thedcclothesline--2019-07-25--Reverse Discrimination in Detroit WHITE Former School Principal Suing for Racial Discrimination A

“Reverse Discrimination” in Detroit? WHITE Former School Principal Suing for Racial Discrimination After Being Replaced by BLACK Subordinate

Racism and employment discrimination can go both ways in the real world.  As the playing field is leveled, people of color are sometimes given preference because of the color of their skin and not hired or promoted based on merit.  This is what America has become.  Now, the tide is shifting in Detroit as a WHITE school principal is suing for racial discrimination.  A white elementary school principal is suing the Ann Arbor Public Schools, alleging racial discrimination and a conspiracy by school officials to keep her out of the job to favor black administrators.  Since September 2013, Shannon M. Blick served as principal at Lawton Elementary School, according to a complaint filed Saturday in U.S. District Court.  Then in April, Blick, 39, alleges the district “constructively terminated” her due to her “Caucasian race and because … an African American coveted” Blick’s position as principal.  Blick’s attorneys allege the Ann Arbor school district and its school board have a history of “harboring, and acting on, racial animus towards Caucasians and non-minority individuals”  and have “notoriety” for stepping on the civil rights of Caucasian and non-minority administrators when African American and minority administrators “covet” Caucasian and non-minority administrators’ “legitimately earned” positions.  The lawsuit says Blick was placed on paid administrative leave in April but has been prohibited from attending school board meetings and special events at Lawton, where her three children attend, including a fifth-grade graduation ceremony where her son was a singer.  They didn’t allow her to attend her own child’s graduation and get to hear him sing?  The Detroit Free Press reports that the lawsuit is seeking $5 Million in damages:  The former principal of an elementary school in Ann Arbor has sued the district, saying she was pushed out of her job because she’s white.  Shannon Blick, 39, had run Lawton Elementary School  for five years and possessed what her lawyer calls a “spotless and pristine employment record” before she was placed on administrative leave in April and effectively forced to resign.  “White people have rights,” said William Tishkoff, Lawton’s lawyer. “So yeah, this is a reverse (discrimination) case. Right now, it’s very timely in terms of what’s happening in our country.”  The lawsuit seeks $5 million and claims that Blick was forced out of her job so the district could replace her with an African American principal.  It goes on to say the conduct is consistent with the district’s and the board of education’s “notoriety for inhibiting and stepping on the civil rights of Caucasian and non-minority administrators when African American and minority administrators covet Caucasian and non-minority administrators’ legitimately earned and obtained positions, seniority, pay, jobs or duties.”  School district spokesman Andrew Cluley said the district had not yet been served with the complaint and “does not comment on pending litigation or personnel matters.”  So they replaced her with a Black principal?  Sounds like she possibly has a case, but…  We have to be aware that people cry racism all the time.  Maybe she was fired for a good cause.  The suit claims the district has a history of harboring and acting on racial animosity against Caucasians and non-minorities.  She also claims the district and board has failed to take action on ‘reverse discrimination’ complaints and reports filed by Caucasian and non-minority administrators.  Blick’s attorneys said in her time as principal, she was consisted rated highly  effective as the leader of the school and had a ‘spotless and pristine’ record with the district and had no warnings, disciplines, suspensions, complaints, write-ups, grievances, charges, or negative employment in that time.  Despite her record, Blick says her assistant principal was promoted and another assistant principal from a different school was brought in as new assistant principal at Lawton.  The suit claims this new assistant principal had reported racism at the old school and the district was concerned about losing a minority administrator.  Then, in April of this year, Blick was told by the district’s leadership that she was being investigated based on a human resources report that a custodian at the school had stolen $25,000 over 4 years and that Blick was responsible, the lawsuit claims.  She was then asked to resign and later placed on administrative leave. In early May, she met with district administrators and says they made “outrageous, humiliating, inhumane and patently false accusations regarding Ms. Blick’s conduct, purportedly on and off work premises.” She was also told that a group of parents planned to speak at the next school board meeting, and she was told if a reporter requested her personnel file, it would contain the “outrageous accusations” and Blick would be destroyed by the story, her lawsuit claims.  She then said she was asked to contact the parents and ask them not to attend the meeting. Blick said she was so fearful for her future, she did as asked.  I wonder if the custodian is a person of color?  Either way, if a custodian stole $25,000 and she knew about it I’d fire her too.  Not often do you hear of a white person suing for racial discrimination.  We will see where this all leads.  Hopefully the truth comes out.  And hopefully that janitor got justice as well.  Dean Garrison is the Publisher of DC Clothesline and DC Dirty Laundry


theguardianuk--2019-01-17--Minority ethnic Britons face shocking job discrimination

Minority ethnic Britons face 'shocking' job discrimination

Black Britons and those of south Asian origin face “shocking” discrimination in the labour market at levels unchanged since the late 1960s, research has found.  A study by experts based at the Centre for Social Investigation at Nuffield College, University of Oxford, found applicants from minority ethnic backgrounds had to send 80% more applications to get a positive response from an employer than a white person of British origin.  A linked study by the same researchers, comparing their results with similar field experiments dating back to 1969, found discrimination against black Britons and those of south Asian origin – particularly Pakistanis – unchanged over almost 50 years.  The research, part of a larger cross-national project funded by the European Union and shared exclusively with the Guardian before its official launch, prompted concerns that race relations legislation had failed.  It echoes findings published as part of the Guardian’s Bias in Britain series that people from minority ethnic backgrounds face discrimination when seeking a room to rent. In a snapshot survey of online flatshare ads the Guardian found that an applicant called Muhammad was significantly less likely to receive a positive response than an applicant called David.  Prof Anthony Heath, co-author and emeritus fellow of Nuffield College, said: “The absence of any real decline in discrimination against black British and people of Pakistani background is a disturbing finding, which calls into question the effectiveness of previous policies. Ethnic inequality remains a burning injustice and there needs to be a radical rethink about how to tackle it.”  The researchers sent almost 3,200 applications to both manual and non-manual jobs – including software engineers, marketing, chefs and shop assistants – advertised on a popular recruitment platform between November 2016 and December 2017.  The study, which will be launched at the British Academy, London, on Friday, included 33 different minority ethnic groups, belonging to five broad groups. Additionally, two minority ethnic groups – Nigerian and Pakistani – were designed to have sufficiently large numbers of applications for separate analysis. Different ethnicity applicants were randomly assigned to different job vacancies – only one application was sent per post – and the number of callbacks/invitations for interview compared.  On average, 24% of applicants of white British origin received a positive response from employers, compared with 15% of minority ethnic applicants applying with identical CVs and cover letters. All of the minority applications clearly stated that they were either British-born or had arrived in the country by the age of six and had obtained all their education and training in Britain.  Minority ethnic applicants, including white minorities, had to send 60% more applications to get a positive response from an employer than a white person of British origin. While applicants originating from western Europe and the US were treated almost as well as the majority group, people of Pakistani origin had to make 70% more applications. The figures were even higher for those of Nigerian, Middle Eastern and north African (MENA) origin, at 80% and 90% respectively.  Dr Zubaida Haque, the deputy director of the race equality thinktank Runnymede, described the findings as shocking. They demonstrated that “it’s not just covert racism or unconscious bias that we need to worry about; it’s overt and conscious racism, where applicants are getting shortlisted on the basis of their ethnicity and/or name”, she said.  “It’s clear that race relations legislation is not sufficient to hold employers to account. There are no real consequences for employers of racially discriminating in subtle ways, but for BME applicants or employees it means higher unemployment, lower wages, poorer conditions and less security in work and life.”  The researchers said the high levels of discrimination from countries with a sizeable Muslim population echoed “strong anti-Muslim attitudes recorded in recent surveys”.  Dr Valentina Di Stasio, co-author and an assistant professor at Utrecht University, the Netherlands, said: “The persistent gaps in callbacks found for more visible and culturally distant minorities, regardless of the occupation considered or the information included in the application, suggest that employers may simply read no further as soon as they see a Middle East-sounding or African-sounding name.”  As past field experiments did not include people from MENA countries, it could not be ascertained whether the level of discrimination against them had changed over time. Additionally, the historical comparison could only be done for non-manual jobs, due to insufficient past data on manual jobs.  Nevertheless, the authors described the evidence of enduring discrimination against some minority ethnic groups as striking given the passage of the Race Relations Act 1976 and that many of the earlier studies included applicants born abroad with some foreign education.  They said that while surveys had found declining racial prejudice among the public, the lack of change in the workplace reflected the continued presence of “employer stereotypes about the linguistic and work-related skills and motivations of minorities”.  There were hints that discrimination against applicants of Indian origin may be in decline but the researchers said the sample size of people with Indian names in their study was too small to draw firm conclusions.  Responding to the results, Matthew Fell of the Confederation of British Industry said: “Any bias is bad for business. Companies must act now to eradicate all forms of discrimination, including any bias in recruitment.”  A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy also stressed the benefits of diversity, adding: “Last year, the prime minister launched a series of measures to help employers identify how to tackle ethnic disparities in the workplace, including a new race at work charter and a consultation on mandatory ethnicity pay reporting.”


theguardianuk--2019-07-24--Discrimination in football like wild west at grassroots level

