I mean just in recent times the school this mens Football Team has enjoyed the same success as the team that im to boston late have ever encountered us the way this team have been revising steadily through the bone dry kings a stalwart side winning an amazing 123. 00 caps over 13 years with if youre mighty she joins alex to reflect on the significance of a black women leaving that Scotland Team the film of the amazing scotland career 123 cups over a 15 year period and you saw the Scotland Team the scot womens Team Transition from just having a 104 professional players like yourself to a very powerful squad in the worlds top 20 as is no whole host satisfying was it to see that development of the side. Definitely its all about growth over the years and from when i came in those me and julie flee in there as they were the only ones playing professionally and the thing with all this laced up movida and that continued that light cushion and to get a womans funds and potion and intimate and chain more to invest more than in the fall down and i think now you can see the fruition of that shellac has got the benefit of nearly everybody in the squad being professional and the course we can all get better as a nation the more that we chain them all that in professional vitamins that man say no and clubs like that going to propel the National Team forward and has done that so and also goes future generations thanks aspire to because now you can go one can play pool this is only you have been an emetic to the grew up and kumble nolde scotland for there for you could have played for the United States support may have to choose scotland but then it goes the United States of a pretty good site now i mean there was and i was going to an account with them a week before and i just was next and so me to going to play for the National Team yeah was blown the medical but thats about a dont feel a manic in any way some see as old you know going on cumbernauld in just a matter thats all my school and the school ish a fellow more than a fellow american so just because i was born there was no attachment theres no motional attachment for me at all it was just all about fuel it playing for scotland represent them and its definitely one that never regretted my decision that you cant just 150 years off the on who was on became the 1st black International Footballer and led to scotland side way back in 8081 to a memorable 61 triumph over england to the oval what do you think of that story of under what. The efforts of no being made to bring to the the centrality of scottish football life on me like i had no idea of a grown up and. And months 3 years old playing for the Scotland Team for 13 years been n n at hampton and things of that and i cant even say that i knew the story and you know because again its like one that came before you know next door to hank is a point to carry that over and that went over my head not only brought to my attention i think as of last week so as of last week you know that the story ive got to know that little bit more often thats incredible in the fact that 130 years ago but my only family talking about it no its all the same being in the dark for way too long so im glad though they know a lot more tense as me because it was a huge achievement and the money almost a continued that go in the continue to talk and that you know recognize and that historic achievement in what he did and you know most of the result and everything so that in an incredible story and he said be you know more recognition thats now on the to be given. As a girl growing up in combat mode to put slow International Audiences a new tone just in the scope of glasgow the june issue of playing football did you experience any of it racism. When you became a professional player of the judge speed on or off the pitch so grants cumbernauld not too much a little bit and i think because thames im a family much my brothers you know because they were my older people knew them so then they knew hours ago that played football and i was like which is low so that helped me because everybody canadas coming on like you said its a small times Everybody Knows and back then not a lot get it was actually play football so that helped me but then when i go its maybe somewhere else you know people just stand it you know call you the usual names and things of that and just laid them let it really let it get to me almost like a challenge for scotland you know member going to countries like. Russia good and things of that and again just comments like them but not in my oval way lay over a bit in a light hair in this light youd see in the mens game just because. Thank the audience no female game was a lot smaller so you dont have the day you know microscopes like you know like my mail came to light just because the clothes are smaller but you get little besson well betsy and theyre manly and drugged and then like i say cumbernauld because the small town in everybody can and you everybody if. A role model for young scot is going for a woman playing football for black women playing football. People conscious of how important it is to see players like yourself so successful. And so im a lawyer so because if i look back and you know when people ask me my role models its like you always look to the mens game because thats what who you see on t. V. And just compare yourself to them but i think its important for females have like role models you know layer female felt like them so they can relate to see their struggles and see how they came through and limb from limb their story in my how they star and how they grew up and how they came through that theyll see so its definitely until and i take that seriously as well so when you nothing thames of like get them back in to go into schools and speak into schools and speak and to get old and cochon you know my ghettos over here im so conscience and you know i know what theyre going through what theyre you know what lies ahead so