is caucasion.. "

Nice "gotcha" letter. It will make us all look more closely at our own knee-jerk reactions:

"Agki | 5:38 a.m. July 20, 2008
What else could you expect from these people?"

Way to go Agki! LOL....

If this were true, what does it matter, what race she is whether black, white or whatever? Most places they know to use "Thank you for your interest but, we found a more qualified candidate."

The possibility that the child is Caucasian crossed my mind before I made my comment. I posted it anyway. If this child was truly taken off the float because her "skin color was not appropriate" then it doesn't matter what "color" she is, it's still ridiculous.

I would really like to hear the other side of this story.

I assumed the girl was White because the race was never mentioned. It was my first thought, actually, and I was very pleased that the writer never actually disclosed the race in question. It's irrelevant. Racism and ethnocentrism goes in many directions. I think that is probably the major point of the writer. Kudos, if the premise is accurate. The rest of the story would be very helpful.

A possible reason could be that there were no Eskimos in Utah in '47.

I find it hard to believe that the person from days of 47 would acutally say this even if true, if only for their own legal liabality. (not to mention the humanitarian issue). Perhaps these people are really from 1847?

I'd like to hear the other side of the story, is this really true?

I cannot possibly convey in simple words just how blessed I feel no longer residing in such a backward, backwoods place as Utah.

"
I've been blessed | 6:24 p.m. July 20, 2008
I cannot possibly convey in simple words just how blessed I feel no longer residing in such a backward, backwoods place as Utah."

And words cannot express how glad we are, that you are gone.

Kind of depends on the float's theme, right? I mean, white and black kids on a float depicting the Chinese settling in California wouldn't look right, would it? But something is still wrong here.

When you're dealing with kids, you have to use some common sense and sensitivity. Let the kids participate no matter who they are!

this is Utah where racism is alive and well, and for those who kids themselves it is not, take of your dark glasses and open your minds - you are no doubt one of them

I'm in favor of any holiday.

The days of 47 are extraordinary. California doesn't have 49er Days. Nevada doesn't have Silver Dollar Days. Wyoming, doesn't celebrate isn't cowboy heritage, with Johnson County War Days.

I have a bias. My family entered Utah in 1847.

I have thought about this a lot. There were the Oregon and California trials. Mormons weren't Americans only pioneers and my Mormon ancestors did much pioneering before they entered Utah.

There was a headline in the Deseret News about Mormons being the first pioneers to enter Salt Lake.

When, the Mormons came down Emigrant Canyon, the trial had been cleared the previous year by the Donner Party. If you think that Mormons endure seeking their dreams in the West. You could argue the Donners endured much more.

Maybe, there is ingrained resentment in a few for others diluting the Mormon demographics since 1847.

In some ways, I liked the lily white Mormon Utah, I grew-up in. It was predictable and had less crime. Memories are ideal. If I returned, I'm sure I would find it too stifling for me today.

I think calling a lawyer or the ACLU every time your child is denied a part in a play because they aren't what they are looking for would be less than helpful. I say, quit being childish, grow up and deal with this.

Maybe in the future when she is denied a chance to portray an African American boy she can write another inflammatory letter crying racism and sexism. That might double her sympathy quotient.

I don't understand the relevance of the Donner Party in this discussion. The Mormon Pioneers settled this valley even if they weren't the first to travel the trail.

I have spoken to sources from the Days of 47 parade, and this is what I have found out.

The float in question was a float designed to portray the diversity of a specific city. They planned on having various children from different ethnicities on the float, but unfortunately they simply overbooked the space on the float, and had to tell some children there wasn't room. This specific child is, in fact, Caucasian. The interesting part, I found, was that there are still four other Caucasian children on the float, which seems adequate enough to avoid under representing that race. It seems this child just happened to be the one too many, and the connection to racism is simply an attempted attention getter.

It's unfortunate that someone would use something as serious as racism simply to obtain sympathy. I'm very sorry your child is sad, but attempting to taint the name of the Days of 47 parade just because you're upset, is uncalled for.

Let’s pause and reflect on what wasn’t reported and how this situation was handled. The account of events by the mother was completely inaccurate. As properly reflected in a previous post, a fair representation of multiple races was included. A miscalculation of the number of children that could ride on the float is unfortunate and the young girl’s disappointment is understandable. In spite of multiple efforts to address the misunderstanding with the mother, she has persisted in fanning the flames of emotions out of place in this situation. The mother has done so at the same time as she is claiming to have resolved the misunderstanding with those have genuinely endeavored to remedy the miscommunication. In addition, how can anyone claim that racism would be “celebrated.” The accusation that it would occur is serious enough. The claim that it would be celebrated is a travesty. An apology from the mother is warranted acknowledging her misrepresentation of the events, a recognition of the harm that she has caused, and her lack of maturity in addressing the issue.

It seems that some people of European descent assume that it must be racism whenever a person of African-American, Hispanic, Polynesian or Asian descent gets chosen instead of them for something.

They seem to assume that by virtue of their ancestry they are more quailfied, more deserving and better prepared for every possible position than people of other races are.

This letter exposes racism, racism by the writer who assumes that anytime their child does not get something when children of other races do it must be racist because their child is obviously better qualified in everyway for everything than any child from any racial minority ever could be.