“As far as I knew, mermaids were white.” This was a response to one of my posts on Twitter this year.
At first, I was indignant. A quick scan of their account showed their bigoted views, but I still wondered: is racism the only reason they would think this?
I remember the outrage when Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in the upcoming remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and the sinking feeling I had, knowing the comments that would inevitably follow. I had just finished writing Skin of the Sea a year earlier, and all I could think was, if people are outraged at one Black mermaid…wait until they hear about this book.
