News
Dialogue on Sports and Racism in collaboration with Michael Holding and Brown University
On Thursday, October 19th, 2023, UNESCO, in partnership with Brown University, The University of the West Indies, and Liberty Hall (Jamaica), had the pleasure of hosting a groundbreaking dialogue on Sports and Racism at Liberty Hall, in Kingston, Jamaica, within the framework of the 4th Convening of the Cost of Racism Project.
As the discussion unfolded, Michael Holding, the renowned Jamaican sportsman, cricketer, and social justice advocate, engaged in a compelling conversation with Professor Anthony Bogues, the Director of the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University, providing insight to the impact of racism on the life and careers of promising sportsmen and women and proposing how the issues of racism and discrimination could be overcome.
The event further underscored the importance of confronting this problem that affects individuals, both young and old, and transcends geographical boundaries. In her opening remarks, Dr Anna Paolini, Director at the UNESCO Office for the Caribbean underscored this point.
Michael Holding will speak from experience, so that a bridge can be drawn in between the imagined and the experienced; and so that knowledge can be brought to feed the process of understanding and learning.
She also further highlighted that it was important to foster learning and understanding which was underpinned by experience and a knowledge of history and its impacts.
Indeed, through education, a transformation of our societies, from the foundations up, becomes possible. And, UNESCO’s efforts are precisely to build inclusive, just, and peaceful societies, by strengthening capacities of individuals and communities to take their future into their own hands, and work towards the world they want and need to reach their full potential. Perhaps this discussion will also inform us about what Sports can do to fight Racism, moving beyond a Sports’ social legacy that has been imbued with racism.
Michael Holding, sharing his personal experience with combatting bias and classism in Jamaica during his childhood and then the overt and deliberate racism when travelling abroad, brought context into the impact of racism in sports and the challenges faced by athletes from diverse backgrounds.
The dialogue stressed the significance of rewiring individual and collective perspectives as an essential step towards overcoming racism and discrimination and underlined the need for societal transformation to address these issues effectively.
In addition, the pivotal role of education in challenging social biases and distortions, which have been perpetuated for generations and centuries, shaping historical narratives from a Euro-centric perspective was determined a crucial point. Panelists shared that overcoming these issues called for a more balanced view of humanity, its people, and cultures, recognizing the accomplishments and scientific discoveries led by Black individuals over the centuries.
Education was identified as the cornerstone for promoting equality, including teaching that no one is superior to another, and eradicating false notions of superiority or inferiority. The event advocated for a conscious understanding of one's identity and highlighted the importance of treating others with respect and empathy, emphasizing the need to fight racism in society, to benefit sports and every other sector.
The dialogue was a part of UNESCO's broader "Cost of Racism" project, which seeks to raise awareness and build knowledge about racism and discrimination, ultimately informing national policies and strategies. By fostering capacities in individuals and communities to work towards a more just and inclusive world, UNESCO aims to contribute to the creation of peaceful societies.
The fourth convening of the project, held from October 17th to 20th in Kingston, Jamaica, delved into the economic and social implications of racism and offered a new perspective on countering racism and discrimination through research, education, and advocacy.
Brown University and the Chair of the UNESCO Routes of Enslaved Peoples Project also held work sessions with various stakeholder groups to enhance programmatic synergies and leadership on the theme.
