“You’re in a class of 30 and you’re the only Black person. So I felt so uncomfortable… I got caned every single day… until I was 14.”
Raphael Martin was born in Cardiff’s St David’s Hospital in 1964. He remembers much of his parents’ life, and moved from Jamaica to Cardiff.
“My father come over here in 1951, to Birmingham. He came from Jamaica, was born [in] September 1917, he would be 102 if he was alive today…”
“In them days, there wasn’t sort of a welcome from churches, churches were mostly white… So it was easy then for Black people to start churches… My dad had the first Black Pentecostal church in Wales.”
“After the Aberfan [disaster] – the landslide in 1966 – your dad come up and he’s praying and everything here…”
“Dad brought people up to wherever he was in Merthyr, and he said all the children come out to the van saying ‘Who are they?’ cos they’d never really seen Black people before.”
“I was a child just like everyone else but I was Black and I used to get beaten just because I was Black…”
“I learnt that Black people have big noses and big lips and they’re ugly and look like monkeys… I know I learnt it from school, so I was prejudiced, or racist, towards my own people…. When we’re young, we don’t really understand racism, how deep it is or bad it is…”
“I got pulled over [in] my car plenty of times, I’d drive, stop, get harassed…”
“We need to treat everyone with respect and love. That’s how we should be.”
“I wish now… my dad had… talked to me about what it was like… this is for my children, to keep them interested, at least there is somethin there now, thank God for that.”
“Rydych chi mewn dosbarth o 30 a chi yw’r unig berson Du. Felly, roeddwn i’n teimlo’n ofnadwy o anghyfforddus... fe ges i’r gansen bob un dydd... nes oeddwn i’n 14.”
Ganed Raphael Martin yn Ysbyty Dewi Sant Caerdydd yn 1964. Mae ganddo atgofion lu o fywyd ei rieni, a fudodd o Jamaica i Gymru.
“Daeth fy nhad drosodd yma yn 1951, i Birmingham. O Jamaica ddaeth e, ganed ef yno ym mis Medi 1917, fe fuasai’n 102 oed pe byddai’n fyw heddiw...”
“Yn y dyddiau hynny, doedd dim math o groeso gan eglwysi, gwyn oedd yr eglwysi gan mwyaf... Felly roedd yn hawdd bryd hynny i bobl Dduon sefydlu eglwysi... fy nhad i oedd yn cynnal yr eglwys Bentecostaidd Ddu gyntaf yng Nghymru.”
“Ar ôl [trychineb] Aberfan – y tirlithriad yn 1966 – daeth Dad draw a gweddïodd a phopeth yma...”
“Buasai Dad yn dod â phobl i fyny i ble bynnag roedd e ym Merthyr, a dywedodd fod y plant i gyd wedi dod mas i’r fan, yn dweud ‘Pwy yw’r rhain?’ am nad oedden nhw wedi gweld pobl Dduon go iawn o’r blaen.”
“Plentyn oeddwn i fel pob un arall, ond roeddwn i’n Ddu, ac roeddwn i’n cael fy nghuro dim ond am fy mod i’n Ddu...”
“Fe ddysgais fod gan bobl Dduon drwynau mawrion a gwefusau mawrion, a’u bod yn hyll ac yn edrych fel mwncïod... Rwy’n gwybod mai o’r ysgol y dysgais i hynny, felly roeddwn i’n rhagfarnllyd, neu’n hiliol, tuag at fy mhobl fy hun... Pan rydyn ni’n ifanc, dydyn ni ddim wir yn deall hiliaeth, mor ddwfn na mor ddrwg yw e...”
“Rwy’ wedi cael fy nhynnu drosodd yn fy nghar droeon, fe fuaswn i’n gyrru, yn stopio, roedden nhw’n aflonyddu arnaf i...”
“Mae angen inni drin pawb gyda pharch a chariad. Dyna sut y dylem ni fod.”
“Fy nyhead erbyn hyn... yw pe bai fy nhad wedi... siarad gyda mi am sut roedd pethau... a hynny er mwyn fy mhlant i, i gadw eu diddordeb, o leiaf mae yna rywbeth yma nawr, a diolch i Dduw am hynny.”