The Bears on Friday teamed up with Tottenham Hotspur FC and the Premier League to educate 30 elementary students from Lea Valley Primary School in London about the league's No Room for Racism initiative. The campaign aims "to fight against discrimination on and off the pitch, promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across all areas of football."
Former Bears cornerback Jerry Azumah represented the club at the event hosted at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He and Spurs legend Ledley King participated in a panel where the students were able to ask both players questions about the importance of allyship in the fight against racism. The event falls within the United Kingdom's Black History Month, which is centered around this year's "Reclaiming Narratives" theme.
While Azumah and King fielded some lighthearted questions about their respective careers, they also took on some tougher, more direct questions about racism and prejudice. Azumah said the students came prepared with "strong statement questions" that allowed the group to have a light, yet insightful conversation.
"The kids were just awesome," Azumah told ChicagoBears.com. "We talked about allies. We talked about support. We talked about communication — if there's something that's bothering you, make sure that you tell people and be vocal about it. We also talked about continuing on the discussion about this.
"One of the questions that a young lady asked me was, 'how do you end racism?' It's like, it's not really that simple, but to have discussions like this where we're talking about it, I think that's the number one way to basically combat that problem or that issue."
Participating in the event while in the UK was important for Azumah, who feels strongly about the importance of discussing uncomfortable situations and topics. He wanted to help teach the students the value of learning how to deal with issues openly as opposed to suppressing them.
The former Bear also wanted to share his positive experiences related to sports and race. For Azumah, who grew up in New Hampshire, sports created more of a melting pot where people from all walks of life came together to reach the same goal.
"I just wanted to give the kids encouragement from my experiences as well as things that I've dealt with," Azumah said. "Obviously, Ledley and I had different experiences, and he talked about things that he went through. But for me, it was just a little bit different. It was more of sports just brought people together. We worked out our differences because we had that common goal of getting that win. So, I was able to talk to the kids about that, and it seemed like they were receptive to that."
Along with the panel, the students took a tour of the Spurs locker room and pitch and participated in workshops to learn more about the power of diversity in sports.
Working alongside Tottenham and Premier League during the UK's Black History Month was an important piece of the Bears' trip to London ahead of their game Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The club felt empowered to support the No Room for Racism initiative because its mission aligns with how the Bears are helping combat issues in and around Chicago.
"The Chicago Bears care deeply about their local community and fan base, so when coming to the UK it was important to continue the work to inspire positive change," director of corporate communications Micaeh Johnson said. "The Chicago Bears run similar education-based programs in the United States, so the collaboration with the Premier League and Tottenham Hotspur was the perfect opportunity to continue the discussion on diversity, equity and inclusion."
