#SRtRCSpotlight: Middlesbrough FC & SRtRC educate young people about the past, the present and their future
The Show Racism the Red Card Campaign team started off October with educational events at the Riverside Stadium, home of Middlesbrough Football Club. It was a great way to kickstart Black History Month and put the team in motion for the rest of the year ahead.
As SRtRC heads into its 30th year, we are commemorating the careers of the First 11 Black players of teams across England, with Middlesbrough FC, a long-term supporter of the charity, being one of those clubs.
The Middlesbrough Alumni highlighted are Viv Anderson, Dwight Marshall, Mark Burke, Richard Liburd, Jon Gittens, Chris Kamara MBE, Fabio, Emerson, Lindy Delapenha, Curtis Fleming and Chris Freestone. Banners of the eleven were on display on both days for the children to be educated on the role models that made significant and pioneering contributions to their club.
Speaking about his experiences of racism growing up as part of one of the few black families in the town at the time, Chris Kamara MBE said:
“My Mum (who was white) had people calling her names, and calling us names when we were out walking the streets with the pram, and she showed true courage – she knew exactly what racism was and she overcame it.”
Both days saw the children in attendance take part in anti-racism workshops focusing on worldview, stereotypes, online racism, misinformation and allyship, as well as a guided tour of the Riverside Stadium.
Both days were rounded up by an exhilarating special guest panel, including Middlesbrough Women’s Goalkeeper Ruby Cook who was present on both days, as well as a virtual appearance from both Curtis Flemming and Chris Freestone. Thursday’s panel also included Taste of Africa Trustee Junior Masandi and Middlesbrough FC midfielder Aidan Morris.
Speaking about the importance of anti-racism education and his involvement in the event, Middlesbrough FC midfielder and USA International Morris said:
“The sport we play, probably the most beautiful thing about it is it unites all different cultures, it brings together all different cultures and all different races,”
“And I think when you have racism in this sport, it’s the complete opposite of what it’s all about. It’s about bringing people together from all different places around the world.”
Over 100 local children took part in the exceptional events spanning 2 days, we would like to send a huge thank you to all the schools involved as well as all the special guests included on the panel and Middlesbrough FC for their continued support.
Big thanks to all of the young people from Overfields Primary School, South Bank Primary School, Pennyman Primary Academy and North Ormesby Primary School who took part in the events – your maturity and enthusiasm were a credit to your schools.
As an organisation we are thoroughly looking forward to continuing our partnership with Middlesbrough FC with more educational events in the pipeline for the rest of the season, as we continue to educate the next generation across Teesside.
To find out more about the opportunities to engage Show Racism the Red Card in the North East with services to support your school or organisation, please use our enquiry form to provide us with your requirements.