Discrimination in football ‘like wild west’ at grassroots level

A leading figure from [Kick It Out](https://www.theguardian.com/football/kick- it-out) has labelled grassroots football in this country as the “wild, wild west” in regards to the level of discrimination that takes place at that level and has even gone as far as calling for parents who are found of guilty of abusive behaviour to be banned from watching their children play.  Troy Townsend, Kick It Out’s development officer, was speaking on the day that the anti-discrimination organisation released figures which showed reports of discrimination across all levels of football rose by a third last season, from 319 in the previous year to 422. Racism remains the most common form of discrimination, in both professional and grassroots football, constituting 65% of reports – a 43% rise. Faith‑based discrimination, which includes Islamophobia and antisemitism, rose higher than any other across, with reports increasing by 75% from 36 to 63.  Townsend admits the findings are a concern, especially given this is the seventh year in succession that there has been a rise in such reports, and expressed particularly fears for what is taking place below the professional level.  “For me, at the moment, it’s like the wild wild west. It’s a free-for-all out there. I have genuine concerns that something may happen,” he said. “We see some pretty horrendous stuff. We’ve seen actual bodily harm. Blood pouring out of a player’s face, his shirt on the ground with blood all over it. Targeted Islamophobia at its worst degree.”  Of the 109 reports of discrimination that Kick It Out received related to grassroots football, 40% were specifically related to youth football and it is in this area that Townsend has called for particularly strong measures. “What is it going to take for us to really make a difference at that level?” said Townsend. “The punishment needs to be that they [the people responsible] have to go. Imagine telling a parent that they are no longer allowed to watch their son or daughter play football because of something they have done? Or that they are on a semi-ban? Good behaviour education and you are allowed back.  “People may say that’s extreme but they are not living the life of someone who has been discriminated against. We need to start pushing out the worst of sanctions to really hit home hard.”  Townsend believes Kick It Out’s latest report on the amount of racism and other types of discriminatory abuse in football is only a “snapshot of what is happening out there”, saying: “If football was to collate its information I think we’d be really talking about a problem. Our stats would go through the roof if we reached out more and people thought reporting [abuse] is the first step in eradicating discrimination from our game.  “It’s lawless at grassroots at the moment. Some of the stuff we hear is horrendous from the lowest ages up to the highest ages of youth football.  “A lot of it involves parents being the perpetrators. A lot of it is player on player or language that you wonder how they know these words at that age. We’ve never got it right at grassroots – the stats don’t lie.  “I appreciate there’s usually only one official and it’s a ’he said, I said’ situation, but we have to come up with something more effective and hold those people to account.”  In Kick It Out’s overall figures, which include social media incidents, discrimination reports increased to 581, a 12% rise from the season before (520). The increase should not come as a surprise after a season that witnessed numerous high-profile examples of overt discrimination, with stars such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mohamed Salah and Raheem Sterling all subjected to abuse.  Townsend said it is hard to tell if racism is on the rise because racists are more “emboldened” to broadcast their views because of the contentious political climate or more people are just more willing to report abuse.  “We’re in a worrying period of time, and it is a societal problem, but I can’t affect that. What we can do is talk about what we can do inside the game.”  He said that people needed to have faith their complaints would be taken seriously, which means speeding up the time it takes to complete discrimination cases and keep complainants more informed of what is happening throughout the process.  Townsend admitted the charity’s relationship with the Football Association, which ultimately runs the disciplinary process, was “strained” in the past but is now better, albeit with room to improve – likewise Kick It Out’s links with the clubs and leagues.


theguardianuk--2019-07-26--For trans people birth certificate battle is a fight against discrimination

For trans people, birth certificate battle is a fight against discrimination

Luc Bensimon’s mother knew early in her child’s life that he would struggle. For a start, he was black in America. Then he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy on his right side, necessitating years of operations and physical therapy.  But there was something else that Bensimon’s mother only came to recognise years later: she assigned her son as female on his birth certificate because that is what his physical appearance told her.  Bensimon, who is now 47, says he was “born with three strikes. Being African American. Being physically challenged. And being assigned female. My mother told me those are three things that you’re going to battle your whole life.”  His mother was right. But for all the racism and physical struggle he endured, it is the fight to be recognised for who he is that has been the most demanding.  “I had a very strict religious upbringing. My uncle was a Baptist minister. My mom and my dad and I went to a Pentecostal church. My mom would dress me up for Easter in those ugly little dresses and I would just be angry,” he said.  Then there was puberty.  “I had to go get the training bra. I was just not OK with it. I guess my mom thought I was just rebelling and that was a teenage thing. So I told her in so many words that I’m pretending to be something I’m not comfortable being. My mom was, ‘I’m not OK with this’,” he said.  Much has changed. Bensimon began to transition in his 30s. A diminutive man with a neatly trimmed beard proudly wearing a sash proclaiming him “Mr Black Trans Kansas 2019”, he now has a name reflecting his gender. He describes his mother as very supportive in recent years.  But to this day, his Kansas birth certificate says that he is female.  For Bensimon, having the state effectively deciding who and what he is was an intolerable position. When he goes for a job, he’s required to prove he is a US citizen. The birth certificate he has to give to HR outs him in what is all too often a hostile world.  “You’ve got the dead name [the name before transition] and then the gender. You might have been living for God knows how many years as the gender you were meant to be. But you turn in that birth certificate and they’re just like, ‘Who is this?’,” said Bensimon.  That is finally about to change in Kansas. Earlier this month, Governor Laura Kelly said it was time for the state “to move past its outdated and discriminatory anti-transgender policy”. After years of resistance to change by Republican governors, the Democrat elected to the state’s top office last year withdrew opposition to a lawsuit by Bensimon and others seeking the right to say what is on their birth certificates.  “People say I’m just trying to erase the past. No, I’m not. But I can’t play a role I’m not meant to play. I’m a bad actor,” said Bensimon. “It’s important. Maybe not for some people but it is for me.”  Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, a lawyer at Lambda Legal who has fought an array of cases on behalf of LGBT people, said Kelly’s decision leaves only Ohio and Tennessee as the outliers in refusing to allow transgender people to amend the record of their birth (Gonzalez-Pagan has filed lawsuits against both remaining states).  “The birth certificate is the quintessential document that is used for pretty much every aspect of your life. If you don’t have a passport, the way you get employment is by showing your driver’s licence and your birth certificate. Having a mismatch between your identity documents really exposes transgender people to discrimination when it comes to employment, education and everyday parts of their lives,” he said.  Nyla Foster, who grew up in Kansas City where she works for a homeless charity, also took on the state. She is quick to say that she was not looking to change her birth certificate but to correct it. Foster said the gender was wrong from the day her mother filled it out 30 years ago and ticked the box saying her child was male.  Foster told her family in her early teens that she did not feel like a boy. She decided to let the rest of her world know during Spirit Week, a tradition in many American high schools built around themes that often involve dressing up.  “One of the days was gender switch day where the boys dress like girls and the girls dress like boys. That was the day I decided to come out,” said Foster. Typically boys put on a wig or a skirt for laughs. Foster arrived at school in a bra and makeup, and with her hair styled.  “My gender switch was very serious, it was very intentional. I looked like a natural girl. It wasn’t comedic. It wasn’t drag queen looking. It was very passable. Folks were confused. Gawking and staring. The administration said I was a disruption to the learning environment and escorted me home,” she said.  But Foster had broken a barrier and arrived at school the next day dressed the same way. “I was sent home. Just leave. Eventually they suspended me and put me in an after-school programme, just me and a teacher. It was isolation basically. I was 14,” she said.  Foster describes that isolation as traumatising and said it contributed to a struggle to establish a normal life that at one point resulted in homelessness. Foster was able to change her driving licence but that wasn’t good enough when applying for a job because it doesn’t establish a right to live and work in the US. Without a passport, she was obliged to show her birth certificate.  “When I show a birth certificate that has my dead name that has a male sex on it, they are: ‘Wait. Is this fraudulent? Is this real? Who is this person?’ It’s a piece of documentation that subjects me to discrimination. It outs me by having to present a document that I can’t change,” she said.  Foster said forcible outing exposes her to harassment and violence.  “It’s retraumatising. You never know who you’re going to get. This is not a country where everyone’s understanding, especially if you sound, act or look different. You’re just subjected to how that person’s going to respond,” she said. “There’s an epidemic of violence against trans women. Every time I walk out the house I put myself in danger.”  Two days after Kelly announced the policy change, an African American trans woman was found murdered on the Missouri side of Kansas City. The police said the circumstances were unclear but Brooklyn Lindsey, 32, appeared to have been shot in the face. Neighbours reported hearing an argument followed by gunfire in the middle of the night.  The LGBT rights group the Human Rights Campaign has warned that the murder of transgender people is on the rise. Last year, one trans woman was killed every two weeks, the majority of them black. This year, two murders within a fortnight in Dallas have shaken the transgender community. One of the victims, Muhlaysia Booker, had been badly beaten a few weeks earlier in an attack described by Dallas’s mayor, Mike Rawlings, as “mob violence”.  Bensimon has turned his house in Topeka into a refuge for vulnerable younger transgender people, eight of whom live with him and call him dad. He said he feels particularly vulnerable to abuse and violence by other African Americans.  “It’s horrible to say. A lot of times when I was in school and I was teased, it wasn’t the white kids teasing me. It just wasn’t. It was my own. That’s where a lot of my non-acceptance comes from even today. I’m very ashamed to say that. But it is what it is. It’s true. It’s real,” he said.  The new policy on birth certificates holds out a different kind of hope for Jessica Hicklin. At 40, she has spent her entire adult life in male prisons for a drug-related murder she committed at 16. Hicklin’s transition and evolution as a woman has taken place entirely behind bars under the gaze of guards and prisoners who frequently showed little understanding or sympathy, at least until more recently.  “When I first came to the department of corrections I wasn’t identified as trans. I was identified as homosexual because that was what they understood. I was thrown in one of the most violent wings that existed in the department at the time because ‘you people, we don’t have to protect because you know you’re not really normal’. I spent the first couple of years being sexually assaulted and it was bad,” she said.  Hicklin, who was born in Kansas but jailed in Missouri, made history last year when she won a federal case forcing the prison system to provide her with the necessary medical treatment to transition. She has now been on hormones for 16 months and more than a dozen other prisoners in Missouri are doing the same.  By then, the greater understanding of transgender people on the outside was influencing attitudes in prison. “There’s been this big change. There are more guards that are supportive of me as a trans woman than are against,” she said.  Hicklin relates the example of two guards using the cover of a routine search to make fun of the women’s underwear she is now permitted to buy from the prison shop.  “They were, ‘We can’t believe this man would have this bra’. There were so many staff members who stood up for me and told them, ‘You can’t do that’,” she said.  Official attitudes have also evolved. Missouri now requires guards to call her Ms Hicklin.  The opportunity to amend her birth Kansas birth certificate potentially opens the way for Hicklin to be moved to a women’s prison inside the Missouri system. She becomes emotional as she describes what it means to her. “If nothing else your government’s not going to be the one telling you that you don’t exist or you’re not a real person. So it’s huge,” she said.  The longer term hangs on another legal change. Hicklin was sentenced to life without parole plus 100 years for the murder at 16 of her dealer after using methamphetamine – a killing she said she lives to atone for. “I’ve regretted it from the first day. It was my horrible choices and I’ve always stood accountable. I try to live my life reflective of that. I’m trying to make up for something you can never fix,” she said.  In 2012, the US supreme court ruled that life sentences without the possibility of release for juveniles were unconstitutional. Hicklin will now be able to apply for parole next year, after 25 years in prison.  The next challenge for Bensimon is to persuade Topeka’s city council to fall in line with other municipalities in Kansas and across the US by including protections for transgender people in anti-discriminatory ordinances.  “We’ve got a lot of people on city council that will not budge. You cannot discriminate against race, creed, colour. But you’re still allowed to discrimination against people on gender identity and gender expression,” he said. “This is a very conservative part of Kansas. Even the Democrats here are conservative. For years they were against racial equality. They only just come around to equality for women. When we say, all we’re looking for is equality, we’re being murdered because of who we are, stand up for us. All they say is, it’s always been this way.”


