What I Learned Growing Up in Govanhill

Originally published in our third print issue, Sehar Mehmood details how growing up in Govanhill has affected how she sees the world.

Illustration: Rachael Procter

By Sehar Mehmood

“You’re the first Muslim – or Pakistani – I’ve met!” was a common refrain I heard from the friends I  made at university. It was the first time I had lived outwith my native Glasgow, far from the familiar buildings, cafes, and roads of good old Govanhill. 

My first few weeks were a startling reminder of my position as a minority. It was a jarring contrast to my experience growing up in Pollokshields and Govanhill where I had always been surrounded by so many different cultures, nationalities and religions. Here, I was often the only person of colour, in a room full of white students.

Many of the friends I made from across the UK, confessed to having grown up with less than five people from ethnic minority backgrounds in their schools. This was a shock for sure, having always been surrounded by so many from my own community and with others from countless different walks of life.  Such contrasts made me reflect and consider my experiences of growing up in Govanhill – the things I had learned and the benefits I had gained in growing up in such an area.

This biggest thing I took from itis about the ignorant and damaging effects of stereotypes. This is not a new revelation but growing up in such a multi-cultural community meant that while many of us were still figuring out our own identities, we were pasted over with stereotypical images and assumptions. Because of this shared experience, the awareness of how damaging these stereotypes are grows significantly. You become aware of not just your own struggle, but that of your neighbours and friends, each in their own way battling the labels forced onto them. 

My teenage years in Govanhill – an area which itself is often ignorantly stereotyped – became a period of mental growth and awareness as I, and many others, approached the next phases of our lives. I worked with fellow students and residents in Govanhill, learning about different cultures and identities. Laughing at shared experiences, like the eye-catching packed lunches we brought to school, which stood out from the jam sandwiches and Lunchables of our fellow classmates. I also learned how my experiences of prejudice shared so many similarities with others’, such as the discomfort in answering the question, ‘where are you from?’ . Suddenly my experiences of prejudice and that of my community became opportunities for camaraderie and connection with people from outwith it. 

My tunnel vision was broken down growing up in this area. This was because I have learned about my own unconscious biases, which like all of us, I have socially learned. 

Having these unconscious biases  does not mean that you are, for example xenophobic or sexist, unconscious  biases exist in all communities. Even people who honestly report that they are not racist, or homophobic can hold unconscoius biases about different races, or the LGBTQ+ community for example. These biases are described as ‘unconscious’  because they automatically occur outside our control and we can be influenced by them, without knowing.

I sincerely doubt I would have ever recognised my own unconscious biases, had I not grown up in Govanhill, an area rich in different perspectives and cultures. It forced me to realise, with horror, the existence of my own unconscious biases at a young age. This made the task of re-evaluating and challenging them easier.

Regardless of where you have grown up, or how old you are, it is possible to reflect and uncover your unconscious biases towards people from communities other than your own. Spend this unique time, in which all of humanity shares a common enemy in COVID19 to start recognising and addressing your unconscious biases. Challenge yourself and find ways to change your mindset, from reading books such as  Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race Book by Reni Eddo-Lodge, or watching online lectures by  Kimberlé Crenshaw, who coined the term intersectional feminism. 

You can pick up books on these subjects from the South East Integration Network’s borrowing library. Or you can simply do what I did, and spend time with different people by volunteering in one of the various charity shops on Victoria Road, or for one of the many community-based projects based here. Share what you learn. The lessons I learned on these Southside streets have shaped me a great deal.