In June 2020, a photo of Great Britain hockey player Darcy Bourne holding a sign which read ‘Why is Ending Racism a Debate?’ at a Black Lives Matter protest went viral.
Five years on, after witnessing scenes at September’s far-right rally in London, she found herself asking the same question.
The 23-year-old athlete and activist, who spends her time off the pitch with charities working to empower minority communities through sport, felt deflated and discouraged.
At the same time, it reaffirmed the relevance of her work.
In an Instagram post, Bourne wrote: “When I was 18 years old in the height of Covid, I wasn’t afraid to go protest.
“But today, as a grown woman, in my own city, during daylight, surrounded by police and security, I have never felt more unsafe.
“That is because of the hatred, racism, sexism & Islamophobia in society today.”
Her emphasis on the power of cohesion aligns with the theme for this year’s Black History Month, Standing Firm in Power and Pride, which aims to show how there is beauty and power in shared heritage, despite challenges and differences.
“The rally made me question if everything I’m trying to do is worth it,” Bourne told South West Londoner.
“There are people full of hatred everywhere, people whose minds will not be changed.
“Those protests showed the exact way you should not be protesting, but there’s so many more people fighting for the right things.
“What it also reminded me of is that it’s even more important at the moment to stand together and use our power.”
The University of Nottingham graduate, who has almost 30 senior caps for England and Great Britain, begins her eighth England Hockey League Premiership campaign with Surbiton this year.
She explained how the communal spirit of sport makes it a natural vessel for progress.
Bourne said: “Sport unites people from all different backgrounds, and everyone’s watching and listening.
“You’re on a team with a bunch of people you don’t pick to be on a team with, and you have to work together towards one shared goal.
“It creates a space where people are willing to stand up for things that don’t directly affect them.”
The Surbiton forward sits on a number of domestic and international panels including Sporting Equals, and the EuroHockey equality, diversity, and inclusion panel.
She also has over three million likes on TikTok, where she documents her own experiences as a mixed-race athlete.
Bourne explained that while standing up for equality in the difficult space of social media can be daunting, engaging in discourse with opposing voices and perspectives is a necessary, if frightening, process.
She said: “I feel that I have an obligation to use my platform as well as I can.
“There’s been people in the past saying it’s not their space for sports people to speak up, but it’s something that needs to keep happening.
“Black History Month is about celebrating black brilliance, black beauty, and all the positive things about black people and black culture. It’s also an opportunity to educate people.
“I learned early in my activism journey to have conversations with people that have completely opposing views.
“Take time to empathise with them so that they can empathise with you.”
Bourne believes that while change at the level of national governing bodies is important, grassroots activism in communities is where progress becomes tangible and sustainable.
She founded Raising Her Game last year, which is a charity offering free sports sessions and camps to young girls from underrepresented groups in London.
Raising Her Game is led by a diverse team of Olympians and women’s rights activists, including ex-England footballer Anita Asante, and Red Roses rugby union player Simi Pam.
Bourne said: “I wanted to create a charity where we could inspire girls who haven’t seen people who look like them in these types of sports.
“Having women from different backgrounds – black women, Asian women, women in hijabs – playing sport is so important for young girls.
“People say ‘If you can’t see it, you can’t be it’. I don’t agree with that, but I do think it makes a huge difference.”
For Bourne, seeing racism in its most toxic, violent forms at far-right rallies serves as a painful reminder of challenges which still exist, and of progress yet to be made.
But it has also made her more ambitious and determined than ever, both in her personal goals on the pitch and in her commitment to shaping an inclusive future.
Bourne said: “Last season was the first time I’ve been confident and an impactful player internationally. I want to keep growing into the player I want to be.
“At Raising Her Game, our aim is to do what we did last year, but bigger and better. We had 16 girls from our last camp sign up for joining clubs in our partner scheme. I want to make that number 30 next year.
“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done, but we’ve got the potential to impact a lot of young people’s lives.”
For more information about Raising Her Game, including how to donate, visit the charity’s website.
Black History Month takes place every October in the UK. Find out more here.
Feature image: Graeme Wilcockson/@gmwsportphoto
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