Footballer Raheem Sterling has been offered an MBE for his tireless efforts to promote racial equality in sport.
From his work with Kick It Out, No Room for Racism and his constant outspokenness about racial issues in the mainstream media and more, Sterling has become one of sport’s most prolific anti-racism campaigners and this new honour from the Queen celebrates his work.
On the MBE, Sterling said: “Receiving this honour is a fantastic feeling and a proud moment – not just for myself but for my family and friends.
“I am grateful to have been recognised but my priority is to try to help to educate society and myself. If it doesn’t start from within, then there’s no way you can help others. I’m learning every day.
“My motivation for racial equality is to get people to understand the difficulties people from diverse backgrounds face and create an environment where everybody is equal. I feel we are starting to make a step in the right direction, but we still have a lot of work to do.
“There are still a lot of things we can get better at as a society such as social media with people taking more accountability. I think that is a major factor in achieving the ultimate goal of racial equality.
“We also need to support young people and give them opportunities to show what they are capable of achieving.”
Joining Raheem Sterling on the Queen’s Birthday Honours are Jonathan Pryce and Jordan Henderson.
The list reportedly marks the most diverse honours list yet, with 15 per cent of awards going to those from ethnic minority backgrounds.
(Image Credit: Кирилл Венедиктов)