This morning I popped into my local Whetherspoons pub for breakfast. As I sat tucking into my fry up the words of a fellow customer reached me.
“I don’t go into Croydon because of the blacks”.
The man then proceeded to regail his fellow patrons with his views on race relations which where reminiscent of those expounded by the late Enoch Powell in his “Rivers Of Blood” speech delivered on 20 April 1968, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/3643823/Enoch-Powells-Rivers-of-Blood-speech.html. The speech derived it’s title from Powell’s statement
“As I look ahead, I am filled with foreboding; like
the Roman, I seem to see “the River Tiber foaming with much blood.”
I am white and my first girlfriend was of West Indian origin but born in the UK which makes her as British as I am. It is not the colour of a person’s skin but what lies within which renders them human. The colour of one’s skin is a mere accident of birth and to imply (as my fellow pub goer did) that an entire section of the population ought to be avoided due to the colour of their skin is monstrous. I was sorely tempted to walk across and express my displeasure to the speaker, however this would have served no purpose other than making me feel better and could have resulted in a blazing argument. Such an argument would have benefited no one so I held my tongue.
One of the strengths of the area in which I live is that people of many races live together in harmony. People are just that, people. Skin colour is surface deep, it is the heart which beats within that matters.
K Morris - Poet 
This is one of my fave posts of yours. I look totally mixed race and as a kid growing up in a racist area I’d get the most awful abuse (being to young to understand why) from grown men following me down the street… Anyway, now I live in a totally mixed area where people have all manner of skin tonnes and no one cares. You’re right not to bother giving someone like that the attention they’re obviously seeking.
Thanks for your comment and for favouriting my post on Twitter. I am so sorry that you experienced racial abuse as a child. One would hope that grown men would know better than to racially abuse people and those who behaved in that manner should hang their heads in shame. Being blind I experienced name calling as a child so I have some idea of how you must have felt. There are positive signs now including the growth in mixed relationships. Love and friendship are, ultimately stronger than bigotry and hatred. Kevin
I couldn’t agree more mate x
Love defiantly trumps hate oh I meant definitely but that was a rather apt slip of the auto-correct ;0)
I agree. Differences in culture should be celebrated, not put down. I live in a cosmopolitan area and I feel very lucky since I have the opportunity to learn more about different people’s cultures, no matter what their skin color may be.
Many thanks for your comment. I also greatly enjoy the opportunity to interact with diverse cultures and relish the delicious foods on offer in Crystal Palace ranging from Chinese to Indian. Also many non-white people are fully integrgrated into British society and regard themselves (rightly) as British.
This is something I found really surprising in the UK as well. My bfs brother is marrying a Zambian but she has lived in England ever since she was a kid. In my eyes, she was just as British as the rest of them but the colour of her skin made her a ‘foreigner’. It shouldn’t, like you said, really matter at all!
Thanks Anju. You are absolutely right, it is the person inside and not the colour of their skin which matters. Kevin
The ignorance of some people never ceases to amaze me. It’s bad enough for me when they have to play it up in a movie and I don’t think the media help with matters either to be honest…I think people need to learn to move on. I lived with a Mexican woman for five years in the states and whenever we went out for a meal or something, there would always be the one person who would give us “the look.” I think it’s completely disgusting and uncalled for. So yeah, I completely understand where you are coming from.
Cheers for your comment Kev. When I was dating my first girlfriend who was of West Indian origin but born in the UK, we received funny looks when visiting rural parts of Cornwall and Devon. Some of this may have been curiosity as at that time (and, possibly still) few ethnic minorities resided in those places. However it was extremely ofputting and I hope this kind of prejudice soon becomes a thing of the past.
I hear ya! 🙂 I’m starting a memoir and will probably be hitting on the subject of prejudice, especially when I recall my relationship with Ana who is the Mexican I used to live with. Love your blog Kev. 🙂
Thanks Kev. I look forward to reading your memoir. All the best. PS; perhaps I will write my own one day!
Why not get started now? 🙂
You are right. Why put off until tomorrow that which you can start today! II have so many ideas for books. I need to concentrate on one to the exclusion of all others, finished that and then move on to the next. The problem is with which story (or my memor) should I start!