Although I'm aware that I'm a product of systemic racism, and my lack of education in my younger years is one manifestation of how that racism plays out in the UK, I had a further disadvantage. 

When researching homelessness it became apparent that a great many people are harmed by their school experiences, that go on to form a fault line in their sense of self, their self identity and coping mechanisms: a shared experience, regardless of racial differences, that is just as erosive to society as other prejudices.