I was delighted to be asked to help launch the Sow Racism the Red Card (SRTRC) Education Pack on Tuesday March 19th in Croke Park.
It was particularly humbling to be asked to share the stage with genuine sporting heroes such as Dessie Farrell, Barry Cahill, Ciarán Clark and Jeff Hendrick. Ard Stiuritheoir of the GAA Padraig Duffy also spoke at the event which was chaired by SRTRC co-ordinator Garret Mullen.
Having been involved in anti-racism activities for a number of years, I enthusiastically accepted a recent invitation to become a member of the SRTRC board. One of the major projects that the organisation is involved in is the production and delivery of the ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ education pack throughout Irish primary and secondary schools.
For me it is an incredibly important not just to rid racism from sport, but also to use the profile of sport to rid racism from society. The corrosive effects of inequality and prejudice are long-lasting and inhibit an individual’s capacity to engage constructively in society. Racism is extremely damaging to the fulfilment of the full potential of our Republic and must offend and concern everyone.
In my address to the launch I made point that politics must take a leadership role in eradicating racism and that Irish politics cannot offer any cover for politicians who promote racist, sectarian, homophobic or anti-traveller sentiments.
Schools are indeed a great starting point for engaging with young people but we must always remind ourselves that young people learn from their environment. Therefore communities, families and those in positions of influence have their part to play also. Teachers continue to work in difficult circumstances and their commitment to tackling racism every day in their classrooms must be recognised and resourced.
However the greatest resource that Irish education could possibly provide to ensure young people have positive anti-racist instincts is to ensure that we have greater diversity in our teaching body. Unfortunately the number of students from disadvantaged, traveller or immigrant backgrounds who enter the teaching profession remains very small and proactive measures must now be put in place to change the dynamic in our staffrooms and our classrooms. What could be a more powerful symbol of integration than to have a greater proportion of teachers coming from culturally and socio-economically diverse backgrounds?
It is certainly the role of the Department of Education to promote this ideal but I believe teacher unions, colleges of education and patron bodies should also be minded to respond to the need for a teaching profession more reflective of the student body that it is charged with educating.
The young people at the event from Blakestown and Adamstown Community Colleges seemed a bit bemused when I admitted to having a poster of Dessie Farrell on my wall as a child, and that he was the ‘Niall Horan’ of my generation! My admission to telling Barry Cahill that I loved him the day after Dublin won the All-Ireland in 2011 was news to him, but then again I’d say he gets that all the time.
Congratulations are due to Garret Mullen and to all the SRTRC team who continue to work so hard to build a more tolerant and integrated Ireland.
Check out Show Racism the Red Card website at www.theredcard.ie and on twitter on @TheRedCard
Their promotional YouTube video from Blakestown Community School can be seen here: