Black History Month at Acuity: A Talk with Christian Roberts
“Learning about racism can be like walking on eggshells. But the more you do it and put yourself out there, the better the results.” Christian Roberts
Last week, we were fortunate to welcome former Cardiff City footballer Christian Roberts to speak to members of our firm in honour of Black History Month.
Christian is best known for his time as a forward with Cardiff City. He began his career in his hometown, joining Cardiff City’s youth academy, where he quickly stood out with his pace, technical skill, and goal-scoring ability. He made his senior debut for Cardiff in the late 1990s, and though his time at the club was relatively short, it left a lasting impact on fans who admired his dynamic and direct playing style. Throughout his career, which included stints with Exeter City, Bristol City, and Swindon Town, Christian established himself as a passionate and dedicated player.
However, Christian’s contributions extend far beyond the football field. In recent years, he has used his platform to combat racism and promote equality in football and beyond through his work with Show Racism the Red Card and other organisations. Drawing on both personal and professional experiences, he has become an advocate for creating inclusive environments within sports, speaking out against discrimination, and encouraging conversations around social justice.
Christian’s talk at Acuity was rich with wisdom and marked by his unflinching support of honesty and candour when working to combat racism, even though this can be daunting.
He said: “Racism is a big, taboo word. But my philosophy is if we don’t talk about it, how are we going to move forward? Talking about racism is like riding a bike. The more you do it, the better and more confident you become. We need to create spaces like this, where we walk through that door, and the gloves are off. Honesty provides a space to challenge these subconscious feelings. If don’t create these environments, how are we going to create a safe, brave space?”
Christian was vocal about his belief in the need to do more, both in sport and society, to combat racism. This can be done, he said, not only institutionally, but through the power of relationship building:
“Before anything gets worked on, you need to develop trust with the person you’re working with. Only when the trust is there will a change or a difference be made. The more you build a relationship, the level of challenge in the questions changes. You can start to explore deep within and that’s where the work is done.”
He added: “In sports clubs, like in any workplace, sometimes it takes a long time to build that engagement.”
The audience at Acuity Law was inspired by Christian’s bravery in calling out a lack of courage in sport to meaningfully tackle racist behaviours, combined with his level of pragmatism and empathy: “If someone is showing racist behaviours, I don’t think the right thing is to throw them away,” he said.
We learned a huge amount about the power of communication through Christian’s wide-ranging work to change not only the world of sport but wider society. Our team members were also inspired to be bold in building understanding and trust as a foundation for a fairer world.
