Last year I married my husband. He’s white, I’m black. Both his parents were present, my mother was too. My father died when I was 15, but he wasn’t really in my life until that point. If he were alive, I doubt I would have invited him to our wedding.
Do I think the Heinz ad is racist (When a Heinz advert features racist stereotypes to sell pasta sauce, it’s vital to speak out. So I did, 8 October)? No. Do I understand why people are upset by it? I do, I get it. But an absent father for me, and for many others (not just black people) is a reality. We shouldn’t hide that.
