I was glossing over the news today this morning as I usually do with a juicy cheese sarnie,and I was proud to read a young girl named Daisy Blakemore-Creedon, 18, was elected to Peterborough City Council after defeating the sitting Tory councillor Andy Coles in the Fletton & Woodston ward.
I was happy but then admittedly I got clouded by feelings of joy and surprisingly jealousy.
As I’m not ashamed to admit when I won my council election not one British media TV or print carried my win.
After a couple of months my win was supplied to international media, and still no British media or organisation carried it and it made me realise is being a black success a crime in Britain.
My friend Kate told me that if I had a sex tape or drug case I would have had every top journalist banging on my door.
But truthfully why would a young black girl in a inner-city become a politician it didn’t sell,but a white girl doing A-levels is somewhat more significant than my win.
To me it cheapened my worth and win and, today I’ve done self-reflection that maybe I’m not important and never will be in Britain.
If I was in a America I would have been more recognized.
And maybe I’m not a ‘true British’ due to my skin.
I remember my Algerian friend Sara who read about my win in France , and phoned me and said they would never have known as my win wasn’t in any British paper.
Also when I was in uni my white friend Jack told me that he wished to be a Lib Dem politician, when he’s a bit mature, and he too said he found it disturbing that Labour Party didn’t advocate my win as that would have reflected how diverse the party had truly become by selecting me.
And he took it upon himself to put my win on his Facebook and basically promote my win on his wall,maybe out of pity for me who knows,but it was really sweet and I was touched that no matter what race there’s still people in good old Britain that don’t like to see “casual racism”
And most people rang me and wrote on my Facebook wall to say they would never have known I became a councillor, as it wasn’t promoted anywhere.
What I found ironic and almost insulting anytime there was a crime in my ward the same British journalists knew my number, but never mentioned anything about my win.
So again bad news associated with black people is always a crowd-pleaser but any positive is a page turner.
Even people I nominated for positions during my political career I never got a thank you or invite to their inaugural events.
So is it that black success isn’t newsworthy, and black contribution in any political process is deemed inferior.
My win was truly wasted potential, as it would have been the platform to advocate for more black leaders in Britain, and let them know they too can achieve, but you have to believe in your own worth first.
Or is it what you don’t know can’t hurt you.
Maybe the promotion of a black politician would have caused a inflow of more black people in politics and the establishment isnt ready for that.
I belive maybe truly didn’t believe in myself ,as I too would have fought harder for my win to have been recognised.
Its like when your being called ugly everyday you’ll definitely start to believe it.
So maybe there was a period I believed my election win wasn’t anything special ,as it would have been celebrated in Britain.
I feel the black community haven’t reached their true potential in Britain because their is no-one to push us.
What I will say black people in Britain wake up and demand change and become politically active if not inactivity will contribute to us being permanently relegated to the back of the queue.
I know they say slavery is over but why do I still feel Iike the British black community still have padlocks on our mouths to stop us from being truly heard.
