Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
THE world has thrown its support behind a three-year-old Aboriginal girl from Ballarat who was racially vilified at a recent children's Disney event in Melbourne.
Rachel Muir took her daughter Samara, 3, to the event at Watergardens shopping centre in Taylors Lakes last month.
Dressed as Queen Elsa from the animated film Frozen, Samara waited for two hours in line for a children’s snow pit.
But the day ended in tears when Samara was subjected to a spate of racial slurs from a mother and her two daughters waiting in line.
The woman told Samara she couldn't be Queen Elsa because of the colour of her skin.
Her daughter then screwed up her face, pointed at Samara and told her she was "black" and "black is ugly."
Samara hid her face behind her hands and cried.
Since her story appeared in The Courier on June 13, her family has been inundated with letters and social media messages of support including from indigenous rapper Adam Briggs.
After reading Samara's story online, the acclaimed singer and activist contacted the family and invited her to be the star of his new film clip.
Samara will play a young Cathy Freeman in his new music video.
Ms Muir said she had been floored by the amount of love that had flooded in.
Some nights Ms Muir was up until the early hours of the morning sifting through hundreds of Facebook messages sent from strangers around the world.
More than 200 messages have poured in from Mexico, India and the United Kingdom as her plight made tracks around the globe.
"We are very overwhelmed and shocked by the kindness of people.. I didn't think people would care so much," Ms Muir said.
"I can't express how much it has meant to us. I just thought it would be a story people would click past and forget. To know that she has touched so many people … that they see her how I see her, is just incredible.”
Ms Muir said she had read all the messages to her daughter.
"After every message Samara smiles and says "thank-you your majesty," Ms Muir said.
"She is back to her proud, beautiful Aboriginal self."
Letters have also been sent to Samara condemning the hateful attack including one from a mother and her daughters in Western Australia.
The family said they “wanted to tell Samara how beautiful she is.”
In Adelaide, Samara was crowned the Queen Elsa of Australia in Facebook competition after her story was shared with the judges.