In September 2013, poet Lemn Sissay visited Shetland and discovered that a shop in Lerwick was selling golliwog dolls. His blog about that experience appeared first on his website, and another version was published later in The Guardian. Many responses to those blogs appeared online and in the letters page of The Shetland Times. A large number of those responses were worryingly hostile, and dismissive of Mr Sissay's point of view.
I wrote the following comment piece, originally published in Shetland Life, about the controversy, and about the nature of racism in Shetland.
I wrote the following comment piece, originally published in Shetland Life, about the controversy, and about the nature of racism in Shetland.