Schoolboy films videos about black heroes after experiencing racist incident

A mum has told of her pride as her eight-year-old son turned an upsetting incident into an opportunity to teach his peers about black heroes.

Laura Parker, of Long Eaton, said her son Corlen has been filming videos about Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela.

The 31 year old told Nottinghamshire Live her son was inspired after he experienced a racist comment which left him hurt and upset.

Laura, who works for a homeless hostel, said: “I told Corlen that there’s nothing wrong with being black.

“His nan bought him a children’s book about historic heroes and he asked if I would record him talking about amazing black people.

Corlen's videos will be shown to his classmates for Black History Month (Laura Parker)

“He said ‘If I go viral, imagine all the people I can educate’. He is very passionate about it, I’m so proud of him.”

The head teacher at Dovedale Primary School, where Corlen is a pupil, said his videos will be used as part of their Black History Month work.

Laura put Corlen’s first video about Rosa Parks on her Facebook page and received more than 100 responses.

She said: “People commented saying it was an amazing thing he was doing. Growing up, I’ve sheltered Corlen from racism but after George Floyd’s death, it sparked something in me and I thought that I should be completely honest with him about what he may experience.

“When he first started school he kept asking me to straighten his hair and change his skin. He realised that he was a minority and I told him that he needs to be proud of his skin.

“The younger we start this education, the better.”

Sarah Houseman, Head Teacher at Dovedale Primary School, said: “We are so proud that Corlen has shown the resilience to see how his actions can be used to have a positive impact and influence on others.

“Education is key in the fight against racism and we are delighted that he has put his energies in to such a positive project.

“At our school respect is a non-negotiable and educating the children as to how this transfers into their interactions with others is really important. We will be using Corlen’s videos as part of our Black History Month work.”