Middlesbrough Football Club hosted an anti-racism education day as part of the Show Racism the Red Card campaign where pupils from local schools Acklam Whin, Lockwood, Zetland and Abingdon participated in a question-and-answer session with a panel featuring Boro star Justin Hoyte and Show Racism the Red Card professional coaches Curtis Fleming, Dean Gordon, Gary Bennett, John Anderson and Olivier Bernard.
The pupils heard a performance from Abingdon Primary Steel Band and watched an anti-racist educational film featuring Hoyte, ex-Riverside manager Gareth Southgate, former Middlesbrough midfielder George Boateng and famous internationals Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o, Lilian Thuram, Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand and Didier Drogba.
The Show Racism the Red Card team wore t-shirts emblazoned with "Racism is something created and anything created can be undone." - Samuel Eto'o, with the campaign's website: www.TheRedCard.org displayed underneath.
After watching the film, the pupils were asked to answer (by standing up if they agreed and staying seated if they disagreed) a serious of questions to see how much they had learnt.
They were then invited to ask the panel questions concerning issues of racism.
Q: How did racism start?
Gary Bennett: Well, it's not a new thing it's been going on many many years with slavery, and it isn't just black people that get racism, it is something where you are not born racist, you become a racist.
"It has been going on for hundreds and hundreds of years."
Q: Is racism just against black people?
John Anderson: When I went to West Brom, talking in an Irish accent, there had been a bomb in Birmingham which killed a lot of people and back then if you spoke with an Irish accent then you were setting bombs and shooting people.
"There was an incident on a night out and I was put in protective custody. I was 16 or 17 years old, I spent the night in the cells and it was a terrifying experience which came about because of my nationality. I was involved in that situation because I was Irish [and therefore seen as a terrorist], and we all know that's not always the case."
Q: Have you ever been racist and regretted it?
Curtis Fleming: I have been racist and felt bad about it but I did not know I was being racist at the time.
"There was a really black boy and my friends were calling him names. I didn't know I was black, I thought I was white myself, my mum hadn't said anything to me.
" I should have been brave enough to stand up and say this isn't right. When I think back I hope the guy doesn't think bad of me but it's something that I learnt."
Q: Have you ever been racist without knowing about it?
Olivier Bernard: I think I have probably done it without knowing about it. When we all think back there's things that we have said, things that we have done that we shouldn't have done but thankfully organisations like Show Racism The Red Card are re-educating older people and educating young people that people may have different skin colour or nationalities, but we are all the same inside.
"We might look different or act differently but we are all the same inside."
Q: Have you experienced racism from your team mates or seen it affect a team mate?
Justin Hoyte: I have never know it amongst players, team mates. When I was at Arsenal there was lots of players with different nationalities and it was great for me to learn about different cultures, it was a great learning experience for me.
Q: Have you ever experienced physical racism?
Curtis Fleming: "Personally i've only experienced pushing and that, but in a school of 400 in Dublin, there were only two black faces, me and my brother. We used to get pushed and had people calling us names.
"I told my mum and she said: "You are black there's nothing you can to about that."
Fleming named his childhood tormentor and then commented, "It must have been a bad experience that I'm now over 40 and can still remember his name."
The final question, and one which just about stumped the panel, was 'why do people who are racist want to get a tan?'
A flabbergasted Curtis Fleming, exclaimed: 'I don't know! I'm almost speechles, and that never happens! but you're right because some of the lads I've played with go on the sunbeds and are probably darker than me!'
Prizes for the best questions were presented to Leah Sanderson, Chloe Maidens, Isobel Formby-Jackson, Devon Chatterton and Thomas Clark.
The pupils had earlier attended anti-racism workshops before enjoying guided tours of the Riverside Stadium.
Show Racism the Red Card is funded by nine local authorities throughout the region to deliver a programme of anti-racism education in schools, and representatives from many of these authorities will also be at the event.
Ged Grebby, their chief executive, said: "It was fantastic to be back at Middlesbrough FC educating young people on the dangers of racism.
"We have been working with Middlesbrough FC since 1996 and it is great to now have two ex-Middlesbrough players, Dean Gordon and Curtis Fleming, on our staff team.
"Sadly, racism is still a massive problem in society. However, through education we can spread our message of tolerance and I know the young people attending will be looking forward to the day."
Boro defender Justin Hoyte, who also attended the event last year, said: "Whenever it is to do with racism I will always be involved. I used to do [events] with Arsenal and Sunderland and now I'm at Middlesbrough I continue to do so. I enjoy it and the response we had from the kids, they are fantastic and the kids are learning and they ask some really good questions as well!"
First published on www.ComeOnBoro.com on 2-3-10
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