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Two Everton stars Moise Kean and Joao Virginia recently went to Goodison Park to join 140 primary school children from the Merseyside area at a ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ educational event.
Hosted by Everton in the Community, the annual workshop saw Kean and Virginia reiterate to the youngsters the importance of stamping out racism in society alongside a diverse panel of guests, which included the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Anna Rothery.
Newly elected Fans’ Forum member David Wycherley - part of the County Road Bobblers group who funded and produced the ‘No Al Razzisimo’ banner which was displayed at Goodison earlier this season - was also part of the panel, as well as Seth Ejukwu, Campaign Worker at Show Racism the Red Card, Iffy Onuora from the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), Robert Brennan from Sefton Council and the Anthony Walker Foundation’s John Au.
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Delivered by anti-racism charity Show Racism the Red Card, the workshop also educated children on racism in football and how to deal with and campaign against racism, as well as promoting the importance of speaking out when experiencing racism.
Speaking after his guest appearance on the panel, goalkeeper Virginia said -
“It was really good for me to see the work being done to tackle a really important issue, not just in sport, but in society. If anybody experiences racism, you cannot ignore it – it’s vital for people to not suffer in silence.”
Wycherley, who took up his new role on the Fans’ Forum last month, added -
“It means so much to be back here educating the next generation and to see Moise Kean and Joao Virginia actively participating in the community sums up what Everton is about.
”Seeing young kids being educated by their heroes about a message that will positively shape the future of the next generation is so important.”
Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC) is the UK’s largest anti-racism educational charity. It was established in January 1996, thanks in part to a donation by then Newcastle United goalkeeper Shaka Hislop.
SRtRC continues to utilise the high-profile status of football and football players to help tackle racism in society and has also expanded into other sports. The majority of the campaign’s work involves the delivery of educational workshops to young people and adults in schools, workplaces and at events held in football stadiums. Across the UK, SRtRC provides educational sessions to more than 50,000 individuals per year.
In addition to the direct education of young people and adults, SRtRC produces educational resources, to challenge misconceptions, stereotypes and negative attitudes in society, along with educational films that feature a range of professional football players such as Harry Kane, Deli Ali, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jordan Pickford, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, Eni Aluko alongside England and Wales managers, Gareth Southgate and Ryan Giggs respectively.
Show Racism the Red Card works extensively across the UK and has offices in North East England, East England (also covering South East England and London), Scotland (Glasgow) and Wales (Cardiff). In Scotland and Wales, the campaign also plays a role in tackling racism within professional and grass-roots football.
To find out how you can get involved with the campaign click on Show Racism the Red Card.