UK racism
This is appalling but not surprising, and I wonder how many more palace guests have been interrogated in this way but didn't feel able to speak out about it? https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/30/buckingham-palace-aide-resigns-black-guest-traumatised-by-repeated-questioning
UK racism
And to those people saying "She was only making conversation, people like talking about their heritage" - yes, people whose heritage isn't used to question or deny their rights to be in a space, whether that's a country or a prestigious function, like talking about their heritage. People don't like being repeatedly questioned about something that is none of the other person's business in a way that makes them feel unwelcome. It's not rocket science
UK racism
The way #MicroAgressions work is that while each individual instance may be minor (although the context in which this conversation doesn't make it minor, at an official function meant to honour her work), I bet Ngozi Fulani has had to deal with these same kinds of things quite literally thousands of time before
UK racism
I still remember at the beginning of my Masters course, when I didn't know the other students very well yet, and I got in late because the trains weren't working properly and asked another student, who was Black and who I met at the station at the same time, where she'd come from. And her face just fell and she started explaining about her family being from Nigeria.
UK racism
The point isn't my intentions, the point is that you don't ask people whose heritage might be used to other them or might be weaponised against them where they're from because whatever your intentions might be hundred of other people will have asked the same question with malicious intentions and they have no way of knowing which is which.
UK racism
I know this, and I'm honestly much better at interacting with computers and insects and plants than I am with people. Someone whose job it is to be diplomatic at official functions has no excuse not to know it.
UK racism
"What I’ve learned is that the “bad apple” narrative is potent not only because it masquerades as taking responsibility without the institution having to do any such thing, but also because it often helps drive a backlash against the “woke brigade” for cancelling yet another innocent. I see that “She’s 83” is now trending on Twitter, imploring us to leave this nice old lady alone..."
Update from Mandu Reid:
UK racism
@afewbugs
as with most things, context is everything.
"Where've you come from?"
awkward moment.... "ahh... my dad's from Nigeria ¿? " is easily corrected with "oh god no I meant which station."
And I often discuss culture and heritage with Black and Asian friends - they often bring up the subject since they're interested that I speak Welsh.
1/1
UK racism
@afewbugs 2/2
I have non white friends who disagree about what's acceptable o'r not- one young man with Jamaican/British mixed ethnicities even calls himself "coloured" on purpose.
But It's crazy that the Palace could employ someone that racist and ignorant. "reading the room" is ability number one for a job like that.
UK racism
@cris obviously it's different with friends who bring it up themselves (and in fact the other student and I did did become friends later in the year and talked about it) but I have found that a good rule of thumb as a white person is never ask a person of colour first. And yes absolutely someone in the Palace should know this, and I really hope other staff there are at the very least getting some training
UK racism
@cris but I think it's not so much about immediately correcting (which I did, but with a bit more panicked flailing than the suggestion!) because it's not really about reassuring the person that you're not racist, it's about reducing the mental load on them by not doing it in the first place, if that makes sense
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UK racism
I had meant the question to mean "which station did you get on at?" But the fact that my intentions genuinely weren't racist is irrelevant here, she'd had that question from so many white people before and here was another one apparently demanding she prove her right to be here and after a difficult and exhausting journey to boot.