This is not a regular type of Red Star Dispatch but I was just reflecting that Christmas Eve was the 62nd wedding anniversary of my mom and dad.

They married in the Catholic Church in Walsall that we spent virtually every Sunday from the day we were born until the time we were old enough to make a decision it was no longer for us.

I often reflect on what it must have been like for my parents in the England at the time.

My late mum, who was already in her thirties when she arrived in the UK, often told the story of being pregnant and being attacked in the street by teddy boys endangering her life and that of her unborn child.

Mum was great at spinning stories - and some days it was me she was carrying and other times it was my brother - but the fact she was attacked and how she fought back never changed.

Dad was always quieter about racism and fighting back than my mum. But I know for sure that he faced racism at work during his 30 years on the railway just as we did as kids growing up and the periodic attacks on our home.

I remember just before starting “big school” being taken into the front room - the you’re not allowed in this space room- by mom and told that you will probably face racism at the school and likely you will get attacked..

Mom said if you get attacked make sure you get your back to the wall so they can’t get behind you - just like she did when the Teddy’s attacked her.

Sure enough it didn’t take long before I was being harassed by an older and much bigger boy who had spent weeks making racist remarks.

I don’t know why I flipped on that particular day when he we harassing me from behind as we were about to go up some stairs to a classroom but I did!

I just launched myself at him on the stairs and landed on top of him at the bottom and started pounding at him.

The scuffle ended up outside the stairwell by what was lovingly called a “brook” that ran through the middle of the school. In reality it was a toxic bit of water probably poisoned by the nearby sewage farm - which incidentally later was built on to be the new home of Walsall Football Club.

This toxic bit of water was where I managed to deposit the racist bully just before being dragged away by one of the teachers - not the one who in later years made a racist comment to me in the classroom!

I remember that I had fully intended in my rage to jump on the racist bully in the toxic brook - so my thanks to the teacher who saved me from a poisoning!

I miss my mom and dad very much and for some reason more than ever this year. Not really sure why it’s particularly the case this year.

What I do know for sure is I learned very many valuable lessons from my parents as I grew up. One of those is never ever let people mess with you or they will keep on doing it.

I will also fight back - and always have - when being attacked verbally or physically. It’s probably cost me a lot over the years but I’ve always kept my self respect even when others have lied about me or tried to take advantage - with racism usually at the heart of it.

It’s happened again this year and I have not said anything publicly about it - but will when I think the time is right.

But nobody should ever take my silence over any kind of attack on me as being acceptance because nothing could be further from the truth.

Neither should anyone - ever - think it’s ever going to sit well with me to say when I can or can’t criticise people or organisations for their racism. It’s just never going to happen!

We don’t sit back and take racist attacks in our family - and we never will!