My name is Kadeem Yarde, I am a mixed race black man living in the UK. Even though I am mixed black, white and asian, all people see is black! It doesn’t matter that some of my family are white, because society will never see me that way. I’m proud of who I am and what I look like! I am proud to be black. The reason I am proud to be black, is because my skin reminds me of where I come from, my families history. I remember all the hurt and pain they must have felt, and I carry their courage and bravery. Something that nobody can ever take away from me!
Growing up in the UK, North Devon especially where it is a predominantly white area was not the easiest. My family have experienced so much racism over the years, but that has just made me into the person I am today. I will always defend myself and those that need it because the discrimination we face is not acceptable whatsoever.
When I was younger, my family and I received many death threats posted through our door, constant abuse from neighbours and voicemails left on our phone due to being black. My mum stood her ground and refused to be threatened by this! Eventually all the neighbours moved away from us and 20 years later here I am still living in that same house.
Black people come in all different shades, some are white passing, others aren’t. This doesn’t mean anyone is less black than the other. Everyone has their own experience with racism, and having to come to terms with the fact that we will be treated differently, and even though our experiences differ, the pain felt is universal.
This time last week I came off of all social media because I needed time to process everything that is going on right now. I’m glad I gave myself that time, as I am back stronger than ever. I was able to speak at the protest in Barnstaple, which was aired on BBC One, I went to Bristol’s protest and witnessed the Edward Colston statue be pulled down. Watching this filled me with so much joy I can’t even begin to describe it. I also spoke on BBC Radio Devon talking about the protest in Barnstaple and why this movement is so important!
I recently interviewed a number of people at the Black Lives Matter protest in Devon, I did it to highlight the racism people have faced living in North Devon to show that just because you may not see it, doesn’t mean it is not there! These stories have also been uploaded to Stozzys, search ‘Racism In North Devon’ to find them.
I’m no longer fighting for me, I am doing this so that my nieces and nephews do not have to experience anything that I, or the other protestors in Barnstaple, had to endure! Times are improving massively, but there is still much more work to be done!
Racism is not just an American problem, it is a worldwide issue that even effects us here down in North Devon. It was just a handful of people I was able to photograph and speak to at the Barnstaple protest, but there are many more stories to be told.
There are many shades of black, and each one is beautiful.
Kadeem Yarde is a Makeup Influencer and Model – his online journey started on YouTube, creating beauty videos to educate others on how to improve their skills. From there he moved onto Instagram to further showcase his work and begin modelling. To view his Instagram search ‘kadeemyarde’.
The URL to this original blog post is: https://www.kadeemyarde.com/post/racism-in-north-devon