thehuffingtonpost--2019-06-28--California Set To Become First State To Ban Hair Discrimination

California lawmakers have passed a bill protecting black people from hair discrimination, potentially making it the first state to do so.  The state Assembly passed the CROWN Act on Thursday, two months after it passed in the state Senate. It now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for signing.  The legislation, proposed by state Sen. Holly Mitchell (D), a black woman, would outlaw policies that punish black employees and K-12 students for wearing their natural hair. Workplaces and public schools would be prohibited from enforcing grooming policies that disproportionately affect people of color, specifically black people who wear braids, dreadlocks and Afros.  Historically, black men and women are reprimanded in workplaces and classrooms nationwide for wearing hairstyles unique to their culture. Society has often viewed what’s acceptable for black people through a white, Eurocentric lens, labeling locs and Afros as unprofessional or “unkempt.”  “Eurocentric standards of beauty have established the very underpinnings of what was acceptable and attractive in the media, in academic settings and in the workplace,” said Mitchell, according to the Los Angeles Times. “So even though African Americans were no longer explicitly excluded from the workplace, black features and mannerisms remained unacceptable and ‘unprofessional.’”  Mitchell proposed the bill after Chastity Jones, a black woman from Alabama, asked the U.S. Supreme Court last year to hear her case about a company that rescinded her job offer because she would not cut her dreadlocks. Jones, who complained to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, said that a white human resources manager told her that her locs were against company policy since they “tend to get messy.”  Under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, it’s illegal to discriminate in employment practices based on certain protected categories, including race. Mitchell’s bill would provide that the definition of race under this law also include traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective styles.  California would become the first state to ban natural hair discrimination. New York City implemented such a ban in February, saying hairstyles are protected under the city’s anti-discrimination laws because trying to control black hair is considered a form of racism.


theindependent--2019-05-01--Kofi Kingston on how being WWE champion helps to combat racism and discrimination in sports entertai

Kofi Kingston on how being WWE champion helps to combat racism and discrimination in sports entertainment

WWE champion Kofi Kingston is confident the company can lead the way in the battle against racism and discrimination in sports and entertainment.  With a spate of recent examples, discrimination remains an all-too palpable blight across many an industry.  Last weekend saw football players in England introduce a social media boycott in protest over a perceived lack of action by the game's governing bodies to combat racism.  Earlier this year, England cricket captain Joe Root hit out at West Indian star Shannon Gabriel for using a homophobic slur, while Australian rugby star Israel Folau was condemned for use of anti-gay remarks on social media.  The US-based juggernaut isn't without its own critics, with bosses forced to defend the staging of shows in Saudi Arabia in recent years without the presence of any of its female stars in favour of a broader, longer-term aim for progress in the region.  But with pressure mounting on sport and entertainment in general to do more, Kingston has insisted WWE can play its part.  Real name Kofi Sarkodie-Mensah, he has been one of sports entertainment's most prominent stars, and is its current WWE Champion.  The 37-year-old is seen as something as a trailblazer, not simply for being an African American himself, but for his candid demeanour and relentless work-rate.  The Independent spoke exclusively to Kingston and touched on WWE's role and responsibilities in battling discrimination, with a global weekly television audience of millions and another sell-out European tour on the way.  He admitted it is vital that the company's storylines and presentation offers true "representation", saying: "WWE is a huge, international entity and we are trying more and more to have more representation.  "You have people of all different backgrounds who have been in the top position; Jinder Mahal being WWE Champion and so many others.  "Obviously, myself being a person of African American descent, being on screen and having representation, it is so important.  "It is so important for people to look at the screen and see other people who look like them doing great things.  "I take a lot of pride in being somebody that people like me can look to, and believe in themselves because they see me doing things on television that they thought they'd never see.  "For me to be able to motivate people of all different ages, genders, backgrounds and body types, I really take a lot of pride [in it]."  WWE is rarely shy in pushing boundaries with the storylines shown in its programming, but has stopped short of implementing a feud based purely on race.  While understandably admitting that any such content would need to be handled with extreme care, Kingston was open to WWE crossing that line in the future in order to help present the modern-day realities of such situations.  "Personally, it just depends on how we tell the story," he went on to say.  "We tell a lot of stories and that's what makes us different from any other form of entertainment; our ability to tell stories.  "People come to WWE to have the stories told to them, so we always try and do the best job that we can.  "In being sensitive to people who may be offended, or not, we just try and do the best job we can to try and provide some sort of entertainment.  "In doing so, we provide a situation where certain people can identify with the characters on screen; I think that's one of the best things about WWE."  WWE Champion Kofi Kingston and a host of your favourite WWE Superstars will touring the UK on 8-17 May, Visit Ticketmaster and get your tickets for a show near you.


theindependent--2019-06-26--Womenaposs World Cup Fifa referee chief Pierluigi Collina dismisses VAR discrimination claims

Women's World Cup: Fifa referee chief Pierluigi Collina dismisses VAR discrimination claims

Pierluigi Collina has dismissed the suggestion that VAR has favoured European teams at the Women’s World Cup, insisting that all Fifa referees officiate fairly.  This World Cup’s quarter-finals will be contested between seven European teams and the United States, all while the debate rages over the use of VAR and newly-introduced rule changes.  The biggest refereeing controversy of the tournament so far came on Sunday, with Cameroon’s angry protests against the officiating in their defeat to England.  Despite the decisions in that game being correct, reports emerged that some Cameroon players felt they were the victims of racism. Head coach Alain Djeumfa played down those suggestions.  At a Fifa briefing on refereeing and VAR in Paris on Wednesday, Collina was asked whether it was “circumstantial” that African, Asian and South American teams had been “victims” of VAR.  “Concerning complaints coming from continents or other continents: honestly, for us there are six continents,” said the chairman of Fifa’s referees committee.  “All the teams coming from the six continents are important for us, deserving our maximum attention. And then everyone is free to complain if they wish.  “What is important is to complain based on facts. If there are no facts, I have nothing to say.”  However, the Italian refused to be drawn on reports that referee Liang Qin ignored VAR advice on two late decisions in order to prevent further angering the Cameroon players.  “This has nothing to do with the percentage, with accuracy,” he said, referring back to Fifa’s statistics that 98.18 per cent of VAR calls at the World Cup to date have been correct.  “This is what was used in the decision making process so this belongs to the referee to our analysis with the referees and this is not part of press conference matters.”


theindependent--2019-11-21--Qatar World Cup 2022 will be a 'discrimination-free' tournament, promises Gianni Infantino

Gianni Infantino is confident Qatar will deliver a “discrimination-free” World Cup when it gets under way in three years’ time.  Football’s showpiece event will kick off at the Lusail Stadium in Doha on November 21, 2022, and all eyes will be on the Gulf state after more than a decade of debate and controversy.  One area of major concern has been how such a conservative country will welcome LGBT supporters. Qatar 2022 organising committee chief executive Nasser Al Khater has stated that public displays of affection are “frowned upon” in the country, but insists that applies to people of all genders and sexual orientation.  But just as the 2018 World Cup in Russia was not blighted by racism as many had feared beforehand, so FIFA president Infantino believes Qatar will be an “inclusive” experience.  He said: “Every single fan will be welcome and this is not only the FIFA president saying that, but a full commitment made by our partners in Qatar.  “In accordance with our statutes and policies, it is our responsibility to ensure a discrimination-free World Cup and in the past years we have been working, together with Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, on a list of measures that will ensure an inclusive experience for everyone.  “There were also questions ahead of the World Cup in Russia and we did not hear of a single case of discrimination – a positive outcome that resulted from the work done ahead of the event and the ability that the World Cup has to bring people together. “  The run-up to the tournament has been dogged by allegations of corruption in the bidding process, and the decision to move the event to the European winter to avoid 40 degrees-plus temperatures in Qatar’s summer is forcing a rewriting of domestic calendars for the 2022-23 season at least.  Infantino insists that decision was taken with player welfare in mind.  “The change in the dates is to guarantee something that is of utmost importance for us – the well-being of the players,” he added.  “Since then the match calendar has been adopted in consultation with the international football community and we will continue to work together to address challenges.  “It is also important to remember that the calendar is different in other parts of the world, or that fans in the southern hemisphere will also have for once the chance to enjoy World Cup public viewings and celebrate in the streets when it’s summer for them.”  Infantino believes 2022 will be a unique World Cup experience, and sees the fact that all the action will be centred in the capital Doha as an advantage for players, fans and media. There were criticisms over the size of the crowds during the World Athletics Championships in the city earlier this year, but Infantino believes the local community will be “completely taken” with the World Cup.  “This will be a World Cup of firsts – the first to be held in the Arab world, in a Muslim-majority country, in the most compact area since the inaugural edition in 1930 (which was played in Uruguay),” Infantino added.  “There is so much culture, history, natural and man-made attractions in this region; but, most importantly, love for the game. I am sure that at the end of the tournament we will be talking about how this World Cup helped change perceptions and opened the door to a fascinating part of the world.  “Doha will be completely taken by this joyful, thrilling World Cup atmosphere, with matches, entertainment and accommodation all concentrated in a small area, allowing fans to enjoy their experience to the fullest, including watching more than one match on the same day.  “For the teams, not having to travel between host cities will mean more time to rest and train, leading to even better performance on the pitch. I can’t wait.”


theindependent--2019-12-07--Our job is to help victims of domestic violence, but we still face bullying and discrimination at wo

Our job is to help victims of domestic violence, but we still face bullying and discrimination at work

Workplace bullying, precarious contracts, low pay, racism, transphobia, mental health crises; you don’t have to look far to find all of these issues in many workplaces up and down the UK. But where you might not expect to find them is in the sector fighting gender-based violence against women and girls.  In our sector, each workplace claims to be run by feminists and to be built on the principles of social justice and empowerment – but this is far from the truth. And that's why on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we – a group of workers from a range of specialist sexual violence and domestic violence organisations – launched the first ever trade union for our workplaces to challenge these injustices.  The VAWG and GBV Workers Union is a part of the independent trade union United Voices of the World (UVW), a grassroots, member-led trade union which supports workers traditionally seen as “unorganisable” by older and larger trade unions.  When we first came together to discuss the possibility of forming a union, it became clear we were facing some common issues. The most vital roles are being filled by workers on freelance contracts or agency workers, perniciously stripped of their holiday and sickness pay, pensions, supervision and peer support. Our so-called "inclusive" organisations are denying services to transgender and non-binary survivors of violence. Sex work is stigmatised to the point that sex workers are deterred from accessing the support they need.  Of course, being aware of their duties under the Equality Act, many bosses in our organisations take great steps to hide these matters from the public – but we see it happen. We see the way that services speak up (or not) for migrant survivors. We see it in the way the women's sector in Britain has accepted and implemented a two-tier system of domestic violence support set by the Home Office "hostile environment" policy that denies migrant women access to public funds and public services.  And it is not just survivors who are excluded: services are often run by middle-class white women with racist, classist and ableist hiring practices, replicating the deep inequalities of our society they say they are seeking to address.  Our sector prides itself on understanding the mechanisms of abuse and control, yet abusive hierarchies in its workplaces still go unchallenged. We work in a sector that replicates the dynamics of abuse that we spend our days fighting against. Every single one of us has talked of bullying from bosses and senior managers. Workers publicly shamed in offices, shouted at, humiliated and pitted against each other. One organisation talked of a pattern of bosses turning against individual members of staff, one by one, bullying workers so intensely that they felt they had no choice but to leave; this tactic is cheaper than making staff redundant. Another organisation talked of a “culture of fear”.  Meanwhile, austerity has decimated funding for therapy and advocacy services for women and girls. We find ourselves in a marketplace where organisations have to bid low for contracts and sign up to unrealistic targets. A lot of funding is now geared towards short-term, smaller projects, some of which are intended specifically to support marginalised survivors – and rightly so. But when those bids are won, the money is often being funnelled back into core services, leaving marginalised groups ignored.  We know that the current political climate requires services to constantly innovate or manipulate simply to survive, but we still believe it's right to call out these problems where we see them. As large-scale organisations continue to secure contract after contract, we are also seeing smaller “by and for” organisations lose out at the risk of total collapse. Earlier this year, London Black Women’s Project nearly lost contracts for several refuges providing support to black and minority survivors. As we see it, this in itself is a form of systemic racism and should be recognised as such.  Speaking out is not easy. Even in exercising our right to unionise (something a feminist sector should ostensibly support) we have been terrified to make our voices heard. We know we will be accused of disloyalty, of not caring about the impact this could have on the work we do, and the survivors we support.  That couldn’t be further from the truth: we are doing this because we care and because our rights and voices matter, as workers, as survivors and as people. Our organisations are built on the idea that speaking out about abuse is the way to affect change. The irony that we are being frightened into silence is not lost on us. We are breaking the silence and taking our power back.  We want an end to bullying, systemic racism, ableism and transphobia. We want trans-inclusive services, for both workers and survivors. We want an end to precarious contracts, low wages and anti-feminist policies. We want an end to the scarcity of financial resources that have caused a race to the bottom that leaves specialist services, especially those created by and for black and ethnic minority women and girls, struggling to survive. We want to be free to build creative, inclusive and transformative services for all survivors.  Most of all, we want our workers to join us and help us shape a movement built on solidarity and collective care. Because our work matters now more than ever.


thetelegraph--2019-12-09--Discrimination in the spotlight after weekend of shame as campaigners call on football to launch joi

Discrimination in the spotlight after weekend of shame as campaigners call on football to launch joint assault on racism and homophobia

Campaigners called on football to launch a joint assault on racism and homophobia after four investigations were launched into allegations of discrimination at Premier League matches.  In one, a 13-year-old Burnley supporter was removed by Tottenham Hotspur stewards for what was said to be a racist gesture at Spurs striker Son Heung-min.  Brighton confirmed that two men had been ejected from the away section at the Amex Stadium and arrested on suspicion of using homophobic gestures during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Wolves. Everton launched an investigation into a claim of homophobic chanting aimed at Chelsea fans on Saturday.  Manchester City continue to work with police after a video circulated appearing to show a home supporter aiming monkey chants at Manchester United’s Fred.  Anthony Burke, a 41-year-old Army veteran from Manchester, was bailed pending further investigations, and defended himself against accusations of racism on social media, saying he was “putting my hands in my pants”.  Kick It Out said the catalogue of complaints over the weekend proved football needed to work together. “We welcome the strong and swift responses from all the clubs affected by discrimination this weekend – and applaud those who reported abuse,” the campaign group said. “It is disappointing abuse continues, but only further highlights the need for everyone in football to work together to combat discrimination. Those responsible should face appropriate sanctions and, where possible, education.”


thetorontostar--2019-11-09--MLK daughter slams Comcast over racial discrimination suit

ATLANTA - A daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has sent a letter to Comcast executives in which she accuses the company of trying to “dismantle” a law barring racial discrimination.  The letter released Saturday from the Rev. Bernice King addresses a $20 billion lawsuit from comedian and media mogul Byron Allen that is headed to the U.S. Supreme Court . Justices are scheduled to hear arguments in the case Wednesday.  A lower court ruled in favour of Allen, who says Comcast declined to distribute his channels because he’s black.  Justices are weighing whether Allen needs to show that race was just a factor in Comcast’s decision or whether it was the sole factor.  If Comcast wins, the bar will be high to bring and succeed with similar suits.  King says if Comcast wins, “pivotal” anti-discrimination legislation could be compromised.  “Are you prepared to say business decisions based on racism are acceptable if combined with other non-racist reasons?” King wrote to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts.  Comcast has said its decision not to carry Allen’s channels has nothing to do with race. It has called Allen’s content “not particularly high quality.”  “We have been forced to appeal this decision to defend against a meritless $20 billion claim, but have kept our argument narrowly focused,” a Comcast spokesperson said in response to King’s letter. “This case cannot detract from Comcast’s strong civil rights and diversity record or our outstanding record of supporting and fostering diverse programming from African-American owned channels. There has been no finding of discriminatory conduct by Comcast against this plaintiff by any court, and there has been none.”  Get more of the Star in your inbox Never miss the latest news from the Star. Sign up for our newsletters to get today's top stories, your favourite columnists and lots more in your inbox Sign Up Now


vdare--2019-11-10--Davis Polk Hires Black  SJW for M&A—Gets Sued For “Discrimination”

