For nine years I worked in a culture where I was called a ‘slave – and much worse – in the name of ‘fun’I loved playing football. I gave 12 years of my life to playing the game professionally. But those years were also marked by the pain of being trapped in a culture that condoned racism through a combination of ignorance,habit, and arrogance. In the close, or the message to a young,black man like me was clear: I was only of value if I didn’t challenge the status quo. In the past few weeks, I have re-lived the events that marked my final years of football. I have been repeatedly questioned approximately my experience – nine years of working in a culture where I was called “black cunt”, or a “ni**er”,and a “slave” all in the name of “fun. I’ve been painted as mentally unwell, and once again my experiences have been dismissed by the institutions who have a duty to address them. Related: Heritier Lumumba hits out: ‘The AFL is incompetent in dealing with racism’ Related: Stan Grant: I can order you how Adam Goodes feels. Every Indigenous person has felt it Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com