50: As a white immigrant

As a white immigrant to the UK, it's really clear to see the role that race plays in how I am treated compared with an immigrant who isn't white. For example, in terms of the first impression you get when you come to this country, the treatment whenever I leave and re-enter the UK (while still not great!) is completely different. I'm asked a lot fewer questions, I'm looked at with less suspicion, it takes me far less time to get through, and generally am not made to feel as unwelcome. More broadly, in terms of how a lot of people think and talk about immigrants and the negative perceptions and narratives about us, the word immigrant really stands in for 'people are not white'. For example, a few years ago, around the time of the Brexit vote, I was in a taxi and the driver started complaining to me about immigrants. When I reminded him that I am an immigrant, he responded 'yeah, but you know what I mean.' And unfortunately, I did.