Former Spice Girls star Mel B has opened up about the racist abuse she endured as a youngster – admitting she was called a ‘P*ki’ and the N-word while growing up.
Following the tragic death of George Floyd and the recent Black Lives Matter protests Mel has talked about growing up in a mixed-race family in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
The Spice Girl grew up in the Hyde Park area of the city with her younger sister Danielle, mum Andrea and dad Martin.
In a world exclusive, Mel, 45, admitted that she was aware from a young age that she rarely saw people of the same colour.
Her dad Martin hailed from exotic Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean, while her mum Andrea is British.
In her only interview of the year, the singer has recalled her experiences as a young black woman as well what she went through when she was catapulted to fame with the Spice Girls.
Mel B has opened up to Daily Star Online about to horrific racism she received while growing up (Image: Getty Images)
Speaking about her early life, the mum-of-three said: “I was aware from a very young age that I didn’t see many other people of my colour.
“My mum made friends with a lady who also had a mixed-race baby called Sherelle, who is still my good friend to this day, and we used to play together.
“The only other little brown girl for miles around.”
She continued: “But it was really when I went to school that I understood the colour of my skin had such an effect on the other kids.
Mel’s dad, Martin, from Saint Kitts and Nevis was denied entry to a local working men’s club due to his race
“All of a sudden I was called all these names I didn’t understand like ‘P**i’, ‘Redskin’ and obviously the N-word.
“I used to get chased home by kids shouting these names at me, so I learnt to run fast. When I was older I would always win all the races on sports day and that was because I’d learnt to run fast at such a young age.”
Bursting onto the music scene in 1996 with their international hit Wannabe, Mel recalled the moment a stylist asked her to straighten her hair for the music video.
“I remember when we first did the video for Wannabe we had a big styling team and one of the first things they said to me was: ‘Ok, so we need to straighten your hair’.
Mel B catapulted to fame in 1996 as one-fifth of the biggest girl band, the Spice Girls (Image: Getty Images)
“I refused point-blank because my hair was my identity and yes it was different to all the other girls but that was what the Spice Girls were about – celebrating our differences.”
She added: “And then I’d get really emotional letters from girls, and their mums, saying how incredible it was that they had someone to ‘be’ when they did dances in the playground at school and they were actually daring to wear their hair out and proud rather than scraped back or straightened.
“That was a big deal to me.”
Coming from a working-class background, Mel has previously spoken about her dad being refused entry to a working man’s club at the end of their road, before joking that she would one day go and purchase the club.
However, Mel didn’t buy the club in the end.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Star Online, Mel revealed that she and her sister were the only children to not attend Christmas parties because of their race (Image: Press Association)
She said: “I called them out on being racist which caused a huge stir in the area and I’m glad I did that.
“They told my mum she could join but not my dad. They would have Easter parties and Christmas parties and all the kids in the road would go except me and Danielle. Imagine what that felt like.”
In a bid to make her fellow bandmates experience what she felt on a daily basis, Melanie took Geri to an underground club in Chapeltown, Leeds.
She added: “I think it’s almost impossible for white people to understand what it is to be black or brown. It did bother me. I remember once really thinking how I could make Geri understand.
“I got her to come back to Leeds with me and we went to one of these really old school underground blues and bass clubs that all the black kids in the area went to.
“It was tiny and really packed and when we were standing there, I said to Geri: ‘Look around and tell me what you see’ and she looked round and said: ‘Everyone else in here is black except me.’
Mel’s mum Andrea was invited to the events but could not attend with Martin Brown, Mel’s dad (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
“And I said: ‘That’s what it’s like for me nearly every day. I’m always the only brown girl in the room.’ That was quite an important moment for me.”
Following the recent Black Lives Matter protests across the UK and America, Mel has admitted that more needs to be done to highlight racism.
She told us: “The only reason I want to do this interview is because I want to point out something that needs to be highlighted.
So much of the racism you feel as a person of colour growing up in a largely white culture is not spoken aloud.
George Floyd’s death has led to waves of protests around the world (Image: Internet Unknown)
“If you are attacked or if someone calls you a name, you know then how they feel about you.
“But it’s all the other stuff – being told off at school for not being able to tie your hair back with a hair band, walking into meeting after meeting with the Spice Girls and never seeing another brown face – that does affect you.
“White people thought it was nice to say to me: ‘We don’t see your colour we just see you’. But that actually just denies my identity even though I know it was always well-meant it’s actually quite insulting.”
Mel admitted taking Geri Horner to a club in Castletown, Leeds, so she could experience being the only white person in a room (Image: Getty Images)
In a heartbreaking admission, she went on to recall the moment she was asked to leave a designer clothes store ahead of a gig for Nelson Mandela and Prince Charles.
Mel said: “There were times when there was obvious racism, I was asked to leave a designer clothes shop in Sun City when I was with all the other girls and we were there performing for Prince Charles and Nelson Mandela.
“Of course, all the girls had a go at the assistant because they were so shocked. It’s pretty awful to think I wasn’t actually shocked because if you are brown then there’s always a part of you that expects some confrontation.”
The I Want You Back singer added that she was “strong enough, old enough and brave enough” to call out industry bosses if they made comments on her race.
The singer was once asked to leave a designer clothes store while with the Spice Girls, much to the shock of her band members (Image: Press Association)
As a mum-of-three young, black females – Phoenix, 21, Angel, 13, and Madison, eight – Mel often talks to her daughters on the situation, which she says they find “deeply upsetting”.
She added: “I’ve always taught my daughters never to judge anyone ever. That’s very important to me.”
After witnessing recent events following the death of George Floyd, Melanie feels “incredibly proud” to witness the protests.
Mel often speaks to her three children about growing up around racism
She shared: “It makes me incredibly proud to see so many people standing up and protesting for this appalling murder of George Floyd.
“I have been watching all the news footage and actually educating myself on the subject watching films like Ava DuVernay’s 13th which is all about race and the justice system in America.
“I have had lots of conversations with my friends and asked lots of questions because so many people just don’t see the racism that exists all around us, like that fact that in the UK a black male is four times more likely to be excluded from school than a white male and 40 times more likely to stopped and searched by the police.
Mel’s oldest daughter, Phoenix took part in a documentary which saw Phoenix stay in Mel’s old house to discover her roots (Image: (Channel 4)
“My dad came to this country from Nevis because he wanted a better life. I think we have to keep on educating ourselves, keep on changing, keep fighting for justice and equality until we live in a better world.”
Mel who is a patron of Woman’s Aid added: “Being famous only really means something to me when it gives me a platform to make a change which is why I’m so proud to be a patron of Woman’s Aid and why I’ve always been incredibly proud to make a stand for brown girls everywhere.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
