George Floyd's death has triggered 'movement for equality': Daren Sammy
Jun 21, 2020
New Delhi [India], June 21 : Former West Indies skipper Daren Sammy has said that the passing away of George Floyd has triggered a movement for equality.
The 'Black Lives Matter' movement gained momentum due to the death of an African-American man named George Floyd, following a police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd's neck.
In an interaction with Ian Bishop, Tom Moody, JP Duminy, and Isa Guha during an ICC podcast 'How to combat racism in cricket', Sammy said, "We all know what has happened in the world with the death of George Floyd, it has triggered a revolution, a movement for equality, for people of colour, all the videos I watched made me realise that the word I was being called with (kalu) can be degrading."
Sammy had alleged racism within the SunRisers Hyderabad camp during IPL's 2014 edition. However, the all-rounder said when he was being addressed with the objectionable word, he did not think that it is being used in a degrading manner.
"When I reflect six or seven years ago when it was being done, I would say that I did not feel in any way that the word was being used in a degrading manner, I thought that the word meant strong stallion. When I found out about the meaning of the word, I tried seeking dialogue to find out what the word was being actually used for and whether it came from a place of love," Sammy said.
"If there is any word that could be degrading, it is not to be used, from that it's time to start the education, I had the conversation with people who referred to me with the objectionable word, they assured me that they were coming from the place of love," he added.
Ever since Floyd's demise, many sportspersons have come out to talk about their experience with racism.
Windies opening batsman Chris Gayle also said that he had faced racism, and added that it is a myth that the menace of racism exists just in football.
The Premier League resumed its suspended season earlier this week and all teams have been sending out a strong message to show solidarity with the 'Black Lives Matter' movement.
All teams have been taking a knee to show their support, while jerseys of all teams have 'Black Lives Matter' written on them.
