Manitoba Bisons receiver AK Gassama and Sisler Spartans quarterback Richard Lugumire provide their thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement in sports and the importance of using social media platforms to help inspire change.
By: Mike Still
On Wednesday, Aug. 26, high-profile sports from across the United States were put on pause following the police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake in Wisconsin the previous Sunday.
Blake, who suffered severe injuries to his spinal cord, kidney and liver, was the latest Black victim of police brutality in the US, and professional athletes made it clear that they’ve had enough. In a powerful statement of unity, players in the NBA, WNBA, MLB and MLS all refused to partake in their scheduled games. The profound set of moves started with the Milwaukee Bucks, and quickly gathered steam.
The boycott of regularly scheduled games left a huge impression on the broader public, including Manitoba Bisons receiver Abdul-Karim Gassama and Sisler Spartans quarterback Richard Lugumire, whose roots are both in African countries.
“I was happy,” remarked Gassama, who moved to Canada as a refugee from Sierra Leone when he was four years old.
“These are conversations that I’ve had amongst my folks. As athletes, we see what’s going on. We know the impact that we have. Every day, there’s sports being turned on and millions of people are tuning in, and it bring us together. A lot of the athletes, especially in the NBA, are black people. They’re not going to play for your entertainment and ignore the issues. I think it goes to show that when we unify, we can create change. By shutting everything down, it puts attention on the fact that hey, this is enough. We need to do something.”
As Black athletes with a strong local following, Gassama and Lugumire have both done their part to raise awareness surrounding equality and anti-racism.
In a powerful statement posted to his Instagram account a week ago, Lugumire — who moved to Canada as a refugee from Uganda eight years ago — made it clear that he’s had enough.
At the end of Lugumire’s post was a clear and inspiring message: learning to love.
“[Love] is something that’s overlooked, especially in today’s society,” he said when asked about the post.
“True love has acceptance and gratitude. Learning how to love, and showing love, not only will you receive it back from people, but it also just makes everything better. If we love somebody, we care about them, and if we care about them, we accept them.
Part of the issue surrounding racism today centres around not being able to accept others for who they are. That just shows that people don’t really know what love is. If you learn how to love, and the impact it can have on someone, then it will show how we are going to be able to come together and make the world a better place.”
Gassama, who was one of roughly 20,000 Winnipeggers that took part in a rally in support of Black Lives Matter in early June, shared an inspiring message on his Instagram just prior to the event.
When asked why he felt it was important to use his platform to inspire change, he was direct.
“Because I have to. I love football. I play for a university, so I’m representing the university and my passion. I also know that my passion is a form of entertainment, and that other people are watching. If I believe in something, I would be a hypocrite to not use my platform to discuss what’s going on right now.
For me it’s a no-brainer. I’m going to continue doing what I can. If I can just inspire one person, I would be happy, because I know that I have put effort towards making a change with a cause that’s important to me.”
Both Lugumire and Gassama admitted that they’ve dealt with racism in Canada, but they aren’t dwelling on these experiences. Instead, the’ve dedicated their focus to social justice.
“My skin colour brought me a lot of joy in middle school, but as I grew it made things a little more complicated from the racism standpoint,” said Lugumire.
“I didn’t give it much thought back then, but the more I engaged with people, the more I started learning that some things are just not right. It got me to the point where I’m at now. I need to help people see the ways that people of colour like me are being treated.”
“I just want everyone to be seen as human beings. That’s what this whole thing is all about,” Gassama added.
“As a community that’s been suffering – we’re looking from the American perspective but we can even look from Canada or all over the world where there’s a marginalized group – and people need to first understand what hashappened. As a human, I should still be able to have the same opportunities and not be looked down upon.
That’s the biggest change that I really want to see. There’s always going to be people that look at things a certain way, but as a society, if we can look upon one another with love and that we’re no different than one another, that’s what’s going to inspire change.”