London: West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite feels taking a knee is not sufficient within the battle against racism as as per him, a alter in mindset is required around the globe.
The ‘Black Lives Issue’ movement was raging across the world following the demise of African-American George Floyd in the hands of a Minneapolis police personnel in US in May.
Brathwaite believes ‘legislative’ shifts are the want of the hour as as per him, taking a knee appears to be just papering over the crack.
“Taking a knee in quarantine (or) wearing a badge in quarantine is not sufficient, it’s the reprogramming & reconfiguring of the mindset. For me it’s just cosmetic – that may ruffle some feathers,” Brathwaite stated on BBC’s Stumped program.
“The largest alter needs to be legislative & needs to be the reprogramming of the wider community.
“Why is it that we go on a plane & watch someone with a massive beard & we think, terrorist? When we watch a black person within the supermarket we automatically think he’ll shoplift, & as a consequence have the guards trail him?
“That is a bigger conversation – just how we reprogram our mindsets about those sorts of thoughts is a bigger conversation than just taking a knee,” he added further.
Meantime, the England & West Indies cricketers going to going to wear a Black Lives Issue logo on their own playing shirts when they face West Indies within the #raisethebat three-match Test Show, beginning Jul 8.
The call has been taken by this England & Wales Cricket Board, fully supported by this England players commanded by Test captain Joe Root & stand-in captain for the 1st Test Ben Stokes.
In a mark of solidarity, the tandem going to join the West Indies & carry an identical logo on their own playing shirts. The ‘Black Lives Issue’ emblem has been designed by Alisha Hosannah, the partner of Troy Deeney, professional footballer & captain of Premier League side Watford Football Club.