Red Friday - Generic
Red Friday - Generic
Nottingham Forest was delighted to welcome Show Racism the Red Card back to the City Ground this week, with the UK’s leading anti-racism charity delivering important workshops to schoolchildren.
Over 100 pupils from Claremont Primary School, in Nottingham, attended the event which took place within the Club’s Robin Hood Suite and Founders 1865 Lounge.
In collaboration with the Club, Nottingham Forest Community Trust and Nottinghamshire Police, through a mixture of educational workshops and conversations, the children learned about hate crime, how to handle it appropriately should it directly impact them, and the importance of standing together and offering support when someone around them experiences discrimination.
Later in the day, the pupils were joined by Forest legend Viv Anderson MBE - the first Black player to represent England - who spent time talking to the children and taking part in a Q&A alongside Tremayne Blaire from Nottinghamshire Police’s Youth Outreach Team. Following this, to round off the day, Forest striker and fan favourite Taiwo Awoniyi also stopped by to answer any questions from the children and to walk them through the tunnel for pitchside photographs at the world-famous City Ground.
Ericka Williams, Nottingham Forest’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion lead, who organised the event, said: “It’s always great to bring our Club, Nottingham Forest Community Trust and Show Racism the Red Card together. The doors at the City Ground are always open for such important events, and it was a fantastic day of learning and sharing experiences. The children had an informative day in a fun and friendly environment, and it was also great to see the excitement and smiles on their faces as Viv and Taiwo joined them - I’m sure those memories will last for a very long time.”
Speaking on the day, Viv Anderson MBE said: “Events like this are so important. It can be very difficult to change the views of an older person, so I think getting the point across early on to children gives us a much better chance of removing racism. I was in a very fortunate position that the players I played with would stick up for me if I was the victim of racism, and the manager Brian Clough was always very supportive. The only way we can truly remove racism from our society is by everybody sticking together."
Richard Offiong, Campaign Coordinator at Show Racism the Red Card, who helped host the event, said: “Education is the key to combating all forms of discrimination and we believe speaking with kids at a young age is really beneficial. We’d never tell them what to think - all we want is to provide them the tools to think critically, so they can be more well-rounded and come to their own conclusions. The kids loved meeting and listening to Viv and Taiwo, and it’s great that they came along to help share the message of inclusivity. My one message for kids is to not judge people before they get to know them and be role models themselves - adults can learn from children too.”