Irish international athletes Gina Akpe-Moses and Joseph Ojewumi say education and communication are key in ridding this country of racism.
The pair joined Eoin and Ger on OTB AM where they spoke in-depth about their own experiences of racism in this country. It comes off the back of the killing of unarmed African American George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis.
Akpe-Moses grew up in Dundalk but now lives in London, and she says people taking it upon themselves to learn more about black culture and history is vitally important.
"I think people educating themselves, that's probably the first step. Educate yourself. If you don't understand why black people are so upset and so tired, read up on their history.
"Imagine that's you or your brother or sister or mother or dad or cousin - anybody you hold dearly to your heart, imagine if that was them.
"Just picture how painful it would be. The psychological, emotional and physical effects it has on you as a person. It's traumatic. If you can really delve into the history and educate yourself the right way, then of course that's the first step to anti-racism.
"That's the first step to not blaming black people or stereotyping them because black people were shoved into a hole. We want to come out of it, but we're being told 'No' and kicked back into the hole.
"We don't put ourselves there, white people brought us, shoved us into the hole, expecting us to be happy.
12 August 2018; Athletes, from left, Gina Akpe-Moses, Joan Healy and Ciara Neville of Ireland after competing in the Women's 4x100m Relay event during Day 6 of the 2018 European Athletics Championships at The Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile"Educate yourself, help people in the best way possible, and check your moral code to know what is right for basic human rights in general."
Irish international sprinter Joseph Ojewumi added that communication and opening up a dialogue is also a crucial step in the fight against racism.
"I think you could also talk to someone. Just ask what you can do. A lot of people don't know what they can do, they don't know what to say, they don't want to say the wrong thing.
"I feel like a way to educate yourself is to just talk to those people who actually go through it. You must know someone who is black. Ask them the questions that bother you - how you can make a difference, how you can be anti-racist, and trust me they will help you.
"If they see someone trying to help that's a good step, if they see someone trying to understand that's a great step. I say just reach out."
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