But by Mr. Cardwell's own admission, he's an affirmative action hire, through and through. His federal complaint lists all the standard black "accomplishments": awards for "diversity" and "leadership," membership in (duh) black bar groups, black student groups, etc.  Nowhere does he mention his law school grades.  His real goal isn't the careful handling of mergers and acquisitions, but social justice war.  Cardwell might have been warned: Biglaw firms are shot-through with competitive stress for anyone of any race. They chew up and spit out some of the smartest and talented people around.  Cardwell was likely told, all his life, what a winner he was. The slights he recounts in his 86-page complaint [ PDF ] are of the mundane sort experienced by anyone at a law firm, and his sensitivity to such things as "I didn't get an e-mail response!" just scream "entitled millennial."  There is some deliciousness in watching elite institutions that prattle on their webpages about their "commitment to diversity" getting nipped at by lawsuits like Cardwell's.  What it demonstrates is that whites, try hard as they might, will NEVER satisfy the prickly pride of black agitators. Cardwell was swimming in waters he couldn't swim, and now wants to blame "racism" for his face-plant.  The real victim of discrimination isn't Cardwell. It's the white law student who didn't get hired so that he could.


vdare--2019-12-15--Corporate Anti-Discrimination Lawsuits, AKA "Black Retirement Planning"

Discrimination lawsuits alleging racism by deep-pocketed corporations (a.k.a., Black Retirement Planning) are a popular topic for credulous news articles. A recent innovation has been black customers citing black employees’ statements about how the black customers are being discriminated against as proof, such as in the Naperville Buffalo Wild Wings brouhaha.  And now the New York Times is extremely worked up because a black employee of JPMorgan told a black customer that he shouldn’t demand to be served by somebody else because the white employees are racist against him:  This Is What Racism Sounds Like in the Banking Industry A JPMorgan employee and a customer secretly recorded their conversations with bank employees. Jimmy Kennedy earned $13 million during his nine-year career as a player in the National Football League. He was the kind of person most banks would be happy to have as a client. But when Mr. Kennedy tried to become a “private client” at JPMorgan Chase, an elite designation that would earn him travel discounts, exclusive event invitations and better deals on loans, he kept getting the runaround. At first, he didn’t understand why. Then, last fall, he showed up at his local JPMorgan branch in Arizona, and an employee offered an explanation. “You’re bigger than the average person, period. And you’re also an African-American,” the employee, Charles Belton, who is black, told Mr. Kennedy. “We’re in Arizona. I don’t have to tell you about what the demographics are in Arizona. They don’t see people like you a lot.” Mr. Kennedy recorded the conversation and shared it with The New York Times. It’s no secret that racism has been baked into the American banking system. There are few black executives in the upper echelons of most financial institutions. Leading banks have recently paid restitution to black employees for isolating them from white peers, placing them in the poorest branches and cutting them off from career opportunities. Black customers are sometimes profiled, viewed with suspicion just for entering a bank and questioned over the most basic transactions. This year, researchers for the National Bureau of Economic Research found that black mortgage borrowers were charged higher interest rates than white borrowers and were denied mortgages that would have been approved for white applicants.  As we all know, the 2008 mortgage meltdown was due to not lending enough money to minorities.  Banks, including JPMorgan, say they are committed to eradicating the legacy of racism. And they insist that any lingering side effects simply reflect stubborn socioeconomic imbalances in society as a whole, not racial bias among their employees. What recently transpired inside a cluster of JPMorgan branches in the Phoenix area suggests that is not true. Mr. Kennedy was told he was essentially too black.  By another black. Who wanted Mr. Kennedy to retain him as his banker rather than to switch to a white banker.  But who cares about the details of who said what to whom?


breitbart--2019-10-09--Elizabeth Warren Touts Plan to Address 'Environmental Racism'

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on Wednesday unveiled her plan to address “environmental injustice” and “environmental racism,” which includes a $1 trillion investment into minority communities affected by “industrial pollution.”  Warren argues that “justice” plays a massive role in properly addressing the climate change “crisis,” citing studies that suggest that black and Hispanic families are disproportionately affected by air pollution caused by white people:  Warren calls this phenomenon “environmental racism” and concludes that “environmental injustice is the result of decades of discrimination and environmental racism compounding in communities that have been overlooked for too long.”  She previewed her plan in a video clip featuring far-left “Squad” member Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).  “We need a government that’s on the side of families—not giant corporations polluting our communities. @RashidaTlaib and I walked through 48217, the most polluted zip code in Michigan, and talked with the families living every day with the effects of pollution,” Warren tweeted alongside the clip:  Like Warren’s other proposals, her environmental injustice plan weaves in aspects of her other campaign promises. For instance, Warren says her housing plan will provide an assistance program, aimed to get impoverished families out of poor, pollution-ridden neighborhoods and into the “neighborhood of their choice.”  She also pledges to invest one-third – or $1 trillion – of her climate change investment “into the most vulnerable communities,” although she does not specify what the $1 trillion will be spent on, specifically.  Like most of Warren’s plans, her environmental injustice proposal involves the implementation of another tax. In this instance, it is the “Superfund Waste Tax.”  There are over 1300 remaining Superfund sites across the country, many located in or adjacent to frontline communities. So-called “orphan” toxic waste clean-ups were originally funded by a series of excise taxes on the petroleum and chemical industries. But thanks to Big Oil and other industry lobbyists, when that tax authority expired in 1995 it was not renewed. Polluters must pay for the consequences of their actions – not leave them for the communities to clean up. I’ll work with Congress to reinstate and then triple the Superfund tax, generating needed revenue to clean up the mess.  The presidential hopeful even weaves in Medicare for All as part of her broader proposal, arguing such a system will “make it easier for the federal government to quickly tailor health care responses to specific environmental disasters in affected communities when they occur.”  Warren also reiterates her pledge to “ensure that employers and our government honor the promises they made to workers in fossil fuel industries.”  “I’ve fought for years to protect pensions and health benefits for retired coal workers, and I’ll continue fighting to maintain the solvency of multi-employer pension plans,” she said. “As president, I’ll protect those benefits that fossil fuel workers have earned.”  However, Warren’s role in crafting a petition to the Supreme Court on behalf of LTV Steel – which helped the company’s “fight against a congressional requirement that it pay millions of dollars into a fund for its retired coal miners’ health care” – calls her promise into question.  “As I’ve traveled this country, I’ve heard the human stories from frontline communities. Families where many people have cancer. Coastal communities facing the threat of rising sea levels. Ruined land and poisoned water,” Warren tweeted.  “These communities need justice—and I will stand with them,” she added:


dailyheraldchicago--2019-11-05--Attorney urges Buffalo Wild Wings 'to stand up to racism' after Naperville incident

The attorney for families who say their multiracial group was asked to change seats in a Naperville restaurant because two white patrons didn't want to sit next to them is urging Buffalo Wild Wings to take steps to ensure something like this never happens again.  "We're looking to try and make sure that we do everything we can to keep the lines of communication open with Buffalo Wild Wings because we are hoping -- in fact, we are expecting -- that they will be good corporate citizens and that they will take this opportunity to do the right thing," attorney Cannon Lambert said Tuesday at a news conference in Aurora. "They have an opportunity to be trailblazers right now where they can show other corporate community participants what it is to stand up to racism."  Lambert said family members were not surprised that the company fired the two managers involved in the case or that the company has indicated it will institute sensitivity training, They are, however, surprised such training wasn't already in place.  Lambert said the families do not plan to take legal action because "there is no need to file a lawsuit if there's no disagreement" that what happened was wrong.  "We are looking to change things," Lambert said. "There is no question about the fact that they (Buffalo Wild Wings) need to be held accountable. But that does not mean that it has to come in the form of a lawsuit."  Lambert did, however, outline how the company should respond, including: • Inform potential employees there is a corporate expectation they will be racially sensitive while on the job. • Ensure the company's employee handbook makes clear there is zero tolerance for racial bigotry and clearly define that zero tolerance means employees will be terminated for bigoted conduct.  On Tuesday, a Buffalo Wild Wings spokeswoman said in an email that the company believes it can "fully and positively address the requests that were made" during the news conference.  "We look forward to having a productive conversation with the guests," the email reads. "We've reached out and are awaiting responses, so that we can establish an ongoing and open dialogue."  Late last month, Mary and Justin Vahl of Montgomery posted on social media about the encounter they say took place Oct. 26 at the Buffalo Wild Wings on 75th Street in Naperville.  They said they were part of a party of 18 diners, most of them black, that was asked to move because two patrons didn't want to sit near them.  On Tuesday, as children who were there stood behind him, Justin Vahl talked about what happened when they arrived at the restaurant after a day of playing basketball and celebrating one of the kids' birthdays.  Vahl said the group's table was being prepared when a host came up and asked, "What race are you?"  "I was appalled," he said. "I was astonished."  Vahl said he asked why it mattered, and the host said their table was next to two longtime customers who didn't want to sit near black people.  When their group began to sit down, Vahl didn't know what to say "because nothing like this has ever happened," he said.  Vahl said everyone in the group could tell there was tension in the room.  "That racist customer continued to look back at us and give us some dirty looks," Vahl said. "We did not speak with him, but we could tell that he did not want us there."  A couple minutes later, one of the managers told the group they were being moved because their table was reserved for someone else.  At that point, Marcus Riley of Bolingbrook said he refused to move "because of the color of my skin."  Riley said the manager had a discussion with the other customer. A second manager joined that conversation.  Eventually, both managers returned. After speaking to the managers, Riley said, he and other members of the group decided it was time to leave, even though their drinks and appetizers had arrived.  As their group left, Riley said, many staff members appeared to be embarrassed.  "One of the staff members was in tears, crying as we're walking out," he said.  Riley, who coaches and mentors the kids, said the hardest part was explaining to them what happened. He said none of the children are older than 12, and some are as young as 5.  When some of the kids asked if they were getting kicked out, Riley said he told them no.  "We're just not spending our money here," he recalled saying. "We're not appreciated here."  The restaurant chain has since fired the employees -- whom it did not name -- and said in a statement it "values an inclusive environment and has zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind."  A representative said Buffalo Wild Wings has been in contact with the adults in the group of 18 "to understand their account of what happened and to offer our deepest apologies for any unacceptable behavior."  The chain said the customer who made the complaint has been permanently banned from every Buffalo Wild Wings location nationwide and the company will hold additional sensitivity and diversity training at all Chicago-area locations.  Lambert said his clients want to have a continued dialogue with Buffalo Wild Wings to ensure that changes are made.  "That's why we want to be at the table," Lambert said. "We want to make sure that we can hold them accountable. We want to watch their training. We want to play a role in their training."  Michael Childress, president of the DuPage County NAACP, said he is bringing the issue to the attention of state and national leaders in the organization, hoping it will take up the cause against discriminatory treatment he believes is a pattern.  Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico said he reached out to the Vahls to apologize and to tell them "how you responded was the best way you could."


