A Louisiana mother said she had a revelation about racism after her white seven-year-old daughter asked for braids to look like her black friend.

Brigette Diez Kerr initially hesitated, worried her daughter would be chastised at school for styling herself after her African-American classmate.

“They’re together all the time. They’ve actually been in the same class since kindergarten,” she told CTVNews.ca. “For her it was just the fact that her friend has pretty hair and she said, ‘Oh, I want my hair to be pretty like hers.’”

Diez Kerr said she second-guessed her reaction to the innocent request after remembering what her pastor said about the dangers of unintentional racism in church the previous Sunday.

“A lot of us don’t think we are racist, but there are unintentional things that we do like stereotyping. I woke up one morning with that really heavy on my heart. She got the braids that morning. I can’t be fearful for her,” she said.

The decision wasn’t an easy one. Diez Kerr teaches older grades at her daughter’s school in Gonzales, La. She’s seen what can happen when tempers flare over perceived cultural appropriation. It’s an issue she felt her daughter Concetta was too young to confront.

“I’m from South Louisiana, and certain areas around here can be very harsh with stereotypes, and people dressing certain ways or wearing certain things,” she said.

She swallowed her concerns and tried her best to recreate the tight braids Concetta asked for. The child’s reaction instantly confirmed that she had made the right decision.

“She smiled from ear to ear this morning and she couldn't wait to get to school to show her best friend,” she wrote in a widely-shared Facebook post.