Rochelle Humes, Ade Adepitan and Gillian Joseph open up about racism in new documentary The Talk
Channel 4 aired The Talk last night (4 August), a hard-hitting documentary featuring a host of well-known Black Britons discussing the racism they’ve experienced throughout their lives, from the overt racial slurs shouted at them as children to the insidious microaggresions that are tragically commonplace.
Some of the celebrities appeared speaking with their own parents, while others were with – or spoke about – their children, as the show focused on the steps Black guardians have to take to ensure children are prepared to deal with racist abuse, often at the cost of their little ones' innocent outlooks.
The show featured accounts from writer Gary Younge, broadcaster Gillian Joseph, TV presenter Ade Adepitan and actor Lennie James.
Evident from the testimonies was the fact that for Black British people, racism affects all aspects of life from a young age – including school.
Ade and Lennie each recalled being told they couldn’t play the trumpet at school, despite showing a willingness to learn the instrument, because their “lips were too big.”
Gillian remembered feeling like she wasn’t beautiful as a schoolgirl, because every time her peers played kiss chase, she would routinely be ostracised.
Musician Tinie Tempah, whose real name is Patrick Okogwu, spoke about his classmates laughing at his Nigerian surname.
Also opening up about their experiences were Rochelle and Marvin Humes, Ashley and Jordan Banjo, and Little Mix’s Leigh-Anne Pinnock.
Each of the celebrities spoke about having had an understanding since childhood that as Black people, they needed to work harder than their white peers to reap even half the rewards.
This messaging was reinforced as they found fame, with Rochelle and Leigh-Anne both being told that as Black members of girl groups, they needed to work especially hard.
Little Mix star Leigh-Anne also recalled racist abuse at school and her attempts to straighten her natural hair as a child, while Rochelle tearfully remembered trying to “scrub her skin off” at the age of seven when she was told she couldn’t attend a friend’s sleepover because she was Black.
Viewers of the documentary took to social media to express that it was both “moving” and “heartbreaking” while also praising the programme for being “inspiring” and “educational”.
The Talk highlights the horrific extent of systemic racism in the UK and we're sure everyone who watches it will be in agreement - there's so much work that needs to be done to eradicate it.
If you missed The Talk, you can catch up now on All4 HERE.
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