A year on Holding has written a book, with contributions from Osaka, Henry and other sporting greats including sprinters Usain Bolt, Michael Johnson and Olympian fencing medallist Ibtihaj Muhammad – the first American Muslim to wear a hijab while competing in the Games. Holding also invites some of this generations biggest sporting icons, including Usain Bolt, Thierry Henry, Michael Johnson and Naomi Osaka to share their stories and views on one of the biggest ills in society. Through the prism of sport and conversations with its legends, including Usain Bolt, Adam Goodes, Thierry Henry, Michael Johnson, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Makhaya Ntini, Naomi Osaka and Hope Powell, Michael Holding explains how racism dehumanises people; how it works to achieve that end; how it has been ignored by history and historians; and what it is like to be treated differently just because of the colour of your skin.

But when people began to understand apartheid through a sporting perspective, it's my belief that it helped to really pressurise the powers that be to do something. Remember that the next time you hear someone say that taking a knee is virtue signalling or 'woke'. Give me a break. It raises awareness, it keeps the conversation going and reminds people that things have got to change. The book takes readers throughout history to understand racism and explains what it is like to be treated differently just because of the colour of your skin. Holding’s message is ultimately one of hope and he delivers an inspiring message for the future and a vision for change. Following his retirement, the fast bowling legend became a superb commentator, speaking with depth in that droll West Indian accent. He recently quit commentary but at 67, Holding remains a voice of reason. As ever he leans on his dignity. When dinner conversations extended beyond the willow game, he would then say: “Look at what is happening in West Asia.” And when his daughter called from the U.S., he would step aside and become a doting father. Mikey describes every important word and concept be uses, in simple language, so that you don't have to Google or search for the dictionary if you don't understand them. For example, when talking about Jim Crow laws, be describes who exactly Jim Crow was, and what these laws exactly said. In another place Mikey describes what 'redlining' exactly means. This enhances the reading flow of the book and makes it a beautiful experience.I can’t even process myself enough to think how these families cope with this grief or what George Floyd might have been thinking when his repeated plea for help was refused when his lungs were grasping for air and he could not breathe anymore and his vision got blurred whose face was it that he wanted to see for the last time? Holding stresses that we are not asking for history to be edited, like some people (Boris Johnson) accuse; it has already been edited to suit a particular narrative, we need the unedited version. I'd definitely like to read Why We Kneel, How We Rise again. Like I said earlier I learnt so much, what I mentioned in this review is just the tip of the iceberg. A logical, compassionate, informative and inspiring non-fiction read. This cookie is set by the provider The Guardian. This cookie is used for embedding The Guardian video player.

Why We Kneel, How We Rise is a powerful, poignant and personal exploration of racism - with a message of hope for real change. If we are not familiar with the facts Mikey describes, it will make us angry, it will make our blood boil, we'll find them unbelievable, it will break our hearts, it will make us cry. All these happened to me. I knew some of the facts, but it was unbelievable that some of these bad things, pure evil things, were happening well into the 20th century. There were two chapters called 'Dehumanisation' and 'History Lesson' which were very hard to read, because what they described was heartbreaking. It was unbelievable to read about some of the things, that scientists and philosophers that we admire from previous centuries, had said.

The sorrows and fears of athletes

I was in the mood for a good non-fiction and this really hit the spot. Michael Holding takes a generalised approach to the history and contemporary ramifications of institutionalised racism. It is effectively a good 101 for the subject, and would be useful for anybody as a good primer for the subject. Holding makes powerful arguments, taking care to highlight linguistic and cultural practices which are often taken for granted in white dominated spaces. Infantry Division - war heroes who were made to clean toilets and do menial jobs, instead of being allowed to fight in WW I. Even though the Germans asked them not to fight for the oppressors, the 'Harlem Hellfighters' spent 191 days in the trenches, never lost a single foot of ground, and never had any prisoners taken. Still, they were banned from the victory parades and received nothing.