He also could have been scratching for a living on the streets of Rio de Janeiro's notorious slums.". The third was the AFL and the AFLPA's capacity to effectively deal with racism, something Lumumba doubted after observing their handling of other players' complaint, particularly those of Gold Coast's Joel Wilkinson. From that position, Lumumba could easily tune out and switch off. An investigation would in any case have required the cooperation of Lumumba and those who were at Collingwood in his time but have since left; Lumumba, among others, would not consent to an interview. "You can't turn back from this moment. He all of a sudden 10 years later wants to be a humanitarian (sic),' he said of Lumumba. Police kill black people at a rate that's 17 times higher than that of the USA. Mr Lumumba said he had been ostracised by coaches and teammates after criticising club president Eddie McGuire for making racist remarks about Mr Goodes. You can't. I believe my core values and beliefs about who I am and the cultural significance of my background help sustain me in my darkest moments.". "Hritier Lumumba gave permission for Scott Pendlebury to call him 'Chimp' while at Collingwood," read a Fox Sports headline in August. It was, in other words, many of the things its footballing namesake was not. Key points: Buckley says he had been "dismissive" of Lumumba's claims about his experiences of racism at the Magpies 4-min read. As a child in Perth, Lumumba's chest swelled when Michael Long took his stand. "Instead they've doubled down on their denials and attacks. As a result, he had suffered "trauma, humiliation, distress, and loss of enjoyment" among other things, he said. And the betrayals were many. Lumumba published a book in 2014 called It's Cool to be Conscious, that includes personal stories from his life, both on and off the field. He called the culture at Collingwood a "boys' club for racist and sexist jokes"[10] and stated that his teammates nicknamed him "chimp", a term with a strong history of connotations as a racial slur against black people. He was one of the few people in football, and surely the only one at Collingwood, to stand up to Eddie McGuire. "His performance caught the eye of the Jongo Bassan da Serrinha community, which my mother was a part of.". Read about our approach to external linking. On May 31, 2020, a sea of people filled the streets of the Fairfax District in Los Angeles. And maybe, however tortuously, things will change. I've been racially discriminated against in the US in ways that I hadn't in Australia, and I'm still adjusting to the racism here. Lumumba was not quiet about letting his humiliation be known and immediately left the room, then paced laps of Collingwood's training ground to cool off. [9], In 2017, the documentary Fair Game was released about Heritier's life and his stories of racism while playing professional football. "You have to wonder if [his] issue is not with Buckley, but with himself maybe the apology should be [Lumumba] to Buckley, and not the other way round. "Things that happen inside the Westpac Centre stay inside the Westpac Centre and probably we've been too open in the past," McGuire told Fox Footy. They're proud to pronounce it. Yet Behrendt has no investigative powers. A black AFL star and his former Collingwood teammate have traded online insults after he was accused of inventing his own racist nickname. Lumumba was also soon among the most electrifying defenders in the game, peeling off his man and sprinting forward moments of athletic flair that are the lasting image of his football brilliance. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. His mental health was questioned. "He means so much to black people because he fought and sacrificed for us. I said it was a proud day for Collingwood and I shouldn't have,' he said. "A name is an affirmation that is repeated consistently. He was a unique figure in the game, unafraid of standing apart. Your mates come first. We can learn. "I hope I can inspire children in the same way he inspired me," Lumumba says. Other media erroneously claimed Lumumba had presented Rudd with a list of demands. In the last week, Lumumba released audio of heated conversations he had with Buckley back in 2014. Lumumba had secured the fifth in what would end up eight consecutive top-10 finishes in the club best and fairest award, but he was still labelled "the poster boy for Collingwood's decline". For those projecting Collingwood's public front, and a titillated media, it has become an obsession. 0:00 / 8:55 ABC is an Australian public broadcast service. The scathing report was made public, finding the club's attempts to deal with allegations of racism were either 'ineffective' or 'exacerbated' the situation. He had previously recounted experiences to club and league management. At his own expense, he hired a full-time assistant, a massage therapist, a chef to create a specially formulated diet and, later, a personal coach who specialised in conflict resolution. It also featured in Buckley's conditional support amid the "Lez" furore, after Lumumba's impromptu press conference: "We are a 'side by side' club that provides for all individuals so long as those individuals are prepared to be side by side with the club," Buckley told reporters. Maintaining the connection to traditions is one defence against the ongoing genocide that is being waged against Afro-Brazilians as a whole.". He knew himself by his birth name: Hritier Lumumba. He would refer to himself as chimp. For Lumumba, there was no let-up. Two LAPD squad cars were set alight and burned. Lumumba blew the whistle on Collingwood for 'systemic' racism, sparking an investigation and