Calls for the sport to be taught in history classes across region

Mon, Jan 29, '24

Three sporting figures would like to see cricket added to history curricula across the region.

This is because they believe there is a disconnect between the younger generation and its understanding of who West Indians are as a people and the role cricket plays in the region’s racial identity.

Communications expert and author Carole Beckford says cricket remains one of the elements of life that defines Caribbean people.

“The history of the sport in the region is rich and every effort should be made to sustain any programme that promotes cricket on and off the field,” she told the
Jamaica Observer. “While we are in a highly charged [monetised] environment, there is still space for the identity to be a vital part of the conversation.”

During the West Indies team’s tour of England in the summer of 2020, the world’s attention was placed on several global protests taking place because of the killing of George Floyd, a black American, by Derrick Chauvin, a white police officer. This led some athletes and teams to use sports as a platform to protest for racial equality. Former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding, a commentator during the Test series, delivered an impassioned speech of his own about racial injustice and the need to educate society on the inequalities black people face around the world. This speech went viral, but many sharing the video on social media were not even aware that this was not the first time Holding has publicly spoken sternly on social issues.

Read more at Jamaica Observer