Film: Ryan Bertrand

Transcript

[Ryan Bertrand]

The importance of combating racism is everything, I think, for life. You know, not even just sports.
It needs to be eradicated.

Will it ever be eradicated, fully?

Probably not because it's such a big world, but as long as we can stay on the proactive about it, and keep trying to educate people, and to show right from wrong, that's what needs to be done.

Massive, that's the crux of it. I think it's not going to be an overnight fix. It's about consistent support programmes.

You know, it isn't about fixing the racism that's here now, it's about fixing the racism of tomorrow.

I think you only filter that out if you educate the youth.

The first time I experienced racism, I think I was about seven-years-old.

I was living in Bermondsey and I think I was walking to the shop and a car drove past and they shouted out some racial words.

As a kid, you just look at it. It stands out in my mind a car full of adults racially abusing a seven-year-old kid.

But, these people are out there. That's why I think all this togetherness that we're showing will eradicate it and what we're propagating with the education from the kids up, and from the adults down, is necessary.

I think its amazing. I think you grow so much as a person. I think you get to understand all different races, religions and you build a lot of life skills being within such a diverse industry.

It's important to be able to adopt and have empathy for a lot of different people.

I think listen and share, and I think if someone has a friend who's experiencing racism,whatever race they are from, I think just listen to them.

Understand them and understand that you know it's not right either.