I struggled to understand why everyone wasn't treated equally'

Dawn-Maria France, 56, lives in Harrogate.

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Trying my hardest to stay calm, I could feel the rage bubbling inside. I focused on my breathing, but I knew I'd regret walking away without saying anything. Because seconds earlier, I'd been on the receiving end of a racial slur. It was a Saturday morning in July 2023, at a market in Leeds, when I heard a woman make several awful remarks about my skin colour and my clothes. 'Are you really being racist?' I asked, turning to face the woman. Her face dropped and she looked embarrassed as she tried to back-pedal. 'No, I'm sorry!' she said, looking shocked that I'd called her out. I told her I wasn't prepared to accept her apology. She was a grown woman, and should have known better. This wasn't th