its about china help them navigate through that focal in the john them what theyve got to whats ahead so definitely something that not take seriously in my responsibility seriously and just glad if my story can help anybody in touch anybody then im happy with that idea of a message for scotland a new sort of way to field and black History Month again is just like you know speaking out you know maybe when sayings it happened to me when i was younger and tantalize that would say anything but i think its so important you know this day and age especially that you know if you go and see you know you stand up you speak up music of voice and its about helping people to educate people and for them to learn because in the day were all human beings and no matter skin color you know we all want to want the same things in life and its about len and to know about each other the feel of the 1st black woman cop to the scotland thank you so much for joining me in the alex on the show. Thank you very much and thanks happened and so from the captain of the scotland womens Football Team to an england great when i interviewed john bombs he has some really interesting things to say about the why to the shoes of racism in society. Must be difficult to be a racist when you know your own team stop playing black is it not you have to look at the reality of racism in football whereby i was racially abused by little and someplace often and im the exact same person i came to difficult and theyve been racially abused me so i you know football particularly you know up in scotland you know how passionate they are regardless whether youre a racist or not if a player has experience up in gaza go anyplace ranges if you score goals are the bell of you so but what i do know is that had i not been a good player and black players who go to big clubs and do well of course even if there are unconsciously or consciously racist people they dont racially abused but are they bad players and they play for the same club so john bell is going to look will ferrell a player ive got racist abuse i know that 100 percent because its not personal its about the perception they have of of the group that you belong to and theyre worth universe in same way as the perception we have of womens worth and gay people who are so i was in on it on any illusion that they loved me because you know im john bond and they love black people because they love me hands on bob because i see alex the arc of the black and its a play about racial abuse by the fans and he played well everything like every campbell that they would have a set piece so i look at racism in football and race in the society 2 different ways the reality of race is society which is much more hot hitting much more all encompassing and much more serious than it is in football but it all boils down to the fact that the perception we have of your worth and for the transactional benefits if you do well for them they will forgive you anything i love you but that doesnt mean theyre not unconsciously racist so little for as you love me i say of course you are racially biased not towards me because you love me but whats the average black person in the street or the average woman and thats what we have to change. And how much progress has been made in recent years lets look at football 1st and how much is still to do to racist attitudes well the progress made in football to 2 aspects of football 1st of all the game. The sport the 1000. 00 it match and then that institution which is from the hierarchy going to be from the management going to be administrators now called the playing course pect if it made huge strides in fact of black players who are disproportionately represented in football because you have more than 20 percent black players and less than 10 percent black people in the country and in terms of players now being paid the same amount of money when a player back there takes a shot the goal posts are moved there no medical small in like a black bet on that black person trying to get a job or trying to get employment a good housing or access to social care the goalposts are move for them to go cause and move the football as yes when you every now and again in a you know on a saturday or if you go to monkey ball gary you will get racist abuse but in terms of the representation of black people in for all it took was that theyre completely equal now from a management perspective thats different than all that managers dont like a minute straight as no back to the nationals of football has to know that people are nationals of government and all the and all the industries anyway so white shoe football be any different but why that it is because sports not just football but sports recognize the transactional benefit of having a black ashley from Jackie Robinson playing baseball to mohammed ali boxing for america and the olympics they recognize and that doesnt mean theyre not racially biased they recognize the transactional benefit of having a black sportsman which would give them gold medals give them money because actually rob is going to hit a home run now thats obvious you say bolt is going to beat anybody 100 meters mike tyson is going to knock you out however what is the transactional benefit of having a black say into intention a man who can be a football manager now to change the perception of his worth nothings going to change. Coming up after the break alex is joined by the editor of black History Month 2020 Catherine Ross joined us today. In the 1920 s. And thirtys several 100 africanamericans moved to the soviet union and many of their descendants still live in russia. Looking at the 1st because you all know russia but also up most of us have got to score with a cyclone things on their way to set their child on the National Scale back home black american suffered from racism and a complete lack of prospects. Is that the lump us mud the real live below 0 shows one by else a store on the by doing. So they decided