Aston Villa stars John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey talked about their own experiences of discrimination when they visited Lozells Primary School in Birmingham recently as part of the Premier League's No Room For Racism initiative.
The pair chatted with the students about racism, the importance of standing up for your team-mates and why Premier League players take the knee in a school workshop facilitated by the League's No Room For Racism education resources.
"It's been brilliant to see how the school has already educated the kids so well," said McGinn. "When I was a kid, we didn't have the same knowledge on the subject and hopefully ... we can have a positive impact on that in the future."
Villa players will join those of Liverpool in taking the knee when the two teams meet on Boxing Day. This is because Matchweek 17 is one of the dedicated match rounds where players have decided to take the knee to amplify the message that racism has no place in football or society.
All Premier League matches played between 26-28 December will have players taking the knee.
Educational resources
The Premier League has created No Room For Racism educational resources, which can be downloaded for free by teachers and are used by clubs running community programmes and across the Academy Education and Player Care network.
The teaching materials have been downloaded by more than 5,750 primary school teachers, engaging more than 170,000 pupils covering topics such as the importance of diversity, allyship and tackling online hate.
