Bringing my newborn daughter, Amelia, home was meant to be joyful, but the sight of her nursery shattered me. The pink walls were now painted black, her crib was broken, and all her toys were gone. My mother-in-law, Janet, stood behind me, unapologetic. “It’s not appropriate,” she spat.

Janet believed Amelia wasn’t her grandchild because Amelia’s skin was dark, even though genetics proved otherwise. Tim, my husband, was furious when he came home to the destroyed nursery. He confronted Janet, who denied Amelia as family and spewed more hateful comments about her skin color.

Tim had enough. He told Janet to leave, declaring she’d never be welcome if she couldn’t accept our daughter. Devastated but determined, I captured Janet’s hateful words and posted them online, exposing her racism to friends and family. The support we received was overwhelming, and soon after, Janet even lost her job.

As weeks passed, Tim and I rebuilt Amelia’s nursery, filling it with love. We decided we didn’t need Janet’s toxicity in our lives. Our little family was perfect, just as it was.