He also added he was called the exact same word that Minhaj spoke about when he was playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013-14
NEW DELHI| Saint Lucian cricketer Darren Sammy 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 sunrises Hyderabad during the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2013 and 2014.
He alleged his team members called him “Kalu” (black) in past but he did not know what it meant.
Sammy posted a five-minute video on his Instagram account harking 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 in his video story said, “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.
He also added 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 word “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 Floyd.
“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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