I never thought I would see this. A brown Prime minister from Punjab lighting a diya on the steps of 10 Downing Street, Most immigrants grew up in what would today be deemed a ghetto neighborhood, high crime, high unemployment and few opportunities for our generation.
The far right National Front would have marches in our home town, marching with their shaved heads and doc martens boots pounding the streets. Their xenophobic NF logos were strewn on walls and the words "get out paki" were a regular sight. My mum was spat on and called "am ugly paki trout" in front me when I was small kid. I knew we were different but couldn't comprehend why. Our heroes on TV were white, our politician's were white and our ceiling was set at "a decent local white collar job" where you boss would inevitably be white.
Today, I showed my 1 year old son this picture. Regardless of your political bent. Our ceiling is no longer. He has a terribly tough job. There are going to be hard times ahead for the UK. He will undoubtedly be disliked and punished by the press. I hope though, we will look past the colour of his skin to the job that he has been appointed to do.
The light he is lighting is for all little brown kids everywhere. For that I am grateful.
