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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Tell me your childhood memories of being Black in the UK

12 replies

Prayingforchange · 07/06/2020 01:27

The number of people who still don't understand racism beyond racial abuse on MN is shocking. The structural racism of the UK definitely had a huge effect on my self esteem growing up and everyday I pray that my children will have it better.

Here are just some of the examples that have stuck in my head from the last 25 years

When I was about 11 I was dragged by my arms and legs by 2 police officers for walking through an already opened barrier to get to the station. There were at least 30 people who had gone before me and I remember being so confused as to why they had done it. I missed my train and had to walk over an hour home in the dark

I remember colouring in the man on a Father's Day card because I couldn't find any with a black man.

A boy from a few houses down shouting n**er at me while I was on my way to school

My dad brought me a black Barbie (who I was SO proud of) and when I took it to school to play dolls everyone laughed and she wasn't allowed to be in the fashion show because she was ugly.

On my first day of school another child told me that I had to sit next to the only other black boy in my class because we were both "dark".

I was accused of stealing toys from the toy box at school. Absolutely no evidence it was me (as it wasn't) and they even called my mum to tell her. I remember thinking to myself that maybe I had taken something by accident as they were so convinced it was me. There was no apology when they found the actual thief.

OP posts:
SandyY2K · 07/06/2020 03:27

I had a teacher take my break time snack (aged 5) and give to a white boy in my class who claimed it was his. I told her it was mine, but she didn't believe me...I was the only black child in the class.

His mum then came into school with his identical forgotten snack.

Then... a comment in the street saying "do we have n*rs round here as well."

I remember a girl at school who thought kicking me and whispering the N word during lessons when the teacher couldnt see was smart...I was her target being the only black girl in the class.... having warned her to stop she carried on. I told the teacher who meekly told her to stop...she didn't stop and when the bell went and we were on the way to the next lesson I gave her a hard slap and she realised not to do that again.

A really awful one my brother experienced at school by the headteacher...my brother got into a fight after being called the N word and said it happened repeatedly. The other boy reported him and I spectacular style the HT told my said to DB "I can't get rid of everyone who calls you a N." Not that he'd got rid of anyone..he basically told DB there's nothing he could do.

The N word (n*ers out) would be written on the board after break times, with everyone denying it was them. The teachers really didn't do more than ask who did it in DBs school.

My experience wasn't anything near as bad as my brothers, which is why he isn't particularly trusting of white people now.

The kids at school tried to set up traps to beat him up in groups (because he could take on 2 or 3 on his own if necessary)... Luckily a couple of white kids who weren't part of it would tip him off and he took a different route home on those days.

Mimishimi · 07/06/2020 03:34

I am not black, I am Irish descent but I have had some people tell me awful opinions about black people in an underhanded way not knowing that a significant portion of my family have Australian Aboriginal and Caribbean heritage. That said, it's a minority and they are usually pretty well off too... not under any 'threat' whatsoever. I don't understand it.

I know they think the same about the Irish honestly.

WOBNIARM · 07/06/2020 08:17

I remember being white and being abused by black people around me, because they didn't understand why I was different.

Oh, wait... I see where I've got confused.

VashtaNerada · 07/06/2020 08:21

This thread is important. I once wrote a similar list for DH because he didn’t understand male privilege. As a white person I’m really interested to read these. I know white privilege exists but I’m so rarely aware of exactly what this means.

gingerbreadslice · 07/06/2020 08:31

I'm white but my husband is black just a few I can think of from when we've been out and about.
If we go clubbing white guys always ask my partner if he's selling sniff or can sort him out Confused.
We've been followed around Debenhams numerous times at Christmas when we buy perfumes or whatever.

Our children are quite light and we've been asked is he the dad of all of them as he's so much darkerShock.

Another time a lady said is this your step dad? To our daughter as she didn't have "his nose" so rude.

One of the latest things is a woman in our street runs when she sees him because he's a key worker and she's scared, but doesn't do it to her white friend who she's always with who's also a key worker.

gingerbreadslice · 07/06/2020 08:32

Can remember when I was young also asking for my friends to come round and my mum saying I don't want all your black mates in. She's changed now but it still pisses me off.

SimonJT · 07/06/2020 08:59

I’m Asian, so a slightly more acceptable shade of brown, I don’t have typically Asian features (such as the nose), so when I don’t have a tan I simply look Italian/Spanish and get treated like a caucasian person.

