An 11-year-old boy left viewers heartbroken on The School That Tried To End Racism as he revealed a policeman had racially profiled him in an Asda.
Bright, who was taking part in the Channel 4 experiment, was learning with his classmates about stereotypes and racism when he opened up about his own experiences.
He told the cameras: ‘I felt like there’s so many stereotypes around black people – like we can be dangerous, and sometimes, something that’s happened once or twice that everyone’s seen, they start saying it, other people hear it, next thing you know everyone’s saying it so it becomes a stereotype, and it’s annoying.
‘Because there’s so many limitations about what we can and can’t do, so it’s more annoying when people start assuming stuff about us.’
Speaking to his mum about why people put stereotypes against black people, she argued that in a lot of crime shows and dramas, the black people are the bad guys.
Not accepting that explanation, Bright said: ‘Whenever you go into a shop you feel like, “oh hopefully I don’t get stopped today”, and it just gets to you.’
‘One time I was in Asda and a policeman says “young man can I see your bag please” and I’m saying “why”,’ he then explained.
‘He says “because if you’ve taken something, then you get in trouble.” And I kept persisting, I hadn’t taken anything, I hadn’t taken anything.
‘He opened up my bag and he went through it and there was nothing there. And then he was like okay and I started chatting to him, saying “Why did you only stop me but you didn’t stop that boy going through?”
‘He said, “I know how young black people like you act”. Really?! I wasn’t happy with that.’
His mum then defended the policeman, and said he was only being cornered because ‘it had happened before’ and that was why he was being targeted.
At the end of the episode, and the end of the experiment, Bright told the cameras: ‘The UK will never stop being racist, but we can still try.’
Viewers were devastated that an 11-year-old was wary of entering shops as a result of profiling, and praised him for speaking out.
Glenthorn High School took part in a three-week experiment about unconscious bias in a bid to see if racism can be stamped out at a younger age.
In tonight’s second half of the special series – originally titled The Segregation Experiment – the school were given lessons in what white privilege is, and how that effects them on a day-to-day basis.
It also spoke to the children on their own experiences of race and their fears as a result of race, including one girl who admitted she didn’t want to wear a headscarf within the school walls for fear of being bullied.
Other students of Asian descent also spoke out about being considered ‘other’ in the debate black and white, and they felt they weren’t accurately represented in a ‘black and minority ethnic [BAME]’ category.
At the end of the episode, it was revealed the education given the classes broke down their original perception and subconscious racism.
The School That Tried To End Racism is available now on Channel 4 On Demand.
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