dailyheraldchicago--2019-11-26--Rev. Jesse Jackson to DuPage leaders: 'Racism hurts the racist and the victim'

The Rev. Jesse Jackson met with DuPage County religious, educational and law enforcement leaders from diverse communities Tuesday to promote healing and peace after two high-profile occurrences of racial unrest in Naperville.  His visit addressed both the situation Oct. 26 at Buffalo Wild Wings in Naperville -- in which a multiracial group of 18 was asked to move because restaurant staffers said two white customers did not want to sit by them -- and a Craigslist post by a white 14-year-old Naperville Central High School student -- who now is facing hate crimes charges -- that showed a black student and said "Slave for Sale (NAPERVILLE)."  Jackson called the recent occurrences "a wake-up call" of the problems "inherent in our times."  "I challenge us to learn to live together -- that takes effort," he said.  Jackson, a longtime civil rights leader who runs the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said racism is a belief system that falsely claims one group is superior and one is inferior. He challenged the audience of roughly 50 people at Cantigny Park Golf Club in Wheaton to provide better education against racism, which he called "ungodly" and illegal.  "Racism hurts the racist and the victim," he said, asking the audience to repeat his words. "We must teach our children better."  Jackson's message promoting anti-racism education was exactly what two Naperville parents said they wanted after instances of such bias affected their children in Naperville Unit District 203.  But Baker and fellow parent Tamara Wallace said the work toward change must continue after the speech Jackson gave Tuesday, when he addressed leaders invited by DuPage African Methodist Episcopal Church and Unity Partnership, a group that works to promote youth development, outreach and relationships between law enforcement and minority communities.  "This is not going to be enough," Wallace said. "This can be a steppingstone, but if it's not a consistent walk, it's not going to be enough."  Wallace, whose teenage son's image was shown in the "Slave for Sale" post, said her son has continued to be "harassed" by peers after the post, with some now trying to paint the student who made the post as the victim. She said her son feels overwhelmed by what has happened, but she will continue teaching him to love, not hate.  Wallace also said she hopes the racist post can shed light on what administrators in District 203 have called an uptick in use of racial slurs among middle school and high school students this year.  During a forum last week, Rakeda Leaks, District 203's executive director of diversity and inclusion, said the increase seems tied to white students using a vulgar racially-charged word after being given a figurative "pass" from black students.  But Wallace said she challenges that explanation, as she doubts any black students have given white students permission to use a racial slur. She said black students in some cases put up with disparaging statements because they don't see adults addressing the behavior.  "They're numb," Wallace said. "They don't like it, but they're taking it."  Jackson said it's time to choose unity over divisiveness to recover from a "very dangerous and very violent" environment in society as a whole.  "We need help, and we need help from each other," he said. "We have to change the narrative."  District 203 Superintendent Dan Bridges was among a panel of eight who joined Jackson in speaking during what was called a "Leadership Forum to Address Community Concerns and to Promote Peace." He said the racist post has served to "wake us up" to the need to do better.  "I'm not proud of the fact there are students who are walking in our hallways today that are subjected to racism, discrimination or hatred," Bridges said. "I'm asking for your help as a community to ensure that every child who walks in the halls of our schools has an opportunity to grow, has an opportunity to learn, has an opportunity to feel safe."  Regina Brent, founder and president of Unity Partnership, said she's confident Jackson's presence and outreach in DuPage County will be effective as leaders look for solutions in a "very respectful and dignified manner."  "He's considered our leader of the African American community," Brent said, "and right now, people are hurting and they need healing."  A variety of Naperville groups also were gathering Tuesday night along the downtown Riverwalk for what organizers called a "Hate Has No Home Here" rally in response to the recent cases in the city.


eveningstandard--2019-01-15--Chelsea subject of Uefa racism probe over alleged anti-Semitic song about Tottenham during Europa Le

Chelsea subject of Uefa racism probe over alleged anti-Semitic song about Tottenham during Europa League match

Disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Chelsea over allegations of racist chanting at their Europa League match against Vidi in December.  Uefa announced the news on Tuesday morning, based on "the report submitted by the Uefa Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector commissioned to conduct an investigation".  During the game with Vidi in Hungary it was alleged a number of Chelsea fans sung a derogatory song about Tottenham featuring anti-Semitic language.  Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck condemned the actions of "a few mindless individuals at some of our recent matches" and added the club "will not rest until we have eliminated all forms of discrimination from our club".  This page is being updated…


eveningstandard--2019-02-07--The FA must close stadiums and ban clubs over racism says Piara Powar

The FA must close stadiums and ban clubs over racism, says Piara Powar

The FA must consider closing stadiums and banning clubs after a “shocking” number of incidents of racism this season, according to anti-discrimination campaigner Piara Powar.  West Ham and the police are investigating after a video emerged in which a man can be heard directing Islamophobic abuse at Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.  The abuse, which took place as Salah prepared to take a corner during Monday’s 1-1 draw at the London Stadium, is the latest racist incident at London clubs.  In December Raheem Sterling was abused by a Chelsea fan during a match at Stamford Bridge, a week after a Tottenham fan threw a banana skin at Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The FA has also opened a probe into alleged racist chanting from a section of Millwall supporters during their 3-2 FA Cup win over Everton last month.  Powar, executive director of the anti-discrimination body FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe), said: “The number and frequency of recent incidents at London clubs is quite shocking.  “I do not think it is a crisis for multicultural London but it may be a crisis for football and the way it is dealing with these issues. What I think is missing is firmer action by the FA. They must use the powers they have to close stadiums and ban and fine clubs. FA regulations allow for it but these measures are never used.”


eveningstandard--2019-02-19--Sadiq Khan A tragedy that should still inspire us to fight racism

Sadiq Khan: A tragedy that should still inspire us to fight racism

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Macpherson Report into the handling of the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence. The report, which found the Metropolitan police to be institutionally racist, was a landmark moment in the history of race relations in our country. It had a transformative effect on policing and on how we view discrimination and prejudice across society.  I was 22 when Stephen Lawrence was killed. We both grew up in south London and his murder deeply affected me, my family and my friends and sent shockwaves through London’s diverse communities. It shaped our understanding of injustice and inequality and confirmed just how deep racism can run if left unchecked.  The London that my two daughters have grown up in is better than the one I experienced, growing up a stone’s throw from where they have. That’s why, as Londoners, we owe such a huge debt of gratitude to Doreen Lawrence, the Lawrence family and all those who supported them in their tireless struggle to get justice for Stephen. Thanks to their courage in the face of adversity, the Macpherson inquiry led to crucial laws and policies being changed for the better.  Yet while there’s no doubt that great progress has been made, the job is far from finished. There can be no room for complacency. We need to keep affirming and implementing the actions identified in the Macpherson Report and continue to root out racism, discrimination and inequality from our public institutions and society as a whole. I’ve spent my whole adult life fighting injustice and discrimination, and I’m not about to stop now.  I’m proud of our hard-working and committed police. In recent years — under extraordinarily difficult circumstances and tight financial constraints — they have demonstrated time and again their incredible bravery, professionalism and commitment to keeping us safe. But we still have much more to do to build trust and understanding between the police and London’s diverse communities. That’s why we must continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to racism and discrimination within the Met.  While there has been progress over the past 20 years, I’m working with the Commissioner to go further so we can create a police service that is as diverse as the communities it serves.  Two decades on, Baroness Lawrence’s greatest achievement was convincing many in my generation that a better London was possible. So, on this anniversary, we must all resolve to meet the challenges we still face with a new sense of urgency.  This includes redoubling our efforts to root out the racism and inequality, giving young people of all backgrounds the opportunities they need for a brighter future, and reminding all young Londoners that progress is possible.


eveningstandard--2019-04-11--Labour group in racism and sex harassment storm told to have equality training

