To many in this country, incidents of racism are sadly, nothing new.
Now, popstar and Loose Women presenter Jamelia has shared her horrific experience at the hands of a policeman
.
The incident happened on Monday. Jamelia was running late. She says she was driving to the train station with her kids. She cut someone off. As we said, she was running late.
When she parked, she says realised that the person she had cut off had followed her. He got out of his car shouting at her. 'Is there something wrong with you you stupid b!tch, you should have waited!!' He said. Jamelia says she apologised but that didn't stop the man. 'You lot make me f*cking sick.'
She says he continued and then, when she asked him not to swear in fron of her children he said 'Oh f*ck off you stupid black b!tch, you lot are sickening.' She says he then made moves to come towards her. Jamelia grabbed her children and ran to the train station.
According to her, the man was a police officer.
Jamelia wrote that despite 'many' negative experiences with police, she's always tried to steer away from tainting her daughters' view of policemen. 'I've always wanted my girls to trust and respect the police,' She says. '[I want them] to have confidence that they are there for their protection.'
She goes on to say that police need to realise the profiling works both ways. 'What you display is what you potentially become in the eyes of a child.' She says her daughters were 'disgusted' with the officers behaviour. And she 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.'
In a week that's seen racism top the news, it's worth remembering that for people of colour, unprompted abuse from people can be an every day thing. Between 2013-2014, the Institute of Race Relations reportsthat there were 47, 571 'racist indicents' recorded. That's 130 a day. The following year 52, 528 hate crimes were recorded.
And, if the
are anything to go by, that number's only set to rise. Jamelia's advice? If you see something, report it. 'I URGE you, if you are victim to anything like this, REPORT it!' She says. 'This is 2016, NO-ONE deserves to endure racism on any level. We have voices, we have rights and we deserve to feel safe wherever we are in this country.'
You might also be interested in:
The Legacy of Brexit Has Made People of Colour Feel Unwelcome In Their Own Country
'Why My Hair Is Both A Personal And Political Statement in 2016'
Follow Jess on Twitter @Jess_Commons
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.