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The American midfielder answered heartfelt questions from youngsters on racism, helping to spread the vital message that Middlesbrough Football Club and Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation stand vehemently against all forms of discrimination.
“The sport we play, probably the most beautiful thing about it is it unites all different cultures, it brings together all different cultures and all different races,” said Morris.
“And I think when you have racism in this sport, it’s the complete opposite of what it’s all about. It’s about bringing people together from all different places around the world.”
This Black History Month, we were proud to help kickstart Show Racism The Red Card’s First Black 11 Players Exhibition, highlighting the achievements of the first eleven Black footballers to represent each club at senior level.
Also in collaboration with Premier League Primary Stars, we invited four local primary schools, North Ormesby, Overfields, South Bank and Pennyman, to the exhibition at the Riverside Stadium, where students learned about Boro’s First Black 11: Viv Anderson, Dwight Marshall, Mark Burke, Richard Liburd, Jon Gittens, Chris Kamara, Fabio, Emerson, Lindy Delapenha, Curtis Fleming and Chris Freestone – the latter two joining via Zoom to share their unfortunate experiences of racism and champion the importance of anti-racism education.
Alongside morning and afternoon anti-racism workshops, the children were given a guided tour of the Riverside Stadium, followed by a question-and-answer session with a panel of special guests and past and present players.
Joining Boro trailblazers Chris and Curtis were Aidan Morris, Boro Women’s Ruby Cook, Taste of Africa Trustee Junior Masandi and former Newcastle and Hamilton Academical striker Richard Offiong, who now works as a Campaign Coordinator for Show Racism The Red Card.