Mama and Race

I reviewed the readings before I saw the movie and I was drawn to the passage that states Mama soothes all of the children in the hospital ward (even the one Black child). I found that interesting as a question of ethnicity and race in "I Remember Mama." When I saw the clip in the film, the first thought that entered my mind was a question of whether or not the children would be in segregated wards (at the time - 1910, or at the time of the filming). The presence of a African-American child plays to the question of race and ethnicity that I think is not as present in the film (as in the stories and play). When Dagmar says that she would like to grow up to be a "black" Norwegian like Uncle Chris, Papa says that he wouldn't mind having one "colored" child. If I remember correctly, this line is omitted from the film, but present in the play. What does this say to the question of ethnic differences of the Norwegian immigrants and other minority groups in the US?