I'm a very proud black man & no other human can make me feel less: Darren Sammy

NEW DELHI: Former West Indies captain Darren Sammy believes racism is an important subject which needs to be talked about and discussed in open in order to ensure that it is eradicated from all quarters of the society.

Ever since the killing of African-American George Floyd in the US in May, the 'Black Lives Matter' has gained prominence across the world and various sports personalities have been lending their support to it. Sammy has been at the forefront of the movement from the cricket fraternity ever since the BLM movement started and has been talking about the issue without mincing words.

"If there's an issue I've been affected or my team has been affected, I will stand up and speak about it. Some people are not as brave as others and that's why those who are, should be a voice for those who cannot be heard," Sammy told IANS in an exclusive interaction facilitated by his Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise St Lucia Zouks.

"I think it's a massive and an important subject that needs to be discussed. Because it's not about institutional or systemic racism, it's one-on-one where people of colour get the racial slurs being thrown at them. I think it's about time that we really take the bull by the horns.

"We need to try to eradicate it because every human being deserves to be treated equally," he added.

The former West Indies skipper further said that the International Cricket Council (ICC), besides focussing on anti-corruption, should also focus upon racism issues.

"I think there should be some education. I said once all the emphasis that ICC puts on anti-corruption, the same type of energy should be put on for anti-racism and educate the players about racism."

Sammy had alleged that during his time with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014 and 2015 editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), he was often referred to as 'Kaalu' (Black) by his teammates. The racist word's meaning he understood only recently.

Talking about the same, the all-rounder said that he has moved on from that while informing that no apology has been issued to him by the franchise.

"No, I don't think an apology has been given from the franchise. I also don't think the franchise even looked at it but then that's on them," said Sammy.

"For me, it's a situation I addressed and those who know me, if there's an issue, I'm going to talk about it. But I've moved on in my life.

"I am a very proud black man. And there is no way any human being could make me feel less than other human being. I am not saying that treat us highly but treat black people as equals. But still, we have to continue to channel in the fight on the cause against racism," he added. IANS 

Also Watch: #NewsMakers: Re-Opening Education Institutes Issues & Challenges