The Hardwick Suite in the Riverside was the venue for a special event as Caldicotes and North Ormesby Primary Schools were joined by a star panel for a Show Racism The Red Card event.
Chris Kamara was joined by Middlesbrough Women captain Sarah Burn and teammate striker Faye Dale, former Feyenoord, Chelsea and Southampton defender Ken Monkou and Boro Academy players Frankie Coulson and Prince Acheampong.
They mixed with the school pupils who were preparing a presentation which reflected their thoughts about the problems racism poses and potential solutions, before taking questions from the floor.
Each panel member spoke of individual experiences which have affected their lives, with Park End-born Kamara going back to the days when they were only non-white family living on the estate and the problems faced at the time, saying how things have changed for the better.
It was emphasised that racism isn’t just about a person’s skin colour with Kamara issuing impassioned encouragement to the young people saying: “Whatever type of person you are inside, if you’ve got dreams and ambition they can come true.
“Whether you’re brown like me, or white, or whatever colour, always keep your dreams that you can achieve without people hindering your lives.”
