'Enough is enough': Trent Alexander-Arnold joins calls for action on racism
The Liverpool and England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has called for action against structural racism in an impassioned post on social media.
“Tonight [against Everton] my boots will carry the message Black Lives Matter. It can no longer just be our feet where we express ourselves,” the full-back wrote on Twitter. “We have to use our profile, the platforms we have and the spotlight that shines on us to say it’s time for meaningful change.
“The system is broken, it’s stacked against sections of our society and we all have a responsibility to fix it. Black people are viewed differently. We face discrimination in actions but also in thought. It’s more than just violence and abuse. Opportunity in life is restricted if you look a certain way. How can that be in 2020?
“We are prejudged on skin colour rather than character and personality,” the 21-year-old added. “We then have to prove these misconceptions wrong! Why? Why is it my responsibility to correct an ignorant perception? Sadly, so many in the black community have to face this each and every day.”
Alexander-Arnold posted the message alongside a picture of the boots, which he will wear in the Merseyside derby on Sunday evening. The boots will then be auctioned to raise money for the Nelson Mandela Foundation, a charity Alexander-Arnold praised for “incredible work in striving for freedom and equality for all”.
“I also have hope,” he added. “Hope that the world is awake in this moment. Finally willing to learn. So while we have this opportunity, where people are listening – let’s speak, educate, campaign and let’s promote the message that better education brings change.
“This is the moment of change. This is the moment to say enough is enough. This is the moment to make sure it stops now. Racism is a fire that is now burnt out.”
Alexander-Arnold also discussed the Black Lives Matter movement with Rio Ferdinand in a BT Sport interview broadcast on Saturday. The defender discussed the racial abuse he received at Old Trafford last October, and said he had been inspired to speak out against racism by the impact of his England colleagues, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling.
“I want to make sure I’m educating people,” Alexander-Arnold said. “I know I’ve got a big profile, I’m a role model for the younger generation. I want to put out messages that I believe in. I want kids to look at me and think ‘he’s got the right values. I want to be like that.’ I want to look back at the end of my career and feel like I’ve made a change.”