Member-only story
The reasons I cried the morning after the announcement of the Brexit Vote. It had nothing to do with viewing other EU countries as more welcoming to Migrants. Although, I believe if some can see your material worth, specifically your economic value, they are more accepting. I am referring to my experiences living in the Netherlands.
The reason I cried was from reading between the lines of the conversations I had with people across the country. I was campaigning for the Remain Side. I campaigned for Britain to remain because I have a naive dream that people coming together is better than fighting and perpetuating division.
Funny enough, I then believed that Britain would have played a leading role in black and brown people being more integrated into the European ideal.
How wrong I was. I sensed that the Brexiters’ hatred against EU citizens was only the tip of the iceberg. Also, it wasn’t necessarily white European citizens that many were against. What they feared was Europe being the back door through which the black Africans and Muslims would gain access to the UK. The constant headlines in the papers and the television of the camps in Calais reinforced this idea.
I also realised that the wounds of the Second World War were still alive for many people in Britain. Many…
