'It is personal and uncomfortable’ – Darren Sammy on Raheem Sterling’s idea of task force for racism

Darren Sammy, the West Indies cricketer, feels that there should be a task force for racism just like there’s one for anti-corruption. The 36-year-old has been grabbing the limelight ever since he claimed he was being addressed with a racial slur when he was with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). One of Ishant Sharma’s post also confirmed it.

The idea for the task force was put forth by Raheem Sterling, the Jamaican-born Manchester City footballer. The 25-year-old reckons that racism has been going on for plenty of years and it’s something that demands action rather than mere talking. He also compared it to the coronavirus pandemic and said that one has to find a solution to it at the earliest.

But now racism is personal: Darren Sammy

Sammy, now, stated that for racism the task force should be in place in order to give the players the right education to differentiate between the right and wrong.

“Just like there is a task force for anti-corruption there should be the same energy put towards racism. But you have to understand why is it there is so much attention paid to anti-corruption? Because it diminishes the cricket game,” Sammy was quoted as saying in an interview with ESPNcricinfo.

“But now racism is personal. And it is uncomfortable. I think yeah they should have something put in place to ensure that the education starts,” the veteran added.

Back in 2014, Sammy wished former Indian batsman VVS Laxman on his birthday. While sending the wishes, he used the word ‘Kalu’, which Ishant used on his Instagram post. He also gave a clarification on the reasons behind using the word. Sammy thought it meant stallion and there’s no harm in using the term. But later he became aware of the meaning.

He got to know about it after watching an Indian-American comedian. Sammy was a part of the SRH back in 2013 and 2014 after which he moved to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). 2015 is the last year when he played in the IPL. In the meantime, the likes of Jofra Archer and Michael Carberry have also spoken about how dangerous racism has been.