Jsky: My mum was spat at but she taught me to forgive
THE day before #BlackOutTuesday, Manchester reality TV star Jsky posted a photo on social media of his mother who had moved to the UK at the age of six from Jamaica.
As outrage spread across the world over the death of George Floyd in America, Jsky decided to share the childhood snap of his mum Neva – along with some powerful words about the woman who raised him to hold love and forgiveness in his heart.
He said: “My mum came to this country by herself at the age of six. Growing up, she was spat at and faced verbal and physical abuse.
“If you knew her story you would wonder how she can be so forgiving and loving.”
Jsky, 33, says growing up in Whitefield, where his family moved to from Old Trafford when he as three, was a tough experience.
He said people would cross the road to avoid him.
He said: “I started crossing over first to make it less awkward for people because I didn’t want people to feel bad. Same with going into shops. Even to this day I’m conscious about being followed or accused of stealing.
“We were the only black people in Whitefield and we were being followed a lot by police.
“People threw rubbish onto our drive but my mum was always there to make up with them. We were pioneers in Whitefield and we were teaching them to love black people. It was a learning curve in many ways.”
The Naked Beach star and singer says he has been targeted by the police, even though he’s never been in trouble – recalling an incident in Piccadilly Gardens six years ago.
He said: “There were a few policeman that were pulling a lot of Asian men to the side and searching them.
“I was walking through Piccadilly from a photoshoot at the time and I had a suitcase full of my outfits.
“One policeman saw me and pushed the police dog in my direction. Next thing they have me on the floor shouting at me if I had drugs or anything I’m not supposed to have on me. It was terrifying.
“I was lucky though because another policeman saw how scared and upset I was and what was going on. He told me quite discreetly to get out of here. Part of me thought ‘do I get the name and badge of the officers?’ but I didn’t want to push my luck.”
Speaking of the importance of the recent Black Lives Matter protests, he added: “For years we have tried to cope but things have come to a boiling point and now people feel empowered. It’s bigger than racism, it’s human rights and we’re being supported.”