Premier League players have been reflecting on what Black History Month in the USA means to them.
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Before every single Premier League game each player and staff member takes a knee to support the Black Lives Matter movement, as the entire league continues to call for equality, justice and respect to prevail.
As NBCUniversal continues to celebrate Black History Month, NBCSN (and online via NBCSports.com) will present Sky Sports’ Micah Richards: Tackling Racism on Monday, Feb. 22 at 5:30 p.m. ET.
To mark Black History Month, star players from across the Premier League have saluted pioneers and leaders from Black history.
“Black History Month, to me, is an amazing thing,” Newcastle United and England star Callum Wilson said. “To celebrate Black leaders is massive... to make sure that everyone is equal. There have been some historic figures throughout the years who have changed lives, who have changed the path of things and how the world is going. It is definitely important we celebrate them.”
In recent weeks multiple Premier League players have received racist abuse via social media, with Marcus Rashford, Willian, Axel Tuanzebe, Anthony Martial, Eddie Nketiah, Alex Jankewitz, Reece James and Romaine Swayers among them.
The Premier League, its clubs and the UK government have since called on social media companies to ban and charge those found guilty of the abuse and to change its policy on how users sign up for accounts.
Manchester United and Portugal superstar Bruno Fernandes called for a new generation to lead the way forward.
“People have to understand that what happened in the past was wrong and it can happen in the future and the present. We have to learn. Now is a new generation that wants equality for everyone,” Fernandes said.
Arsenal’s veteran center back David Luiz kept his message beautifully simple.
“It is all about respect,” Luiz said. “We all have to understand that we are all different and we all have to respect each other and love each other.”
Below are more message from Premier League players as they reflected on what Black History Month means to them.