When you're growing up, everyone's trying to fit in -
and, naturally, I couldn't fit in.
So even if I wanted to try and fit in, it just wouldn't work like that.
Gold hair, cream skin.
That's why they call me Mr Hershey's, cookies and cream.
HE LAUGHS You know?!
Albinism is... Well, it's a recessive...
..condition, so you can only have it
if both parents are carriers or have albinism,
and then it's a 25% chance that your child will have the condition.
It's basically just an absence of pigment.
See, I've got, like... I don't class it as blond hair. This is gold.
I think, when I was younger...
..I used to say, "Oh, I wish I didn't have it,"
just because it would have made a lot of things easier
when I was growing up, if I didn't have albinism.
Yeah, that's me. I used to love fire engines.
I couldn't just walk to the shop
without, literally, getting into a fight.
Yeah, on the... Every single day, I would get into a fight.
We were the first black family on my street.
Then, on top of that,
three of us had albinism.
We were in a lot of magazines and a lot of shows back in the day.
Look... These names are rude.
I understand it, because I guess that's what it looks like,
in a sense, but it's just an ignorant way of putting things,
cos we aren't white.
My first son was born in 1992,
so then it was like one in five million.
So it was very, very rare to have a child with albinism.
So I was told that I couldn't have more, but I did.
I was isolated, because nobody around me knows what to do.
It was very challenging for us as parents that we have these children
and nobody knows what to do to help them.
I know they picked on him because of his albinism,
because knowing that we are black and he is white,
you know, there is all kinds of things that people say
that are cruel.
You know what's so funny?
They used to say, "Why are you trying to be black?"
Then they would say, "Why are you trying to be white?"
Sometimes it's a bit annoying because you just can't be invisible.
Like, there's no way that you can go and just walk
without someone just looking at you or staring at you.
At the same time...
..it's nice, like, you can't be invisible.
I think I was always confident growing up
because of my parents, especially my mum.
Yeah, that's really good.
Exactly.
Can you do a couple where you are kind of maybe straightening your...
Yeah, exactly, that kind of stuff.
The modelling industry,
now people want to see more different people in the industry -
but, also, there's many, many, many, many, many brands
that just like the generic, beautiful-looking people.
I don't look like that. I look different, you know,
so it's always going to be holding you back
as well as pushing you forward.
I like this one.
Yeah, we're just going to go and have a conversation
with one of the boys that I see sometimes and his parents.
Hello. Hello. Hey, how are you doing, man?
Are you good?
How are you, Leo? I'm good. Good to see you.
Good to see you.
He'll love to tell you what's going on. What's been going on?
Yeah. Come on, sit down.
They ask a lot of questions at school, "Why are you white?"
If you're already getting 100%, then you can't get 200%.
As long as you're getting 100%, then that's fine.
Put your 100% into it. Are you giving 100%?
Er...
..nearly. There we go.
80... 89%. Oh, that's very good.
At times, they don't want to play with him.
They said, "We don't want to play with you."
It's been very challenging for us.
Matthew has been a boy that wants to go to school,
but, at times, he came home and he said
that he doesn't like going to school.
It's very depressing for us as parents.
There was one time I never...I never talked to anyone.
That's how I got bronze.
Never talked to anyone? Yeah.
Oh, you mean when the teacher's talking?
No, the whole day. You didn't talk to anyone the whole day?
Yeah.
It has changed significantly since we met Leo.
If you want to do this, you just have to let it grow out
and keep combing it.
Then I have to not cut my hair for a year.
He is just a normal child. He just needs a little bit of accommodation.
Matthew is always asking, "When is Uncle Leo coming?
"When do I get to speak to Uncle Leo?"
Oh, OK.
What do I do? I didn't even do anything yet.
No. No, you're sheriff.
It chooses automatically.
Wow.
But because I've actually gone through it myself,
I know exactly what someone would need.
I need chair.
It's like it's my mission, my purpose,
to make sure other people know this
and just help as many people as I can.
Leo's helping children with albinism is a breath of fresh air,
because now my job is done.
Who's that? Destroy it?
Do I hit him?
It's beautiful, because he's a good role model for them.
See? Yeah. Similar colours.
I just want them to know
that they're beautiful through and through.
That's it.
They are different, but just embrace it.
Say thank you to Uncle Leo.
Thank you. Bye.
Yeah.
I just want to make sure that any child with albinism
or adult, anyone with it,
just knows that it's OK and that they're beautiful.
I want to reach as many people as I can with that message.