On Monday morning British popstar Jamelia shared a shocking account of racism at the hands of a police officer while taking her young children to school. The shocking post, has at the time of writing received over 1,050 shares on Facebook, with many expressing their disgust at the incident.
Incidents of racial abuse are said to be increasing in the wake of last weeks BREXIT vote concerning Britain’s membership of the EU. Read Jamelia’s original post below:
So, This morning I did a bad thing, I overtook someone as I was driving to the train station. I was running late, and in a rush. Not an excuse, it wasn’t the right thing to do. I parked up and as my girls and I got out of the car, I noticed the person had followed us, and was shouting “Is there something wrong with you you stupid b!tch, you should have waited!!” I replied, “I know, I’m so sorry, i was rushing for the train, my apologies” he then retorted “you lot make me f*cking sick” I said “can you please not swear in front of my children” he replied “Oh f*ck off you stupid black b!tch, you lot are sickening” I replied, “OK, goodbye” He then opened his car door in a rage and said “come here and say that to my face!” and as he stepped out, his car started rolling, Thank God. Scared, I grabbed my girls, and more or less ran toward the station & didn’t look back. Now, as upset as I am about this interaction, I am mostly disappointed because this man was a
POLICE OFFICER.
Despite my many negative experiences with the police, I have always made a conscious effort to not taint my daughters’ view of them. I’ve always wanted my girls to trust & respect the police, and have confidence that they are there for their protection. But I think the police should realise that profiling works both ways, what you display is what you potentially become in the eyes of a child. How can you expect black children to have faith in the you if they witness their parents being mistreated like this? It is not Ok. My daughters were disgusted with the officer’s behaviour, my youngest described him as a “disgrace to his uniform” and my eldest asked “Shouldn’t self-control be the foundation of police training?” and it was then that I felt at ease, knowing that thankfully, my girls judged the individual & not the police force as a whole. I will continue raising my girls the way I do, with tolerance, understanding & empathy in ALL situations. These are the foundations of real greatness. I will also teach them that the use of “black” as a slur is absolutely ridiculous. Because being black is one of our most wonderful blessings, and only haters choose to see it as a curse.
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