by TARAN DEOL
Saint Lucian cricketer Darren Sammy, who played for West Indies and is a former captain of the T20 World Cup winning team, has alleged being a victim of racism while playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad during the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2013 and 2014.
He alleged being called ‘kalu’ (black) by his team members, but did not know then what it meant.
In a five-minute video, Sammy harks back to Hasan Minhaj’s Patriot Act episode — where he called out South Asian communities for racism and an obsession with fair skin — which he said made him realise ‘kalu’ is a racist slur and is not used “in a good way”.
Sammy took to Instagram on 8 June with a video and a message that read — “Knowledge is power. So recently I discovered a word that I was being called was not what it actually meant I (needed) some answers. So before I start calling out names I need these individuals to reach out and please tell me there’s another meaning to that word and when I was being called it, it was all in love.”
“I was angry after listening to him after he described a word that is used to describe black people. He said it is not used in a good way and it is degrading,” Sammy said in the video.Remaining Time -8:35
He then went on to say he was called the exact same word that Minhaj spoke about when he was playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013-14. He also said at the time when he was being subjected to the racist jibe (‘kalu’), he did not know what it meant, and people laughed every time it was used.
“I will be messaging those people. You guys know who you are,” he added. “Let’s have a conversation.”
His video comes at a time when the #BlackLivesMatter movement has been gaining fierce momentum in the United States after protests have been raging for days over the death of an unarmed African-American man, George Flyod.
“I’ve had great memories in the dressing room. I have always wanted to build up the relationship of a team, not bring it down. I saw all of you guys as my brothers,” he said in the video.
He ended his video, saying: “I’ll be waiting to hear from you guys.”
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