Black & Irish co-founder, Leon Diop: 'I’m 100% of everything I am — not half of each'

'I’m able to engage with both sides of my heritage — able to be myself and enjoy life'

Leon Diop pictured at this year’s An Post Irish Book Awards which were held in the Convention Centre, Dublin.

I grew up in Tallaght with my mam, a white Irish Catholic woman, and for the first few years of my life, my dad. He was a black Senegalese Muslim man.

I got a lot of crap from people engaging in racist behaviour from both sides, white groups and black groups. I wasn’t black enough or white enough.