WEBVTT 00:00:02.090 --> 00:00:04.398 Both my parents were born in England. 00:00:05.482 --> 00:00:09.549 My mum's dad is from Pakistan and my dad's dad is from Jamaica. 00:00:09.623 --> 00:00:12.773 I never felt different or excluded in any way. 00:00:12.821 --> 00:00:15.823 My parents have both shown me both sides of their cultures. 00:00:15.848 --> 00:00:18.002 Food, music, traditions... 00:00:18.027 --> 00:00:20.222 I have been able to switch between the two. 00:00:20.247 --> 00:00:23.989 My parents are both quite accepting of my boyfriend. 00:00:24.014 --> 00:00:26.594 He's got a mixed background as well. 00:00:26.619 --> 00:00:29.019 Asian, White, Arab and Arab-African. 00:00:29.044 --> 00:00:33.956 The fact we're both from different backgrounds is a positive thing, 00:00:33.981 --> 00:00:37.716 if anything, it's not going to work against us, it's going to help us, 00:00:37.741 --> 00:00:42.244 when we do have our family, to bring together what we both know. 00:00:42.269 --> 00:00:46.074 We may have a few problems because we've been brought up differently, 00:00:46.099 --> 00:00:49.973 we've got different opinions on religion, etc... 00:00:51.927 --> 00:00:55.204 The more we mix and the more families that are getting together, 00:00:55.229 --> 00:00:59.959 we teach our children to take bits and pieces from everything. 00:00:59.984 --> 00:01:05.097 It becomes then that you’re all teaching each other about your religions, 00:01:05.113 --> 00:01:11.797 about your cultures, hopefully it will stop the fighting, the racism, the wars, 00:01:11.822 --> 00:01:14.837 because people are accepting more and more. 00:01:16.865 --> 00:01:21.323 My dad was devastated. 00:01:22.276 --> 00:01:26.459 "You can't marry a black man. What's this going to do to the family?" 00:01:26.484 --> 00:01:29.944 "I had high hopes for you, you being the last girl." 00:01:29.952 --> 00:01:33.357 "I wanted you to marry an Asian boy." 00:01:33.382 --> 00:01:37.882 The first night I met her... I think it was love for me. 00:01:40.981 --> 00:01:45.847 What we went through, the dad would blank me. 00:01:46.210 --> 00:01:49.272 He wouldn’t even look at me. 00:01:50.285 --> 00:01:53.513 At the wedding , we've got photos, he was.... 00:01:56.597 --> 00:02:02.189 For many years in our house, we never discussed that I was married to a black person. 00:02:02.214 --> 00:02:05.733 I'd go to my grandad’s house on a Saturday... 00:02:05.765 --> 00:02:11.300 He'd call me into his room and ask me if I, or any of the family, had eaten bacon. 00:02:11.325 --> 00:02:14.298 It was really strict and I was scared by it. 00:02:14.323 --> 00:02:20.889 I knew it was to do with being Muslim, but I wasn’t old enough to understand why it was wrong or why he was asking. 00:02:20.914 --> 00:02:26.088 It was important for us to be open with our children and to have both of our... 00:02:26.113 --> 00:02:30.054 the fact that we're not religious, to combine both things together. 00:02:30.079 --> 00:02:37.496 I wanted to have control over the children and I know that's my Pakistani side. 00:02:37.521 --> 00:02:42.263 I wanted to make sure that the children were respectful and they'd got good manners. 00:02:42.288 --> 00:02:46.200 Mark's very relaxed and very blasé. 00:02:46.225 --> 00:02:48.527 But that’s the two cultures coming together. 00:02:48.552 --> 00:02:55.233 My Pakistani side is important to me. As much as I don't follow it or... I've never been... 00:02:55.258 --> 00:02:59.923 taught it or... my family didn’t bring me up that way. 00:03:00.703 --> 00:03:04.131 I don’t want them to be wearing crosses because, 00:03:04.147 --> 00:03:08.612 it sounds awful, but I don’t want people to think they're Christians. 00:03:09.445 --> 00:03:11.005 It's terrible! 00:03:14.133 --> 00:03:19.292 An Asian woman marrying a black man is probably one of the hardest. 00:03:19.510 --> 00:03:24.157 Everyone used to look at us, stop in the street and stare at us. 00:03:24.954 --> 00:03:27.736 All it does is make you closer. 00:03:27.761 --> 00:03:31.412 We've shown them, we've been married for 25 years. 00:03:31.437 --> 00:03:34.216 We've got two beautiful daughters. 00:03:34.241 --> 00:03:37.442 Dad relaxed around us. 00:03:37.467 --> 00:03:40.090 I think he just knew, they are a proper family. 00:03:40.115 --> 00:03:41.762 The dad thinks I’m his son now. 00:03:41.787 --> 00:03:43.414 We go out, have curries together. 00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:45.274 Love has conquered.