When I was quite young, my mother took me on the bus into West Ealing. It was when Caribbean immigrants had just started to arrive, and a very black chap got on our bus. I'd never seen one before, and shouted out very excitedly, "Mummy! Mummy! Look! A chimney sweep has got on the bus!" She nearly died of shame (none of my family has ever been racist) and turned to apologise profusely to the man. I remember to this day how he laughed and laughed, and his lovely white teeth shone.
I didn't know it then, but in the future I'd travel all over West Africa and marry a man from Ivory Coast!