Leigh-Anne Pinnock rose to fame as a member of pop superstars Little Mix. In the BBC Three documentary Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power, she explores issues around race and skin colour in Britain.
In this short film, Leigh-Anne and her family talk about their experiences of racism and their different approaches to discussing race with their children.
Leigh-Anne – “So, I'm really close to my family - they’re like my rock. My mum is half-English and half-Bajan and my dad is half-English - half-Jamaican - we have my sisters Sian and Sairah and then I have my gorgeous fiancé Andre. Yeah – just sayin’”
“So, do you feel like as a parent like what's the age to teach your child about their race?”
Sairah – “As soon as they can speak, we think.”
Sian – “Yeah - I think it’s a sensitive subject. I feel like…”
Sairah – “We have different opinions… yeah you go first…’
Sian - “Yeah we have…me and Sairah we’re both parents and our kids are amazing, but our opinions are very different, see I'm of the opinion that I don't want my children to grow up and constantly have their life determined by colour - I don’t want them to see colour - and that doesn't mean I don't want them to learn about race, because they one hundred percent need to learn about their race and their roots and their culture, where they come from. One thing especially having Faith, I don't want her to every time she steps out that door - think that something’s going to happen to her because she's black.”
Sairah – “It's very important that we do have these conversations and I've always educated Kailum on things and I've always felt it's important for me to do it, because I don't want Kailum to ever not love himself and I do it so he loves himself. We obviously have grown up both being identified as mixed race, whereas we’re both raising children that are both seen as black. Obviously with these conversations about Faith, it's almost like we can't understand how she would feel because we are light skinned yeah, and it goes back to that idea of this being ‘what she should want’ not what she has… It's almost seen as a thing that should be more desired and that's so wrong. In my opinion I don't want someone to turn around and say to Kailum 'I don't see colour' because if you don't see colour you don't see him. I want you to identify Kailum as being a young black boy.”
Sian – “So have you, like have you guys ever been stopped and searched?”
Andre – “Yeah I did - loads when I was young…Not so much now.”
Sairah – “But we got stopped the other day…yeah I was really scared.”
Leigh-Anne – “I always feel scared when I see the police – that’s not alright is it?”
Sairah – “But then, there is a lot of injustice to black men and black women. I'm raising him to be such a successful young black man, I would hate for anyone to walk past him and have an idea of him being some sort of thug or criminal and I feel that the difference that black men face that white men will not face is, we are seen as suspects before anything else…”
Leigh-Anne – “It's almost like you cannot ignore this now, like you have to have those awkward conversations, you have to address this. I think because both my parents have had experiences - I think as much as they never told us that our race would hold us back - I feel like there was always a sense of, like, you should be proud of who you are, and I've always felt that. As much as this whole experience has affected me, being in the group and encountering racism, I've still been proud to be who I am.”
"You cannot ignore this now. You have to have those awkward conversations. You have to address this." – Leigh-Anne Pinnock
You can watch the documentary Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop and Power on BBC iPlayer. Please note there is some strong language in the programme, some discriminatory language and content some viewers may find offensive.
If you have been a victim of racism, BBC Action Line has links to organisations who may be able to help.
Parents' Toolkit
Fun activities, real-life stories, wellbeing support and loads of helpful advice - we're here for you and your child.
The Adanna and David Family: the books we use to talk about racism to our children
Adanna and David explain how they use books to talk to their boys about race and diversity.
How to manage your child’s online world without clashing
Children and teens spend lots of time online for school and leisure, which can be a worry for parents. Here's some advice on managing your child’s screen time.
Five tips for helping your kids to eat healthily all year round
Healthy eating hacks for parents from dietitian Priya Tew.
Tom Daley: Illegal to be Me - when your children have questions about LGBTQ+
How parents can talk to their children about LGBTQ+ if they have questions, or if they're in the process of coming out.
How to tackle anxiety with Dr Anna
Calming techniques to help parents and children manage their anxiety.
