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
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.
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
@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
@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
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