IT student and football player
I’ve only had one experience of racism. I was playing football and a bloke made a comment in the heat of the moment. I just clapped him and kept on going. I’ve been fortunate. Other friends have had it a lot worse; one got chased down Eltham High Street by 10 people – that was when the riots were going on.
I was stopped and searched once by police. We were on our way from the community centre to the shops. There was a helicopter circling around and two police cars. They were trying to find two black males and they said we matched their descriptions. It was a nuisance and the person I was with had a problem with it. It was the middle of the day, so you could be embarrassed by people watching you getting searched.
I think the Stephen Lawrence murder made people more aware of different cultures in Eltham; 20 years ago, it was predominantly a white area, but now there’s more cultures here. Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Observer
Secondary school student
People learn from their parents quite strongly, and those who have racist ideas pass them on to their children. Not necessarily in a way that’s like: “We hate black people”, but their tendencies might show in more subtle ways and they learn not to associate with black people. So I think racism is still about but it’s definitely not as much. I’m mixed race, my friends are very diverse – Turkish, Chinese, Asian, black, Greek – so there’s much more to talk about, much more to do. Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Observer
Secondary-school student who wants to run a business
I don’t think racism is still a big issue in this area, really. There is a bit in my school but it’s just people saying stuff. It’s their opinion, they can say what they want to say – it doesn’t really bother me. My friends are from all different cultures: I’ve got one from Japan, one that’s Chinese, one Indian, one is from Orpington. Have they had any problems? Not that I know of. The things we worry about are family and education and what our lives are going to be like when we’re older.
Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Observer
Secondary school student who wants to study business and IT management
This area used to have some problems, but it was ages ago, not in this generation. I’ve had a few encounters with racism but nothing like my father and mother did when they were younger.
Some people say things like: “You’re in my country, this is England and it’s only for white people”, but if they only had white people, what would this country be? It would be boring. You need diversity. Everyone should be treated fairly. If there weren’t Chinese people with their noodles, Asians with their curry – what would you have? That’s what it is all about; that’s what this country is meant to be and should be. Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Observer
Secondary school student who wants to be a nurse
The Stephen Lawrence case is a bad memory in Eltham, but I don’t think people come here and feel afraid.
It’s a lot more multicultural now; more people are accepted. At school, you hear the odd comment, but it’s not a daily thing. The black people in my school usually hang around in a group, but I’ve seen them talking with white people and there’s no real problem, nothing like that. People my age worry about what they’re wearing, how they look, that sort of thing.
Everyone is learning that people are different. I still think there is racism, though. It’s always going to be there, even if people say: “Oh,I’m not racist.” It’s always going to be sitting there.
Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Observer
A-level student who wants to study psychology
I’ve been living in Eltham since I was 12. Before that, I was in Nigeria and until I came here I didn’t know what racism was. Because I wasn’t brought up with racism, I took a different view to others. I think about why people say things. Most of the time, I find that they’re just trying to get me angry – they say hurtful things about your colour. Of course you could say that is racist, but not many people actually believe that some races are superior to others. If someone else was overweight, they’d call them fat.
In secondary school, there was an issue when a policeman came in and his instant reaction towards us was hostile. He was a grown man and he hit us with a baton. We were 13 or 14 at the time. We tried to make a complaint but the police said the cameras in the area weren’t working. I suppose if the police feel threatened, they’ll react in a certain way.
Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Observer
A-level student who wants to be a sports coach
Things have gone in the right direction in the last 20 years.
I didn’t really know about the Stephen Lawrence case until new evidence came out and it was on the news again. I asked my family what it was about. It happened near where I used to live.
The younger generations have taken it into account. You still get racist attitudes in the older generations, but I think in the next couple of generations racism will be pushed out. Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Observer
A-level student, wants to study geology at university
I’ve experienced racism directed at my mum. When they look at me they don’t seem to think that I could have a mum that wasn’t white. But because she looks Indian, people sometimes make offensive comments to her. It would happen in the car sometimes – you’d see people mouthing words. It was only as I got older that I understood what they meant.
But it didn’t make a difference to me. If they wanted to have that narrow-minded opinion, let them have that opinion.
Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Observer
