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Ulster Rose slams racists
Monday, 4 August 2008
Belinda Brown has vowed racist comments will not spoil her participation in the Rose of Tralee
enlargeA Northern Ireland girl who is representing London in the Rose of Tralee competition said today she would not let racist bullies ruin her experience.
Belinda Brown (27), from Antrim, whose father is Jamaican, hit back after offensive comments regarding her heritage were posted on an internet website — Stormfront.org.
The former Queen’s University student who now works as an accountant in L'Oréal UK was selected as the London Rose in May.
The Irish-based racists have questioned Belinda’s right to compete in the beauty pageant because of her mixed-race parentage.
But Belinda, who was born in Jamaica and moved to Ireland when she was three-years-old, said she is proud of both sides of her heritage and has vowed not to let the racists intimidate her.
“I think these types of people are always going to have something to say about someone who is a wee bit different,” she said.
“Maybe if I was a size 16 instead of a size 12 they might have said something about that.
“I am just really proud of who I am and where I come from. I’m Irish through and through but I am proud of both sides of my heritage. I was raised in Ireland and I am very proud to be Irish and I don’t really feel the need to prove it to anybody either.”
Belinda, whose interests include soccer, netball and racquetball, said she “wouldn’t waste her time” reading the racist abuse. She also noted that travelling to Kerry for the contest on 22-26 August was not an issue.
She added: “I think the people who made the comments are just a minority. I think if their views were indicative of what Irish people as a whole were thinking then I would be very upset about it.
“But the support that I have received is fantastic so I am just really looking forward to the time that I have got in Tralee now.”
“I never actually read the comments. I wouldn’t go out of my way to go and read it. The views that they have are not indicative and I wouldn’t waste my time reading what they have to say.
“I have only heard about them through the media. The support I have had is just great and everybody’s been really supportive of me and not everybody feels that way.”
The police were called in to investigate after a London newspaper launched an official complaint concerning the abuse. This is the first time the Antrim girl has experienced racism.
Added Belinda: “I grew up in Antrim town and went to school in Ballymena and there were other issues going on at that time.
“I am very lucky that I never actually experienced any form of racial abuse when I was growing up.
“I suppose that’s why it was a bit of a shock that I have reached 27 years of age without experiencing any racisit abuse.”
Meanwhile, Alliance Party leader and Antrim town councillor, David Ford, condemned the abuse.
He told the Belfast Telegraph: “I find it horrifying that anybody can be threatened purely for entering the Rose of Tralee contest because of her family background.
“I am sure that the vast majority of people in Antrim will be proud that a girl from Antrim is entering the contest and will wish her success.”
The London Rose begins her visit to Ireland on 17 August, when she and 30 other Roses begin a tour which includes stops in Dublin and Wexford.
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Well done Belfast Telegraph (and IrishPost who broke the story) for introducing Stormfront Ireland to a much wider audience. Since mass immigration to Ireland has speeded up, Stormfront Ireland claim use of their site has grown by 217%. With the help of the media shoving this down people's throats, im sure that figure will only increase. Then the Telegraph can write stories about Race riots instead!
Posted by Stevie | 05.08.08, 11:07 GMT
Being Irish is not about the colour of your skin, or the DNA in your blood, it is simply about how you feel about yourself and your place in the world, and that is exactly why we are the most welcoming of people. You go girl!
Posted by Ciarán | 05.08.08, 08:45 GMT
What a lovely looking girl and a credit to her parents. I'll bet she will be very well recieved in Kerry and it will be a wonderful experience for her. As a former judge of the Rose of Tralee here in San Francisco I can honestly say we would be delighted to have Belinda represent our city. We wish her all the best.
Martin & Eilen Rooney
Posted by Half Moon Bay, San Francisco | 05.08.08, 00:22 GMT
Liam-if you have nothing constructive to say, shut it!!
Go Belinda. I'm right behind you all the way. x
Posted by Susan | 05.08.08, 00:10 GMT
Let's support Belinda and take a stand against all kinds of discrimination in Ireland. If we're looking for people who are 100% Irish, where do we start? And let's take the DNA of those who oppose Belinda and see where in the world they came from. What about all those hyphenated Irish? There are a lot of immigrants arrived in Ireland recently whose children will be proud of their heritage and of the land in which they were born. Bless them all! They're as welcome as the flowers in May!
Posted by Hughie | 04.08.08, 23:02 GMT
Good for you Belinda! You have every right to be proud of your Jamaican heritage and be equally proud to be Irish. Go for it, and show the bigots that modern Ireland is a multi-cultural society and proud of it.
Posted by Paul J. | 04.08.08, 22:33 GMT
good luck Belinda I saw her growing up here in Antrim,she is
a credit to her family and her country
Posted by Patsy | 04.08.08, 22:19 GMT
The people who are being racist against Belinda are a disgrace to Ireland and its ethos of being friendly and accepting of all nationalities.Ireland is a multi cultural nation and proudly so.Having different cultures integrating into Irish society enhances Irish life.Good luck in Tralee Belinda.I hope you win.
CL. Scots Irish.
Posted by Conor | 04.08.08, 20:45 GMT
I can't believe you are giving these people a voice, I did not know about 'Stormfront' before this article, and quite frankly I was better off not knowing, I'm guessing Belinda was too.
In my opinion this is not a story; ignorant racist people will always exist but unless you allow them the audience of your newspaper, their words won't matter much.
And Belinda didn't "Slam" them, she was very logical and polite.
Posted by Stuart | 04.08.08, 20:09 GMT
I went to school with Belinda and never considered her any less Irish than myself. She grew up here, went to Primary and Grammar school, attended Queen's University in Belfast and was raised by an Irish Mother. She speaks in an Irish accent, learned Irish at school and i'm sure in our time travelling to school in Ballymena she had to put up with religious abuse more than anything to do with the colour of her skin!
How can Belinda be any less entitled to compete in the Rose of Tralee than some girl from Canada who has an Irish Grandparent and has never visited Ireland in her life before? Get real people!
Posted by Ciara | 04.08.08, 19:20 GMT
So what about the girls from America who compete in the competition every year. They're not irish, only of irish heritage; we don't see any comments about them. My 3 children are of mixed race and 2 of them were born in Belfast; all 3 have irish passports. But are they any less irish just because their father is a foreigner?
Belinda Brown has as much right as everyone else to compete in the Rose of Tralee competition. People in both N. Ireland and Ireland need to realise that there are millions of people in this world whose skin isn't milky white!
Posted by Raki Diva, Turkey | 04.08.08, 17:23 GMT
There's more chance of West Ham winning the Premiership than Belinda winning the Rose of Tralee.
Posted by Liam | 04.08.08, 15:00 GMT