subsequent allegations of racial discrimination within the club. "It's a stark contrast to when I was playing football and being called 'chimp' on a daily basis, isn't it?". All rights reserved. Deflect attention away from the underlying problem by evoking the 'crazy black' stereotype.". "The wharf where they first touched down is known as Cais do Valongo, about 50 metres from the hospital. Charlotte Karp For Daily Mail Australia, How Eddie McGuire called on his powerful contacts - including the Premier and AFL CEO - to save him after demands he resign over Collingwood racism scandal, AFL star Ben Brown welcomes an adorable baby girl after he and his wife Hester tragically lost the newborn's twin after a miscarriage, The screen for King Charles' coronation anointing is revealed, Biden jokes about key political figures at WH Correspondence Dinner, Braverman: People crossing Channel are 'at odds with British values', Hundreds of Household Division members rehearse for coronation, Women's rights activists and pro-trans campaigners separated, 'You motherf***ers don't understand': Bam Margera details 'turmoil', Ukraine drone strike hits major fuel depot in port Sevastopol, Jerry Springer hosts record-setting porn star Annabel Chong in 1995, Doctor slams Laurence Fox for 'spewing out biased views', Terrifying moment bird strikes plane carrying 184 passengers onboard, Australian tourist allegedly spits in the face of a Java Imam, Moment large saltwater crocodile snatches pet dog off beach in QLD. And its harder and more complicated when were dealing with casual racism; with entrenched attitudes, with an accumulation of indignities and sleights. He says the racist jokes and ideas continued. 'It was not systemic racism, as such, we just didn't have the processes to deal with it that we do now. It means something to people here. I felt this profound connection," Lumumba says. 'Just dealing with the stresses of being an AFL footballer is enough. McGuire has since admitted he 'got it wrong' in his response and said he had used the term 'pride' 'under the pressure of the day'. At first, the thing he enjoyed most about living in Collingwood was looking up at the Fitzroy commission flats he'd lived in as a young refugee. Then he adopted words of advice from a mentor, the African-American academic Professor Lucius Outlaw Jr: "The lessons of histories of encounters between white folks and folks African and of African descent have taught us that it is not in our best interests to leave the education of white children and young people solely up to white people. "I understand the strength of belonging to the Bakongo people," Lumumba says. He said Collingwood's failure to address issues had a 'severe impact' on his wellbeing. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. "That interview killed all the momentum that had started to build around my story.". Sport, religion and family: Who is incoming AFL boss Andrew Dillon? "At the core of it, what is Australia? In reality, he says it was his only option to shield himself against significant personal attacks. He is portrayed as an outcast.". He said he had faced a "culture of racist jokes and ideas" at the club. I've spoken to some people and I've found different things, the nuances that I had no idea [about]. "They could easily have said, 'Yeah, we messed up'," Lumumba says. That changed in late 2020, when the ABC published an in-depth interview, the results of months of research. "I've never heard it," McGuire said in June. The standouts were SBS journalist Ahmed Yussuf, who could empathise from his own experiences as an African-Australian; Jo Chandler, for her sincerity and for not coming from the sports world; and the late Trevor Grant, by then an ex-football journalist. To be unable to express oneself naturally is excruciatingly painful. I felt a level of isolation in those early days, but it seemed even more isolating and tiresome to constantly speak up.". As the review progresses, Lumumba anticipates more of the lurid counter-narratives propagated since 2014 by Collingwood's powerful PR machine. "Whatever you guys have been reporting, that's secondary. Six days later, in another team meeting, a crass joke was made by a member of the coaching staff about one of Lumumba's teammates looking like a lesbian. He was 18 years old and adjusting to life on the Collingwood rookie list. In those early years, his escapes were the company of Melbourne's Afro-Brazilian community, and a pastime of which few at Collingwood were aware: he was a percussionist in two samba bands, forging deep connections with his culture. Lumumba refused to toe the line. In 2005, before he'd even established himself as a player, Lumumba became the AFL's inaugural multicultural ambassador, tackling with gusto his duty to broaden the game's appeal to migrant communities. ', By Hritier Lumumba (formerly known as Harry O'Brien; [1] born 15 November 1986) is a Brazilian-born Australian former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club and Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). ", Lumumba says: "His [McLachlan's] response was a template straight from the playbook that many institutions deploy. We listen to stories about ripped jeans and low-level joshing and we ask: is that racism? "We come from the same people, and it feels like I'm with family here. [14], In 2020, the feud was again reported in the media when Lumumba called The Project "unethical and dishonest" in their treatment of him. "I began to understand that I belonged to a global people," Lumumba says. But the industry has a tendency to marvel at its own magnificence. I feel empowered knowing that my name can connect them to their