A CHILD in County Meath has bravely read out a letter on national radio in which he described his lifelong experience with racism.
11-year-old Tré Jones yesterday wrote a letter to his teacher entitled 'My encounters with racism' where he revealed he had been subject to racial abuse all his life.
In the letter, Tré revealed that both children and adults alike had said terrible things to him because of the colour of his skin, stating "People say I am mixed race but I say that I am black because I know what people see when they look at me."
Tré, aged 11, wrote this heart-breaking letter about his experience of racism in Ireland for his teacher...#liveline @joeliveline pic.twitter.com/CMhCn3Ypwb
— Liveline (@rteliveline) June 5, 2020
"I am proud to be black."
"Since I was a baby I have suffered from racism from adults and children who are white."
"I have been called the 'N' word so many times".
"I have been told to go back to Africa," he writes. "I've been called chocolate face, monkey, I'm burnt and that I'm a little slave boy".
"These things really hurt my feelings and I will hear things like this all my life.
"I wish white people would stop being racist and be kinder to all races."
Tré today appeared on RTÉ's radio show Liveline, where he bravely read out the letter live on air to people nationwide.
11 year-old Tré from Co. Meath wrote this heart-breaking and powerful letter about his experience of racism in Ireland for his teacher.
Thank you Tré for sharing. ❤️#Liveline @joeliveline @rteliveline pic.twitter.com/EgKeS2KINc— RTÉ Radio 1 (@RTERadio1) June 5, 2020
The show received dozens of calls from people who wished to voice their support for Tré and his family, with one woman Maria, saying she wanted him to know that "99% of Irish people are behind him".
His mother Ciara also appeared on the show and revealed she had been present for some of the disgusting racial abuse aimed at her son, admitting "some of the worst have been said by adults".
"They have said to him, 'I'm sick of your kind, I wish you would go back to Africa' and [said to me] 'get into your car with your little 'N' son and 'F' off'."
Ciara continued, "Poor Tré feels like nothing will change, and that he will just have to endure this his whole life.
"There is so much we need to learn, because we will never experience being judged for the colour of our skin."
