I had no idea that’s the origin of that term! Just makes it even more horrible. In the UK, in less lightened times, people would refer to mixed race people as “coffee-coloured”,so I thought a “mulatto” was a drink (I knew it was an insult too, never used it).

I had a similar experience with my parents when I asked what the n-word meant. It was completely innocent, I literally had no idea. My parents smacked me and sent me to my room, but they never explained why — I always thought that wasn’t the best way to handle it. Maybe they thought I was too young to be introduced to the concept of racism.