At primary school I was regularly called Paki, darkie etc, all words that a child would have to be taught by their parents, not things like brown or even dirty that a child may observe. In year 5 so when I was 9/10 a song was going round the playground that song went like this “Hey Pakistani does your granny have a fanny? Does it smell? (Make a sniffing sound) Fucking Hell”. This would be sung at me, in full hearing of teachers and dinner ladies, not a single one ever said anything and no one was punished. I did tell a teacher what had happened and I was told off for being silly because songs are fun.

My siblings and I were the only non-white children at our school. Staff would become angry if we shared our food with our friends as it was apparently Indian stuff and you don’t want to touch that. I’m still not entirely sure what makes a packet of pom bears indian 🤷🏽‍♂️

It was a fairly small primary school so PE was sometimes done as a keystage, when my brother and I were in the same keystage we would be split between the two teams because the teacher who led PE thought it was only fair that “both teams have to have one”.

I was very rarely represented in story books or textbooks, then when I hit year six our examplar papers for SATs would sometimes have people with Asian names in (but only maths problems obviously Hmm), my year 6 teacher would go to great lengths to pronounce these in absurd ways while the rest of the class stared at me. Even my friends, after all it is hard for a small child to go against authority.

I couldn’t go to most of my friends houses because they had racist parents, if a friend came to our house their parents would always ask several times if they would be made to eat curry.

Secondary school was harder, you’re much more aware. Again, a very white school, but alongside us there were two Chinese children.

Racism was much more direct here, students would call me the N word, make monkey sounds, throw bananas at me, call me a terrorist, shout 9/11 at me. It was an everyday thing. But at secondary there were at least some teachers who tried, my PE and science teachers were really nice.

In English we were studying a peom in year 9 called The Little Black Boy by Blake, guess who was forced to read it out aloud in class and then sit through two lessons of people giving examples as to why white people are better with the teacher nodding in agreement.

There was a spate of vandalism in the toilets, school used to deal with this by taking me and the Chinese boy aside and teaching us how to use a Western toilet.

If something went missing in class the teacher would do bag searches. There was one teacher in particular who taught history. If something went missing he would search by bag and upon not finding the missing item he would declare that the person must have left it elsewhere. In a class of 29 white children very few will actually be racist, but they were being taught by a trusted authority figure that people who aren’t white are thieves.

I’m a rugby player, now rugby isn’t as bad for racism as football. But I would be called a monkey or have players (or sometimes parents watching) make money noises. My PE teacher was very good, if he witnessed it happening he would always have the game halted and announce why. Because of him I had to confidence to go on and play rugby professionally and I still do. I learned later as an adult that he was punished by the school for speaking out about racism.

Outside of school was hard, when your brown or black and male you’re criminalised from a very young age, I would be asked to wait outside shops, my friends wouldn’t, I would be refused entry into the cinema, my friends wouldn’t. I was a teen just before mobile phones became hugely popular (I’m 32). We sometimes met up in town on a Saturday, we would agree a place and a time. I soon learned to turn up a bit late so at least one friend was already there, if I waited alone I would be moved along by the shopping centre security, a white friend waiting alone was never moved along.

Stop and search has been a normal part of my life since the age of 15.

Everyone has unconscious bias, including me. But that is completely different to racism, racism, like sexism or homophobia is an active choice.

Prayingforchange · 07/06/2020 09:58

@WOBNIARM sorry to hear about your experiences. I'm not sure why you would be confused though, the thread title is very clear. I hope you read the rest of the responses...

OP posts:
WOBNIARM · 07/06/2020 22:07

@SimonJT

"My PE teacher was very good, if he witnessed it happening he would always have the game halted and announce why. Because of him I had to confidence to go on and play rugby professionally and I still do. I learned later as an adult that he was punished by the school for speaking out about racism."

THAT, is a man, that you were very lucky to have teaching you and I for one am proud of him and as a result proud of you for continuing his legacy by telling your experiences.

You go, Glen Coco!

amijustparanoidorjuststoned · 07/06/2020 22:35

@Prayingforchange, @WOBINARM was being sarcastic and mocking the white privilege culture. At least I hope she was.

I have nothing to add but I am reading these comments, learning and listening. I am just so sorry to hear about these experiences.

Prayingforchange · 08/06/2020 13:06

Grin so used to the negative comments on here I assumed the worst

OP posts:
GreytExpectations · 08/06/2020 13:16

Op, I think this is a great thread and it is very much needed on Mumsnet. Because sadly this site has a lot of ignorance, deniel and down right racism. Hopefully some of those posters will read this thread and stop saying racism doesn't exist in the UK.

I'm Asian so can't relate to the same things but I've definitely experienced racism and been called paki a decent amount of times in my life. I've also been accused of being a terrorist post 9/11 but right now the focus is on black lives so I won't take away from that.

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