Jean Johansson says we 'should be ashamed of the racism that exists in Scotland'
dailyrecord.co.ukHer own teenage memory of racism still makes TV presenter Jean Johansson emotional. But The Place In The Sun and Animal Park star has been reduced to tears hearing the stories of others and what they have had to endure in a Scotland that prides itself on being tolerant.That’s something the bubbly and straight-talking host said she has discovered is simply not true.
Jean said: “After making this documentary, I was shocked and appalled by the racism that exists in this country. “From a little girl too afraid to go to school for fear of abuse to a shopkeeper who employs a white person behind the till to make the community feel more comfortable –we should all be ashamed.“Making the programme has made me realise we have gone backwards and have a long, and perhaps impossible, way to go to fix things.”Working in McDonald’s as a teenager, Jean was branded a black b****** by a vile customer who spat in her face.Shocked and ashamed, she never reported the racist assault to the police nor did she tell her parents for fear of causing them distress.It was the first incident Jean, 40, experienced while growing up as the daughter of a Scottish father and a Ugandan mother in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde – but it wouldn’t be the last.
Racism has followed the TV star throughout her adult life, with prejudiced people attacking her on social media because of the colour of her skin – some even posting swastika and Ku Klux Klan pictures.
Her experiences prompted Jean to make a documentary about the racism faced by black and ethnic minority communities in Scotland – and her findings are going to shock viewers.
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk
