Kusini & Bernie Call It Out

Kusini Yengi & Bernie Ibini Call It Out

Online hate is never ok – and yet it is all too common an experience. Professional football players Kusini Yengi of Adelaide United and Bernie Ibini of the Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club share their experience of calling it out.

Athletes understand that people will critique their performance. But they never sign up for racial abuse – whether at a game or online. Instead of brushing off the racism Bernie experienced online, and as he says “just getting on with life”, he saw an opportunity. He decided to help people open up and talk about the issue to build momentum for change.

“I personally called it out because I feel like here in Australia, maybe it's not talked about enough,” says Bernie.

Bernie has seen more and more people in the Premier League – the top level of the English football league system – speaking out on racism and was inspired to help drive change here in Australia.

Talking about racism can be a tough conversation to have. But knowing that it could impact a young person, and influence them to reach out for support, gives Bernie the strength to call it out and contribute to the conversation. 

“I just felt that it was necessary for me to do so,” says Bernie.

“Obviously there's a lot of young African players, and players of different cultures, in the league. So I just felt like, me being one of the older players, I could make an example of it and show that there is an avenue to reach out for support.”

Bernie reflects that while this avenue hasn’t always been there, things are changing. And he wants young people to be aware of this.

“Now, it's starting to be the case that if you feel like you need to talk to someone, you can. You don't have to just brush it off and say, ‘Oh, it's okay’”.

For Kusini, he is acutely aware of how mental health can play a big role in how we respond to experiences of racism. When Kusini was subjected to racial abuse online, the thing that motivated him to speak up was the desire to support people who may be struggling with their mental health.

“The main reason I decided that I wanted to talk about racism in the media was that It didn’t affect me, the stuff that happened, too much,” says Kusini.

“But I know that a few years ago, when my father left, and I wasn’t as mentally strong, it might have affected me a bit more. 

“I wanted to talk about it so that my nephews, or my cousins, who may experience something similar, would know that I was strong enough and I pushed through it. 
“They would see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and try to get through it as well.”

Kusini had been subjected to racial abuse online in the past, through private messages on social media. This time however, he was abused publicly – in the comments section of his social media profile. Kusini says that the person wasn’t afraid to put it out there, whereas in the past it had been via private message because the person knew it wasn’t on.

“Only they’d know and I’d know. And if I didn’t speak up then no one would know about it,” says Kusini, “but the person, the people who did it the next time, obviously had a lot more confidence to just chuck it out there where everyone could see. And they knew that they wouldn’t get punished for it. Nothing would come of it.”

Kusini’s experience highlights the impact of governments, social media corporations, and regulators around the world failing to keep pace in their efforts to combat hate speech on social media. Tech giants, a small handful of corporations, are not held accountable for making the social media platforms they control safe for the people who use them – as Kusini, Bernie, and so many people globally have experienced.

While governments, corporations, and regulators scramble to keep up, and let online hate continue, people in everyday life step in to provide vital support. For Bernie, he says that his upbringing has made a huge difference to how he handles racism – including his most recent experience online.

“I had a very strong upbringing. My parents always told me to be proud of myself, of my skin colour, all those sorts of things,” says Bernie, “even if I was to be shown any sort of racism, growing up playing in games. I remember being called n*****, stuff like that.”

Bernie says that he didn’t take it in as a child as he didn’t understand what it meant, and exactly how bad it is. 

“I had my parents. And they were always proud. And then as I've gotten older, I’ve spoken with my parents, and friends that I know I can speak to. I have a good life support network.”

“I definitely want to make sure people know that they can speak about it.” 

Listen to the Reflect Forward podcast on online hate and mental health.
Read how rugby league player Jayden Okunbor took a stand against online hate. 

Support

There are lots of free, community services that you can call to chat and find support.

If you or anyone you know needs help:

Lifeline on 13 11 14

Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800

DirectLine Victoria drug/alcohol counselling on 1800 888 236

MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978

Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467

Yarning SafeNStrong on 1800 95 95 63

Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636