With Black Inclusion Week starting soon, we wanted to highlight some of the great work being done by Kent Union and Christ Church Students’ Union, who joined forces to show racism in sport the red card by running a ‘Tell Your Story’ campaign.

Sports teams from the universities held their annual Varsity competition at the end of March, and this year there was more at stake than just who would claim the title of champion. Students came together in solidarity not just for the love of the game, but also to take a stand against racism, prejudice, and discrimination.

Launched on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, this anti-racism campaign centres around a two short films, featuring eight student athletes from racially and ethnically marginalised (REM) backgrounds share their stories, speaking about how their experiences have been shaped by racial discrimination and prejudice in sport. Watch the films here.

“REM students are underrepresented in our sports clubs by 12%,” says Toni Abiodun, Kent Union Vice President Student Engagement, who spearheaded the campaign alongside Max Elvin, her counterpart at Christ Church Students’ Union. Toni continued, “I wanted to run a campaign which was bold, supportive, and inclusive. It was clear there was a lack of participation and representation amongst our REM students in our sports clubs and committees, an issue that couldn’t be ignored. Varsity is the biggest sporting showcase event of the year, so I used this opportunity to hold ourselves and our sports teams accountable.”