indigenous tongue's natural intonation. In time, he says he would also be called "black c***" and "slave" in the name of humour. Lumumba's surname was changed to "O'Brien" when he was 9 years old and was given the nickname "Harry" shortly after, becoming known as "Harry O'Brien". "The only mouth I have heard that nickname out of was Hritier's himself when he told me about it," said Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley, once Lumumba's football mentor. In telling his story, former Collingwood premiership player Hritier Lumumba hammered home how far Australian rules still has to go in talking about race and class. It made him think a year further back, to the bewildering period when concussion forced him into AFL retirement. Read about our approach to external linking. The club is bigger than the individual. "One value was community that was through the whole club. You could almost hear them snickering into their napkins: turn it up Harry, or whatever it is you call yourself now, this is the Copeland Trophy, not the United Nations. It's considered the most important physical evidence of enslaved Africans' arrival on the American continent.". In his football, support and mentorship came from the likes of Paul Licuria, James Clement, Marty Girvan, Scott Watters and David Buttifant. When Lumumba said he wanted to publish a tweet, as per club policy, he was given approval by senior staff in lieu of calling McGuire directly. "A large percentage of African-Americans descend from the Kongo Kingdom," he says. When Fair Game was released in 2017, The Age ran an article portraying a culture of fragile egos and moral cowardice. "The outcome of my psilocybin experience was a profound realisation of my obligation to confront the issues at the root of my symptoms.". The Sunday Age article announcing his arrival began: "Harry O'Brien could have been playing soccer for Brazil. 'We commissioned this report not to pay lip services to a worldwide tragedy, but to lay the foundations for our game, our people and our community.'. But we can listen. However, it is now very clear to me, that he and I have fundamental differences in our understanding of what racism/white supremacy is, and how it should be effectively dealt with. "Most people who reported on my life were ill-equipped. "Drums sit at the intersection of the physical and spiritual worlds," Lumumba says. The more I celebrated the greatness of being black and being African, it caused a noticeable reaction from those around me.". "I come from a powerful, matrifocal community in Rio de Janeiro, where our cultural tradition, known as Jongo, has been well preserved," Lumumba says. It was the moment Lumumba stopped playing peacemaker and called out Collingwood's culture of discrimination by confronting Magpies president Eddie McGuire, the man whose name still symbolises the Collingwood that Lumumba once loved. Until December 2013, the football world had known him as Harry O'Brien, an AFL star with a social conscience and big ideas. [4] In 2009, he came 4th in the Copeland Trophy. Back when Lumumba was only highlighting societal problems in the abstract, reporters called him "worldly", "deep thinking", "level-headed" and "well liked". It's a long way removed from his school days in Perth, when few could be bothered learning his name. He calls it his "go along to get along" phase. Keep up with the latest ASX and business news, MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo dies at age of 46. It has a powerful vibration. Buckley, who is indigenous and played 26 games with the team, posted comments on a Facebook page belonging to former AFL player Shae McNamara. "I didn't get one message or email from the Collingwood Football club," he says. Lumumba skipped town for a few days. Heritier Lumumba and ex-Collingwood teammate get into heated online dispute | Daily Mail Online AFL star who blew the whistle on Collingwood 'racism' gets into heated online dispute with Magpies. He didnt play by our rules. 'Side by side' became Collingwood's creed. Mr Lumumba was the AFL's first multicultural ambassador from 2006-2013, and said his experience improved after joining Melbourne Football Club in 2014. Also, my maternal ancestors are native to the Americas, just like many people in Los Angeles. Now Lumumba was "erratic", "disgruntled", "troubled", "bizarre", "outspoken", "fragile", "rogue", a "sook" and a "destabilising influence" with "serious issues". "There must be more black representation in the media industry, otherwise it will never change.". In Fair Game, he explained Collingwood's reaction when he called out McGuire: "Employees, decision-makers identified that I had gone away from the club's virtue of 'side by side'.". 'We have decided as a club that this fight against racism and discrimination is where we want to be. He also freed himself from distractions, investing financially and philosophically in his training and recovery, significantly improving his performance. @iamlumumba . , updated "The person who is being hated at the moment is actually Eddie," Buckley told reporters. Theres always a new hero, a new villain, a new outrage. US foreign policy has caused death and destruction to tens of millions of black lives in the Congo, and despite the insurmountable pain that has been inflicted on Congolese, they have never stopped fighting for their own liberation.". He was an "infectious character", a "role model", "a leader", and that highest of compliments in the Melbourne footy world: a "great bloke". In documents filed in the Supreme Court of Victoria, Mr Lumumba alleged the league and his former club had failed in their duty of care to provide players with a safe environment.