The last box was carried into the house. It was stacked with the others making a wall that lined a path to the kitchen. I knew what was inside the boxes. Some had toys and trinkets for the kids. Others had dishes and glassware. Some had books. One...

I immediately picked up the phone to call my best friend, who lived five minutes away from me and was also raising her light-skinned kiddos amongst a world of much darker-skinned friends in this beautiful (and hard) East African community. I had j...