The new Annie: a conversation

One of my Friday students, who's African American, told me about talking to her younger daughter on the phone. My student had wanted to have a word with her daughter about her daughter's grades (not so good), but her daughter had been too excited to let her get a word in edgewise:

"Mommy mommy, guess what!"

"What?"

"We went to see Annie!"

"That's great--"

"And guess what!"

"What?"

"Annie's a Black girl! And guess what!"

"What?"

"She's the star!"

I didn't get to hear the daughter say all this, but from...