The future is truly in the hands of our children. Babies born today have the power to shape tomorrow, but that change doesn't happen overnight. One mother, though, believed her twin girls would change the world the day they were born.
You might think her judgment was somewhat clouded by motherly pride, but she knew the moment she looked into their eyes that they were different. Now, she wants the entire world to see her children and hear their story...
While we all want our kids to have an impact on the world around them, let's face it: it's a big planet. A baby is more likely to change his or her own diaper before they change the world. Still, Whitney Meyer of Quincy, Illinois, had reason to have high hopes for her children...
Whitney was just 17 when she gave birth to her first son, Talan, in 2009. Three years later, Pravyn was born. She dedicated herself to their new family, but tragedy soon struck them.
In 2014, Pravyn accidentally drowned in the babysitter's pool. Whitney was distraught. When she learned that she was pregnant with twins a year later, however, she knew she needed to remain strong and happy for her family.
Whitney's pregnancy with twin girls helped her overcome her heartbreak. While they could never replace Pravyn, the twins brought some hope to the grieving mother. They also represented something else—something that was potentially world-changing.
On April 23, 2016, Whitney gave birth to twins Kalani and Jarani, and she and her boyfriend, Thomas Dean, noticed two things. First, Jarani looked exactly "like her brother did. They're identical. When I look at pictures of J," Whitney told US Weekly, "I see Pravyn." That wasn't the only surprise, though...
While Jarani clearly inherited Thomas's darker features, Kalani was born with her mother's light complexion and blue eyes. Thomas and Whitney were "totally surprised" by what they saw. It was incredibly rare for twins to be born this way!
The difference in skin color between fraternal twins is rare. About one in every 500 pairs of twins produced by parents of different races can expect different skin colors. This phenomenon is quite unusual!
"When you flip a coin eight times, sometimes it’s going to be heads all eight times," said medical geneticist Dr. Bryce Mendelsohn. "And it's kind of like that when you have a bunch of genes." Unsurprisingly, Whitney and Thomas had lotsof questions.
"I asked the doctor why Kalani's skin was so white," Whitney admitted. "I couldn't figure out why she looked so different from her sister." At first, she thought Kalani might be albino. Thomas echoed her confusion. How did he produce a blue-eyed baby?
Thomas told Today, "I was like, 'Yeah, she's a little light,' but I thought maybe babies are that way when they’re first born. But then... her sister came out a little darker. In a million years, I never thought I'd have a girl with blue eyes." And they weren't the only ones who were shocked...
When Whitney brought her babies outside, no one believed they were twins. "When we go out in public," she said, "people will start looking at them because I dress them identical and I can tell they’re confused."
Everyone's confusion actually provoked a response from Whitney's oldest child, Talan. It was this response that Whitney hoped would inspire the world—and change it for the better...
Whitney had brought the twins to the doctor's office—likely for a standard checkup—along with Talan. Then the doctor made an observation: "Oh, they're twins?" According to Whitney, the doctor remarked, "One's darker than the other." So Talan spoke up.
After the doctor's comments, the eight-year-old boy said, "Well we don't worry about color in our family." The response warmed Whitney's heart. "He doesn’t see any difference in the girls," she said proudly.
Whitney wants Talan's perspective to transcend her family. "People in this country could learn a lot from my son," she said. "He's so innocent, he doesn't understand racial tensions because to him it doesn’t matter, as it shouldn’t matter to anyone else."
Can two twin babies really make that big of an impact on the world, though? "You can't look at one and not love them both," Whitney told Today. "They're the same girl, just different colors." And that was something both parents felt the world should know.
Whitney and Thomas felt they had a responsibility to share their children with the world. "We felt we were given these two beautiful children for a positive purposeto initiate conversation on race in America," Whitney said to Today. But did it work?
In trying to raise awareness about racial similarities, Whitney shared pictures of Kalani and Jarani online. "You get some people who will say some [bad] stuff," she said, "but mostly everybody loves their uniqueness. I hope I can bring different people together."
Despite their different personalities—Kalani was energetic and wild while Jarani just wanted to snuggle—Whitney preached the idea of togetherness. Perhaps nothing demonstrated that message better than the twins' first birthday cake!
The girls' cake was elaborate and beautiful; a splendid castle topped with two princess figurines. Like Kalani and Jarani, the princesses had two different complexions. The twins were all smiles on their day...
Those smiles said everything Whitney wanted. "I just really wanted to let people know that there is nothing but love in this family," she said. And one look at their family photo made that apparent!
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