3-year-old Aboriginal girl left in tears after woman tells her 'Queen Elsa isn't black'

Queen Elsa sent a very special message to a three-year-old girl who was told by a stranger that she could not dress as her favourite Disney character "because Queen Elsa isn't black."

Samara, an indigenous girl from Ballarat, Victoria, was waiting in line at a Disney event at the Watergardens shopping centre in Melbourne dressed as Queen Elsa, when a mother in the queue left her in tears after telling her she couldn't be the character from the hit film Frozen.

Recounting the incident to Australian newspaper The Courier, Samara's mother Rachel Muir explained: "The lady in front of us turned around to Samara and said, 'I don't know why you're dressed up for because Queen Elsa isn't black. ' "

When Miss Muir confronted the woman, one of her two young daughters echoed her racist sentiments. "I asked the woman what she meant by the comment and then one of the woman's young daughters screwed up her face, she pointed at Samara and said, 'You're black and black is ugly.' "

Samara's mother, Rachel Muir, had told broadcaster NITV the toddler had been so "traumatised" by the incident she had tried "soaping herself up as white" in the bath and attempted to scrub off her black skin. She also avoided attending classes where she learns her Aboriginal dance and at one point even asked her "why am I black"?

Meghan Hope, 20, who works at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, was so outraged on witnessing the shocking incident that she arranged for Queen Elsa herself to send Samara a personal message encouraging her to "always be yourself".

In the touching video, Queen Elsa says: "Hello Samara, it's Elsa, queen of Arandelle. I've heard a little bit about you so I just want to say hi ... I just want to remind you to always be yourself and let it go."

The heart-warming message from Queen Elsa had the effect of restoring Samara's sense of self.

Describing her reaction on seeing the video Ms Muir told local newspaper The Courier: "Her mouth just dropped to the ground. She kept saying over and over, 'She's talking to me'. We were in tears. It was so overwhelming."

Ms Hope, who has worked at Walt Disney World as a lifeguard while studying overseas, said she had hoped Samara would see the video and embrace Queen Elsa's positive message.

"I was upset to hear that someone could be so hurtful to a young child trying to be a child," Ms Hope said.

"She is such a beautiful young girl and no one should ever be judged due to their race, gender or age. Since working at Disney I've seen hundreds of girls and boys of all ages dressing up as their favourite characters and expressing their inner magic. I just hope that the video Queen Elsa sent her restores her faith and magic.

"Disney is about bringing magic to those who need it most," Ms Hope added. "Disney isn't about discrimination it is about believing in your dreams and living in a world where your dreams can come true."

Samara's mother, who wrote about the incident on Facebook, in a blog titled: "Racism is alive & well in the next generation," told NITV the little girl now takes pride in her identity.

"She tells people, if you scratch your skin it won't come off. You have to be proud of who you are and she sure is proud of her culture, and tomorrow she will go back to her dance group to do some dances for NAIDOC."

She added that she hoped Samara's story would give others the strength to stand up to intolerance.

"People needed to be accepted as humans regardless of any diversity whether that be race, disability or any other difference," Ms Muir said.​

Since the incident, the family have received thousands of touching messages from around the world. The Courier ran a front page picture of Samara dressed as Elsa on their cover, while American comedian Nick Cannon and Aboriginal rapper Adam Briggs showed their support for the toddler.

Briggs, an acclaimed singer and activist, has featured the 3-year-old in a new film clip. He said Samara was a "bright, beautiful little girl who can be any princess she wants to be".

And in a fairytale ending befitting a Princess, Disney have asked Samara to make a special appearance in the Disney on Ice show where she will be a real life Queen for the day.