Ann Murphy,
England
I worked in a fabric store in A predominantly white, middle class city in Southern England. I myself am white Irish and have experienced racism here too. But while working, serving customers, a person of colour might come to my desk and ask my opinion on what colour might suit her project best. I was so conscious of the fact that I was serving a black woman and that colour was an issue, that I was afraid to suggest the colour ‘black’. It was no longer simply a colour but now had layers of meaning superimposed onto it.
This happened every time I found myself in that situation. Eventually I couldn’t mention black or white in case the customer took offence.
Thankfully, I overcame it! It was all my ‘stuff’ anyway. To them it was simply a colour. Nothing more!