The Labour group which controls Enfield council has been told to undergo “equality training” following allegations of racism, sexual harassment and intimidation.  The national party made the recommendation after a four-month investigation into numerous complaints concerning factions in the Enfield Labour Group.  Sources close to the council’s cabinet claimed racism was “out of control” in the north London party. Most recently a councillor was suspended from the group after allegedly sharing an anti-Semitic tweet.  The row is a fresh blow to Labour, which has faced months of criticism over its response to anti-Jewish abuse.  Nine MPs including Enfield North’s Joan Ryan quit the party earlier this year, many of them citing the leadership’s handling of anti-Semitism. Ms Ryan joined the Independent Group of MPs, claiming that Labour had “become infected with the scourge of anti-Jewish racism”.  Rows started in Enfield after elections last summer when it was claimed that five black councillors seeking reselection were deselected.  Several members of the Turkish and Kurdish community took up positions on the council, helping end the 10-year-rule of the previous administration. However, a number of councillors, including cabinet members, wrote to Labour’s general secretary Jennie Formby calling for an investigation into the candidate selection process, alleging “irregularities”.  Meanwhile, Turkish-speaking councillors complained to the party about discrimination towards them. It is understood councillors have received hate mail and incidents have been referred to the police.  A source said: “The Labour Party has just about had enough of it. It’s all come to a head. We have an issue with racism. There are all sorts of smear campaigns. It’s just appalling, really out of control.”  The source denied the deselection claims and said there had been a smear campaign against the new young council leader, Nesil Caliskan, and her administration.  The party’s National Executive Committee has now issued 13 recommendations to help foster “good inter-community relationships” in the Enfield party. This includes equality training and developing a programme to encourage black and Asian people to stand as candidates.  It also said formal mentoring should be put in place for councillors who need support and that a representative of the Association of Labour Councillors should observe all Labour group meetings for at least six months.  It said sexual harassment cases should be dealt with under the party’s sexual harassment procedures.  A letter from the Labour Party’s Governance and Legal Unit said: “We received a number of allegations that will need to be referred into the disputes process and where there is evidence of a potential breach of rules individuals will be investigated by the Governance and Legal Unit.”  Tory councillor and opposition leader Joanne Laban called it a “shocking state of affairs”, adding: “The fact that the central Labour Party has recommended that the Enfield Labour Group needs to undergo equality training because of alleged discrimination is damning.”  Ms Caliskan said: “I am aware that the Labour Party have received many complaints from Enfield, including from myself, prompting the NEC to investigate. The NEC have provided a list of recommendations to ensure the highest of standards are met across Enfield.”  A spokesman for the London Labour Party said they carried out a “thorough and extensive” inquiry involving Labour councillors, the Constituency Labour Parties and local campaign forums.


eveningstandard--2019-06-18--Man Utd fans arrested for racism in football more than any other English club

Manchester United supporters were arrested more for racially aggravated incidents than any other set of English fans for the four seasons leading up to 2017-18.  That is according official Home Office data, which was released to Press Association under the Freedom of Information Act and shows that 27 individuals recorded as Manchester United supporters were arrested by police from the season 2014-15 until 2017-18.  Leeds and Millwall each had 15 of their fans arrested in the same period for incidents where racism was an aggravating factor or feature. Chelsea was the London club to have the most football-related arrests of a similar nature with 13, which was closely followed by West Ham with 11.  Where racism has been recorded as a feature of an incident it requires the arresting officer to tick a box, which is why the Home Office said the overall accuracy of the data cannot be guaranteed.  Manchester United condemned racism in a statement released in response to the statistics, but highlighted the fact that 27 fans equated to 0.0004 per cent of their fan-base.  A club spokesperson said: "There is no place for racism within our game, or in society as a whole, and we are committed to working to make football free from all forms of discrimination, whether through our own ‘All Red All Equal’ campaign or in support of Kick It Out and other organisations.  "This statistic applies to 0.0004 per cent of our matchgoing fanbase. It does not reflect the views or behaviour of our fans as a whole in any way.  "We continue with monitoring and liaison with authorities to try and identify and eradicate any forms of discriminatory behaviour, and we take appropriate action if it occurs."  Championship side Leeds, meanwhile, told Press Association Sport that racism won't be tolerated by the club or the "vast majority of our community and fan base".  "We have worked closely with West Yorkshire Police and the British Transport Police in recent years, in an effort to reduce the number of arrests involving our supporters at our games in general," Leeds said in a statement.  "A Supporter Advisory Board was also set up in 2017 which convenes every four months and welcomes supporters from all walks of life to help the club become more inclusive.  "We believe that we have made great steps towards making improvements - however clearly this is a work in progress and we are committed with the help of the FA, EFL, Kick It Out and police to do anything we can to eradicate this vile issue from the game."  Standard Sport have contacted Millwall for comment on this story but, at the time of publishing, have received no response from the club.  The 2018-19 campaign saw a number of high-profile incidents involving racism come to the fore and re-trigger debate about whether the issue has been adequately addressed by the media as well as football authorities.  Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling claimed he was racially abused during his side's 2-0 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last December, although the Crown Prosecution Service later announced there was not enough evidence to prove the Chelsea fan in question had used racially aggravated words.  A Tottenham fan was handed a four-year football ban and fined £500 after throwing a banana skin at Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the same month as the incident involving Sterling.  Kick It Out reported last November that reports of discriminatory abuse during the 2017-18 season rose by 11 per cent on the previous campaign - the sixth year in a row where the figure had risen.  In response to the Home Office data obtained by the Press Association concerning arrests, a statement from Kick It Out read: "These figures show racism is a nationwide problem shared by clubs of all different sizes in all parts of the country.  "We support them in challenging racism and other forms of discrimination and will continue our programme of education in the game to help reduce this problem."  The full list of football-related arrests where racism was a feature during the seasons 2014-15 to 2017-18, broken down by the club supported:


eveningstandard--2019-07-03--Student Indiana Seresin accuses Cambridge of aposstructural racismapos after lecturer uses N-wor

Student Indiana Seresin accuses Cambridge of 'structural racism' after lecturer uses N-word

A student has dropped out of Cambridge University, accusing the institution of racism after a lecturer read aloud the N-word in class.  Indiana Seresin, 26, criticised the 800-year-old establishment, saying she had benefited from its “structural racism” as a white student.  In a “withdrawal statement” that she published online, the PhD student said she had an “imperative to leave” Cambridge, where she had been working on a Government funded doctorate about contemporary American artists and writers.  “As a white researcher whose scholarship draws significantly on black studies, I believe that I need to earn the right to do this work,” she wrote.  “I believe that the pervasive presence of racism at Cambridge damages and delegitimises the institution, and I do not want to participate in re-legitimising it by contributing my time, effort, and skills as a member of the university.”  Ms Seresin said she had witnessed “an accumulation of racist incidents both inside and outside my faculty” over her two years at the renowned institution.  “One of the first occurred when the lecturer teaching one of my MPhil seminars repeatedly read aloud the n-word during our class discussions,” she explained.  “A friend (one of the few black students in the faculty) in the same lecturer’s undergraduate lecture noted that she did the same thing there, and wrote a very polite email to the lecturer explaining that she did not feel comfortable hearing non-black lecturers say this word aloud.  “Instead of receiving an apology, my friend was patronisingly told that she did not understand the context in which the word was being used.”  The 26-year-old went on to describe how the disagreement leading to “multiple meetings” with the chair of the English faculty followed by discussion at the Teaching Forum, where academics and students meet to exchange views.  She said she and her peers found the experience of speaking in front of senior faculty members “intimidating”, adding that they felt as though they were "on trial".  “Many of those present seemed simply unable to comprehend the difference between a black writer reclaiming the n-word and a nonblack Cambridge lecturer or student saying it aloud in class,” she added.  Ms Seresin said the lack of black lecturers and postdoctoral researchers at Cambridge, combined with her pessimism over the university’s progress in “decolonising” the curriculum, left her convinced of the “pervasive” racism.  “Taken in isolation, none of these incidents might seem dramatic enough to push me to leave the rare privilege of a fully-funded PhD position at what is theoretically one of the best universities in the world,” she wrote in her statement.  “Yet the ubiquity of such incidents is actually far more indicative of a suffocating and intellectually degraded environment than any single, spectacular event.”  A Cambridge University spokesman responded to Ms Seresin’s complaints by explaining that  the Teaching Forum had decided there should be “no prescriptive rules on what language is appropriate to reference when reading from texts”.  It added that academics should “consider the contemporary and political discourse around particular words or terms.”  The spokesman added that the university strived to create a culture “free from racism, discrimination, prejudice and harassment” and had introduced a number of prevention initiatives.  On Tuesday, the university spoke out about its “reverse mentoring” scheme, aimed at staff to combat “structural racism”.  Under the project, white senior academics and management staff are paired with one of their black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) colleagues, who then acts as a mentor.  This is to encourage “institutional change” at the university by educating staff about the “advantages related to being white and the barriers faced by BAME staff”.  It is hoped the scheme will equip senior white dons with the “confidence and skills to discuss issues related to race and racism” and enable them to challenge racism when they come across it,” a university spokesman told the Telegraph.  The university claims the reverse mentoring scheme, which has run as a pilot for the past academic year, has been a success and is likely to be rolled out on a wider scale next year.  It also confirmed that other initiatives are under way, including a review of academic courses “to ensure a diverse curriculum is offered” – although this is still in its early stages.


eveningstandard--2019-08-01--Millwall call on FA to do more in fight against racism following fine for fansapos abuse

Millwall call on FA to do more in fight against racism following fine for fans' abuse

