Serendipity

99

Emma's POV

"Emma clap." Elysse says so I do. "Thank you."

"This feels weird." I say as I look past the camera at Jessie and i's friends from Arsenal and Chelsea who are here to be apart of today's video.

It's 2022 now and today I'm filming a video on my experiences with racism.

This video idea came about after there was another racist incident during the mens game between Man City and Man United.

Once we decided to do this video Jessie suggested that it might be a good idea to have our friends here to ask questions.

We're filming in the chill room across the hall from Jessie and I's apartment so everyone is sat on the couches facing me while I'm sat on a couch with my future wife.

"What's weird about it?" Jessie asks.

"Feels like an interrogation." I say. "I know it's not, but just the way everyone is looking at us is weird."

"We're ready Emma." Elysse says.

I nod then I intro the video.

"...so I know what question Jessie's gonna ask because it's been tweeted to us countless times so Jessie if you want to start this off." I say.

"Why'd you walk off the field when you were racially abused?" My future wife asks

I can't even count how many times we've both been tweeted this.

I look over at Hazel and Kingsley, who are being held by my Mom and her wife, then I take a deep breath.

"I walked off the field because I knew the moment I did walk off the field that the racially abuse would stop which meant Hazel and Kingsley wouldn't hear those vile and disgusting words anymore." I say. "I don't want my kids to grow up thinking all white people see them as N-words and lesser than them because I know not all white people are like that so the main reason was that I walked off to protect my kids."

"Are you scared of white people?" Fran Kirby asks.

"No." I say. "I'm cautious of white people."

"Cautious?" Jordan questions.

"Take Water and electricity" I say. "I need water to live and I need electricity to live, but when water and electricity have a negative interaction it can be lethal."

"Is that really how you think?" Pernille asks and I nod. "That's really sad."

"Yeah it is." I mumble.

"I've heard so many white people say they don't see color." Beth says. "Do you think that it's good to see color?"

"You have to see color." I say. "Because if you don't then you, as a white person, won't be able to decipher between a black man who's a threat and a black man that is just black. The same as that a black person won't be able to decipher between a white person that's a racist and white person who's white and may happen to be racially ignorant."

"This is kinda off topic." Someone says. "But do you like being biracial?"

"Given the man my father was and how he treated me I'm still struggling with being half white." I say. "So I'll have to get back to you on that."

"After the murder of George Floyd I asked you what I can do to not be a part of the problem and you said one of the things white people can do is to listen to Black people." Leah says. "What did you mean by that?"

"Just listen to their stories." I say. "Listen to their experiences and their perspectives...If you do that you'll learn a lot...like I bet none of you knew that in 2016 and 2017 I was stopped 322 times for driving while black."