Jamelia, a British singer and TV presenter, has spoken publicly about being racially abused by a man she believes was a police officer, while taking her two daughters to school.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Jamelia admitted to overtaking a male driver, who followed her, waited for her to park, and then shouted racial abuse at her.
She wrote: "I parked up and as my girls and I got out of the car, I noticed the person had followed us, and was shouting 'Is there something wrong with you, you stupid bitch? You should have waited.'"
She also alleged the man said, "You lot make me fucking sick", "Fuck off, you stupid black bitch", and "You lot are sickening."
Discussing the incident on ITV's Loose Women on Tuesday, Jamelia said she thought he was a police officer because "he was wearing a white shirt with the epaulettes" on the shoulders.
West Mercia police, who are investigating the incident, told BuzzFeed News it was unclear whether the man in question was definitely a police officer.
"We are keeping an open mind as to his identity," Superintendent Helena Bennet said. "We do not tolerate racism either within our communities or our workforce and, whether the individual involved is a serving officer or not, we will ensure that the appropriate action is taken."
In her Facebook post, Jamelia said that while she'd previously had negative experiences with the police, she had made a conscious effort not to taint her daughters' views of the authorities.
"I've always wanted my girls to trust [and] respect the police, and have confidence that they are there for their protection," she said. "But I think the police should realise that profiling works both ways... How can you expect black children to have faith in you if they witness their parents being mistreated like this?"
The star later said that the police response to her complaint had been "fantastic".
Since she posted her story on Facebook it has been shared more than 1,000 times, with hundreds of people showing support in the comments.
In a series of tweets, Jamelia thanked people for their kind messages and urged other people to report racist abuse. "We deserve to feel safe wherever we are in this country," she said.
Thank you for all your kind messages of support...I'm so grateful @loosewomen gave me the platform to talk about this awful incident...
...I URGE you, if you are victim to anything like this, REPORT it! This is 2016, NO-ONE deserves to endure racism on any level...
...we have voices, we have rights and we deserve to feel safe wherever we are in this country.
Jamelia's experience comes amid a growing number of racial abuse reports across the country following the EU referendum.
Here is Jamelia's account in full:
So, This morning I did a bad thing, I overtook someone as I was driving to the train station. I was running late, and in a rush. Not an excuse, it wasn't the right thing to do. I parked up and as my girls and I got out of the car, I noticed the person had followed us, and was shouting "Is there something wrong with you you stupid b!tch, you should have waited!!" I replied, "I know, I'm so sorry, i was rushing for the train, my apologies" he then retorted "you lot make me f*cking sick" I said "can you please not swear in front of my children" he replied "Oh f*ck off you stupid black b!tch, you lot are sickening" I replied, "OK, goodbye"
He then opened his car door in a rage and said "come here and say that to my face!" and as he stepped out, his car started rolling, Thank God. Scared, I grabbed my girls, and more or less ran toward the station & didn't look back. Now, as upset as I am about this interaction, I am mostly disappointed because this man was a POLICE OFFICER.
Despite my many negative experiences with the police, I have always made a conscious effort to not taint my daughters' view of them. I've always wanted my girls to trust & respect the police, and have confidence that they are there for their protection. But I think the police should realise that profiling works both ways, what you display is what you potentially become in the eyes of a child. How can you expect black children to have faith in the you if they witness their parents being mistreated like this? It is not Ok.
My daughters were disgusted with the officer's behaviour, my youngest described him as a "disgrace to his uniform" and my eldest asked "Shouldn't self-control be the foundation of police training?" and it was then that I felt at ease, knowing that thankfully, my girls judged the individual & not the police force as a whole. I will continue raising my girls the way I do, with tolerance, understanding & empathy in ALL situations. These are the foundations of real greatness. I will also teach them that the use of "black" as a slur is absolutely ridiculous. Because being black is one of our most wonderful blessings, and only haters choose to see it as a curse.