We recently hosted Anne Onwusiri, the founder and host of the podcast, Black Girls Ruck as part of our Beyond Your Bubble Series – an internal initiative that sees us invite external speakers from different walks of life to share their experiences.
Rugby is meant to be a game where everyone is welcome and there’s a position for all to play. But that’s not quite the case, with discrimination still prominent across all aspects of the game. Anne’s mission has been to make the game feel comfortable for black women, create a space where they feel safe and welcome, and give others the experience of playing rugby. And at all points in their journey, challenging the perceptions of the game we all know, and love, has been central to driving change.
Anne spoke about their experience on and off the pitch and their observations about how there’s still a long way to go when it comes to diversifying sport.
Starting with a group exercise on intersectionality, it was a reminder to us all that it’s important to talk about our individual identities. As, whilst everyone has their own unique experiences of oppression, we mustn’t downplay the discrimination and societal issues that certain communities face.
Anne also shared advice on how brands can do more when it comes to speaking out against discrimination – whether in sport or beyond. This included the important lesson for brands who witness discrimination on their platforms towards an individual or group they’ve chosen to work with. They emphasised the importance of not being silent, speaking up and supporting that individual if this occurs.
The overall message they left us with was speak up, stand-up and educate. A truly inspiring talk.
Follow Black Girls Ruck on Instagram, X and LinkedIn to check out the great work Anne and the BGR team are doing to bring equity to sport!
