Madam,

The ‘Cool Runnings’ float at Aberaeron Carnival made a lot of people angry or upset. I have been shocked to see the backlash from some of your readers, both on the net and on last week’s Letters page, insisting that the people who have complained about the float are the ones in the wrong. Many of these comments have been insulting.

For anyone who doesn’t understand why the float caused such offence, I recommend reading one of the recent articles published elsewhere about the history of ‘blacking up’ as a way of mocking black people. (See ‘Some Notes on Blackface’ by Gary Raymond in Wales Arts Review online, for instance.) People need to examine the causes and impact of racism in Wales. Discrimination against Welsh people, black people and recent immigrants are all connected. If everyone took some time to find out more about the wider issues, perhaps we could work towards greater understanding and respect in our local communities.

Yours etc,

Helen Sandler, Machynlleth.

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