Millwall have called on the FA to do more in the fight against racism and work alongside clubs to help combat discrimination in football.  The Lions were on Thursday were fined £10,000 by the FA and ordered to “implement an action plan” after their fans were found to have used racist language during an FA Cup tie against Everton at the Den in January.  Millwall have decided not to appeal but the south London club say they “fundamentally disagree with several elements which have shaped the subsequent sanction against them”.  Millwall have a long history of anti-discrimination work and are one of the clubs leading the fight against racism.  In a statement Millwall said they were “disappointed” with the punishment and called on the FA to work with clubs to help eradicate the problem.  Millwall said: “Racism, and discrimination of any sort, is a societal problem. But Millwall Football Club believes that sport, and football specifically, can be a tremendous force for good. Football clubs have a responsibility to serve their local communities and residents. The club takes this responsibility very seriously.  “As such, its strategy is that anyone found guilty of discrimination of any sort at The Den is not just issued with an immediate ban, but also offered the opportunity to attend Millwall For All’s ‘Fan Diversity Scheme’, which aims to educate rather than simply just exclude. Education is key when it comes to dealing with people with unpalatable views and football clubs should be at the forefront of efforts to do so.  “Clubs, however, cannot be expected to combat discriminatory views and behaviour on their own. The work of campaigning bodies like Kick It Out and educational charities such as Show Racism the Red Card continues to be key and their efforts, year after year, should be applauded and supported.  “The game’s governing bodies need to be leading the fight and working alongside clubs and other organisations in order to oversee an aligned approach. That, despite the public and private calls of the club to do so in recent months, is seemingly not yet the case.”


eveningstandard--2019-08-15--Tammy Abraham abuse after missing Chelsea penalty sees Kick It Out call on Twitter to outline plan t

Tammy Abraham abuse after missing Chelsea penalty sees Kick It Out call on Twitter to outline plan to tackle online racism

Kick It Out have called on Twitter and their social media counterparts to outline their plan to tackle racism after Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham was allegedly targeted with racial abuse following last night's Uefa Super Cup defeat.  Abraham missed his penalty in the shoot-out against Liverpool which handed Jurgen Klopp's side the Super Cup trophy following a 2-2 draw in Istanbul.  Kick it Out, football's anti-discrimination body, were swarmed with reports from social media users, with the 21-year-old having suffered 'disgusting' racial abuse on Twitter after the game.  "Last night we received reports of racist abuse directed at Tammy Abraham on social media after Chelsea's Uefa Super Cup match.  "Such abuse is now increasingly predictable, but no less disgusting," a Kick it Out statement read.  "We send our support to Tammy and reiterate our call for Twitter and other social companies to clamp down on this level of abuse. This is a call to action - we want to know what they are going to do to tackle this insidious problem."  Kick it Out, who were formed 26 years ago this week, are now seeking dialogue with Twitter but have had no response from the social media giant following earlier calls to tackle the issue and expect Government action to be needed in order to spark a change.  The Super Cup incident comes a day after Queens Park Rangers called on Uefa to do more to tackle racism with their U18s having abandoned a match in Spain with several of their players having suffered racial abuse.  The west Londoners had called in Kick it Out to provide educational training and establish a protocol on what the players and staff should do ahead of the trip in case they encountered such abuse.  In response to QPRs calls, Uefa said: "The fight to eliminate racism, discrimination and intolerance is a major priority of the organisation".


eveningstandard--2019-08-22--The Reader Why is racism still with us in modern Britain

The Reader: Why is racism still with us in modern Britain?

You should be congratulated for your bold opinion on racism [“Banish racism from football and society”, August 16]. When my wife and I came to the UK from India 45 years ago to advance our career, we did not know what racism was. We have learned.  My wife (PhD from London University), our two daughters born and brought up in London (one an NHS consultant, one in finance) and I (a retired chartered engineer) are a highly qualified family. We have experienced racism both overt and covert. Overt racism — in football grounds, on transport, on the street, in schools — is abuse everyone can see, causing obvious harm and injury. Covert racism happens mostly in the workplace — discrimination over pay, promotion, redundancy.  Your leader column ended with the noble idea that “racism should never be tolerated” and “efforts to excise this cancer from football and wider society must be redoubled”. We wonder why, after so many pages written in opposition to racism, it is still very much with us.  Sunil Kumar Pal    our recent editorial on the unpleasant displays of racism in football shared your dismay that such incidents are still taking place in today’s society. I agree, too,  about the harm caused by covert discrimination, of whatever sort,  and the lasting impact that this can have on those subjected to it.  What’s particularly dispiriting is that some of this still happens here in London, where, as your family’s example illustrates, people from different racial backgrounds have performed such an immense role in the city’s success. The idiocy of the racist abuse directed at Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham — one of the recent victims in football — is made even more glaring by the part players such as Didier Drogba, Claude Makelele and Ashley Cole have played in the club’s triumphs.  The answer is not just in education but also in families, friends and community members making clear to anyone who shows racism that their attitudes are intolerable.    Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor  The lack of faith in Jeremy Corbyn [“Corbyn’s not up to the job, say voters”, August 16] is not surprising after years of vilification but the idea of him being a “caretaker PM” is the only plan anyone has put forward to stop Boris Johnson and his clique dumping a no-deal Brexit on Britain, and deserves serious consideration.  If there is anyone left in the Tory Party with a sense of national duty they must back him, or devise a better idea. As for the Lib-Dems, since they supported the Tories for years, they should shut up, all 14 of them.  Brexit will leave us on our own in a turbulent world, and the issues it raises in Northern Ireland and Scotland could even see the end of the United Kingdom. We need a general election where we can see which party offers us a better future.  David Reed    The reopening of Reubens kosher restaurant in Baker Street [“Reubens reopens with new look and old favourites”, August 19] is not only good news for the Jewish community but for all Londoners.  Being able to savour the delights of knaidlach soup, chopped liver and latkes is as important to food lovers as the ability to enjoy tandoori chicken or Peking duck in this wonderfully diverse city of ours.  Stan Labovitch    As a Canning Town South councillor I agree that east London needs more river crossings but Silvertown tunnel is not the answer [“Silvertown tunnel is right”, Comment, August 19]. Air pollution is linked to seven per cent of deaths in Newham and we will be the first borough to install air quality monitors in schools.  The last thing the children of this borough need is a billion-pound tunnel when the money can be better spent to promote sustainable transport and regeneration.  Dr Rohit K Dasgupta, London Borough of Newham  Oliver Bournat [The Reader, August 19] “struggles to believe” a gull could carry off a small dog because it lacks talons. While on a boat trip to Skomer Island I saw a black-backed gull seize a rabbit from the clifftop and drown it in the sea before carrying it off in its bill.  Clifford Ashwell


eveningstandard--2019-08-25--Paul Pogba vows to fight against racism aposfor the next generationapos

Paul Pogba vows to fight against racism 'for the next generation'

World Cup winner Paul Pogba has vowed to fight against racism "for the next generation" after finding himself the target of online trolls.  The Manchester United midfielder was subjected to racist abuse on social media after missing a penalty during Monday night's 1-1 Premier League draw with Wolves.  Team-mate Marcus Rashford suffered similar attacks after also missing from the spot during Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by Crystal Palace, while Chelsea counterpart Tammy Abraham and Reading's Yakou Meite have found themselves in the firing line in the last week.  On Sunday, Pogba said on his official Twitter account: "My ancestors and my parents suffered for my generation to be free today, to work, to take the bus, to play football.  "Racist insults are ignorance and can only make me stronger and motivate me to fight for the next generation."  The spate of abusive posts aimed at players prompted anti-discrimination campaigners Kick It Out to call for "decisive action" against offenders.  Kick It Out's statement on Saturday said: "The vile racist abuse on social media continued today. This problem will not go away and needs decisive action - that's what we'll be making clear to Twitter when we meet.  "Without immediate and the strongest possible action, these cowardly acts will continue to grow."  Twitter officials, who claim to have permanently suspended a series of accounts as a result of racist posts, have already agreed to meet Manchester United to discuss the Pogba incident.  Speaking after Saturday's game, which Palace won courtesy of Patrick Van Aanholt's injury-time strike, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted he was "lost for words".  He said: "It's the same we spoke about before the weekend. It's unheard of and we need it to stop, it needs to stop.  "I'm just lost for words if it keeps going. We keep having all these campaigns 'No to Racism' and it keeps hiding behind fake identities. It's just crazy that we talk about this in 2019."


eveningstandard--2019-09-07--Chelsea star Anita Asante calls on football to lead fight on aposcultural problemapos with racis

Chelsea star Anita Asante calls on football to lead fight on 'cultural problem' with racism

Chelsea defender Anita Asante believes football highlights a ‘cultural problem’ with racism and has called on the sport’s governing bodies to lead the fightback with harsher punishments.  Despite being a little over a month into the professional season there have already been five high-profile cases of racism within the sport, with Paul Pogba , Tammy Abraham , Kurt Zouma and Romelu Lukaku all being subjected to abuse.  Meetings have been held with social media publishers such as Twitter in a bid to rid the online abuse from the game, but Asante believes the disease of racism runs deeper than just sport.  “It’s not a football problem,” the former England international told NewsChain. “Football highlights the problem because it’s so popular and it’s on TV, online, it’s everywhere.  “But it’s a society issue, a cultural issue. And football has the opportunity to find and discuss ways to deter the people who are discriminating.”  But while the roots of racism are bedded in society, the weeds are certainly sprouting out into football.  Prince William, the president of the FA, admitted earlier this week that he was becoming ‘fed up’ with racism in the game and that something has to be done to extinguish it.  But Asante questions whether the situation has improved within the game at all, and called on authorities to impose heavier sanctions on those involved.  “Over time there’s been this assumption that racism, discrimination, all these things have vastly improved,” she continued.  “But the reality is it really hasn’t. We have never really looked at how many people voice when these things happen to them. Is it happening less? Or are people not speaking up?"  “In terms of football and the governing bodies that run the game, I think that the FA, the Premier League, Uefa, Fifa, all these institutions need to start delivering harsher penalties for sports fans who are racially abusing players.  “They’re very slow to move sometimes and they’re reluctant to do those things. But if these are true supporters of the game and they get a three year, four year, life-time ban then they’re not going to do it."