to leave everything behind and start a new life in a country about which they knew almost nothing at all some of the African Americans who were too thrilled if youre in the united. Around great the crowd. To the moon they are going if you want to call clues and now almost a 100 years later history is repeating itself my great grandfather george time went to russia. Probably the worst time to go anywhere why not me. Why dont i come here. Welcome back by kristi month has been celebrated in the u. K. Every october for more than 30 years despite this years necessity of holding all the events on line they have achieved unprecedented publicist a part of the surge in support against racism in the wake obviously of george floyd in minneapolis. Alex is joined by 2020 editor of black History Month catherine north im professor said Jeff Palmer Catherine welcome to the exam and chill and i thank you very much for having me on youve described this month black History Month this year as the as the biggest and best ever been to be in a huge number of events this year yes a lot of them on line though of necessity so thats been quite different 1st saw weve missed out on the carnival as well mean big crowds in the streets and moving around and weve missed out on you know just doing generally events where wed all get together to watch films and things that are about caribbean history or black history generally err if miss the closeness of it and how do you respond to people who say well look you know every month should be a black History Month shouldnt special a fictional just one single month from the year do you think that the sort of event sort of scene in the coverage that was seen as justified the idea of a specific month for black history no im really grateful and im old enough to remember when it was history week and then it grew into a History Month now were finding that a month is not long enough simply because theres so many events on so yeah every month it should be a pakistan moment and then everybody can get to experience all the good things that are on you know from drummers films and just social meta to be able to talk about our history and heritage and i just said obviously the vents of forster online in the main for the History Month this year. Are highlight us father bill does something unexpected that tom didnt or a grandstand success you could solve or you point to which are which has surprised even yourself terms of how effective it was. Yes well we bid on brain stream t. V. So that was good but the icing on the cake was so we had to do interview for parliament. For their tours of history and heritage thats there so we took part in that and that was really good theres so much actually in the building in the house of commons of the house of lords that tell our story that i need to hire out there so that people will do more of those tours and visits in and and then also people will know that weve been here for a very long time and we have the evidence there and we have done a lot thats the point of my museum is to say we have made positive contributions to the k. And have been doing man since 1600. Does it assist in your view that the selfesteem of of young white kids in particular to knaw the influence and contribution that figures in history of made that perhaps has been written note of of conventional history well i think that History Month also is for everyone its for white people and they need to know the caps in their history and to know that we have been here 1st on this really just said that we have and the things that we have done but yet black children especially need to know that because when theyre criticised and have negative things said about them they can point to named individuals and say but look what they did and they can also feel good that if somebody could have achieved that in the times of slavery or just post lavery then these young people of today will be able to make their mark to you as editor of the black History Month for 2020 when you have been visiting this Years Program you boast of. Consider of the the balance on the one hand of celebrating the chief mints or blight figures from history and on the other hand prettier context to some of the more unsavory parts of history how did you reconcile that balance as you plan on the sheer celebration well as in all things our day our child to point out the positive and some of the negative so the 1st thing that hit us was the covert and for that i was pleased to report that we were on the frontline and doing great things and we were one of those heroes it was celebrated in the National Press and whatever but then i had to point out that. Because we havent had good accommodation because of the low paid jobs we had you know we suffered disproportionately so after he sent it all that but then i said and so what are we going to do Going Forward so ive always left readers with something to think about how theyll change a situation improve or enhance whichever aspect theyre going to take away from it everyone talks about the new normal well in the new no more i dont want to go back to being on the margins in the new normal i want to be able to feel more power and less of this powerlessness that i have so im hopin that our black people are feeling proud and. Regenerated but im hopin others who are responsible for policy and legislation and so on take notice enough is enough weve waited 400 years and it cannot continue and as they can see there are so many of us that are well talented have the experience that we can make a difference to our country its ours to govern editor of black History Month 2025 you so much for joining me on the other examiner joe thank you very. Oh delighted to be joined from his home in penticton near edinburgh by professors of Geoffrey Palmer geoff welcome back to the alex salmon show oh im delighted to be back and if you think the key audience for black History Month is of young white kids to understand some of the gre