“I really was like, ‘Oh my gosh... I’ll never be able to, like, be pretty or look pretty because I’m not white.’”

As BuzzFeed's politics lead, my job is to do the doomscrolling for you.

This likely stems from the teachings of Mormon founder Joseph Smith and his successor Brigham Young, who "described black people as cursed with dark skin as punishment for Cain’s murder of his brother," the New York Times reports. 

According to Haylee, teachers at her own school mirrored these views. One told her that Black people are cursed and that, "When I go to heaven, I will be white."

"A lot of people also told me they would like me better with my hair straightened."

"I really was like, 'Oh my gosh... I'll never be able to, like, be pretty or look pretty because I'm not white.'"

This led her to wonder what would happen to those who could not have children.