Exploring
Arsenal's
Black History
Black Arsenal Untold is a series exploring the ways in which Black Gooners shape the culture of our club.
Over the course of Black History Month, we’ll share episodes and instalments that platform a host of different perspectives – from famous faces and former players to supporters new and old.
marc's Story
For me, Arsenal is more than just a football club.
It’s almost like a way of living, because you’ve got your own sense of beliefs and these mirror the football club that you’re gunning for. [This is] a place where I feel I can belong, because Black Arsenal is somewhere that has really made me feel comfortable with who I am.
I’m very passionate about my job as a Special Education Needs teacher and very passionate about Arsenal. It’s because the two are linked, because both are about inclusion. You can look at Arsenal’s identity and it’s clear straight away. And in terms of looking back through my journey, being part of the Arsenal community has really helped with my own identity in this world.
My brother and sister got me into Arsenal matches, and I went to Highbury when I was maybe about eight or nine. It was just so surreal, taking in the whole Highbury Stadium. And that sense of belonging – [feeling] I'm part of this Arsenal community because we’ve got Black Arsenal players.
I think I was the only Black person in my class and at the time it was like the early to late 1990s. It wasn’t as diverse or as inclusive as it is right now. I struggled to find myself; ‘Where do you belong?’ Stuff like that. It took me a while to understand and accept, ‘Okay, I’m gay and Black’ – and to put the two together, because it’s quite hard to understand the different complexities that come with the two things, due to a lack of understanding from other people.
“Growing up, Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell, Patrick Vieira – these were Black Arsenal players who I just absolutely loved.”
I think Arsenal was always there as a comfort blanket kind of thing. You could always retreat to Arsenal and just watch Arsenal games, which made you feel good – or bad if you lost. But Arsenal was always there to help you.
When I joined Gay Gooners, that's when I actually felt, ‘Okay, I can really feel my [true] identity – I’m really happy with who I am and who I choose to be.’ I’m pretty much an introvert so normally I’m just video gaming, stuff like that. But through Gay Gooners, because we’re all there for the same thing - because we love Arsenal – it just makes it so much easier to connect. It just helps you feel a sense of belonging... It's just lovely to see.
Growing up, Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell, Patrick Vieira – these were Black Arsenal players who I just absolutely loved. I still respect Ashely Cole for what he did for Arsenal Football Club, and Sylvain Wiltord as well – I was so excited when he scored that goal that won us the title in 2002.
Arsène Wenger was amazing in terms of recruiting players from any background. He was all about quality and he wanted the personality to fit with the beliefs and ethos of Arsenal. It didn't matter where your passport was from, and I think he started showing what a club can be like: what it can look like in terms of being successful, while being inclusive.
That's continued today, and we're going to different levels. What Mikel Arteta is doing... I love his philosophy in the sense of not just how Arsenal play, but how he looks at the players in terms of making sure that he brings the right profile to the club – making sure they have the same morals.
We feel it when we're at the games. We feel so energised. And we feel so connected.
Follow along for more stories this month – and share your own at BlackArsenalUntold@arsenal.co.uk
robbie's Story
The cultural spirit of Black Arsenal
When Robbie Jr visited London in 2005, little did he know he'd be taken to visit Highbury Stadium. It was here that his love for Arsenal would be born.
Having grown up in the small town of Eygelshoven in the Netherlands, Robbie discovered a sense of belonging when he was introduced to the club and found himself inspired by Thierry Henry.
Since then, he's channelled this passion into the founding of his brand, Famille Notoire, inspired by faith, film and football.
He sits down with fellow Gooner and Ezra Collective bandleader Femi Koleoso to discuss how his love for the club has helped shape a career in fashion.
Follow along for more stories this month – and share your own at BlackArsenalUntold@arsenal.co.uk
blaise's Story
“Back then times were very, very different.”
To start at the very beginning, my father was involved in the liberation struggle in Guyana to gain independence, and he actually fought in the war for Britain. He studied architecture over here too and then went back to Guyana. And then in 1958, I was born.
I lived in Guyana through my early years and then moved to England with my family when I was about 13, and I can tell you that back then times were very, very different, so I never really took an interest in football or formed an allegiance to a particular team.
But then things changed for me in 1989, with players like Paul Davis, Rocky Rocastle, Michael Thomas and that incredible climax to the season at Anfield. That was something I took notice of, that said, “Well, OK, this looks like something really good,” and I started following Arsenal from that moment on.
Now, come through to the modern day and you can see from the crowds how diverse it is and how welcoming it is. There’s no hint of any kind of aggro or anything. And it’s just a beautiful, welcoming place to come to.
“Here it was: a Black captain, leading a Premiership team and winning things.”
When it comes to Arsenal, it was a no-brainer for me to support the club and what they did, and the way they did things.
When Arsène Wenger started picking all these Black players from around the world, and then he made Patrick Vieira captain, I was like, “Wow.” Here it was, a Black captain, leading a Premier League team and winning trophies – winning league titles and lifting the FA Cup.
To see that you have Black leaders that are successful, it’s a huge signal to the Black population that says we can recognise that we can have people that can lead. And that’s when we became “we”. This was an inspirational team picked of people who had the ability and courage to go out and achieve things.
I see it as this little romantic thing in my head, that if your ancestors survived The Middle Passage and the years of enslavement that followed, they must have had a huge kind of physical and mental fortitude to get through it.
And that kind of steel in their spirit that will not be bowed is buried somewhere in our DNA too – that says, “I don’t care what you throw at me. I’m gonna survive this.” And you can see that strength on the pitch.
sunny’s
Story
The transformational spirit of Black Arsenal
Moving from Nigeria to north London, Sunny Nwachukwu attended his first match at Highbury in 1990. But he didn't return for more than three decades.
Due to fears over racism witnessed in football during the 80s and 90s, Sunny watched from afar – but his support never wavered. This year, he finally made his way back to N5, where he enjoyed our 5-0 victory over Chelsea from the stands.
He sits down with club legend Anita Asante to reflect on football’s evolution, celebrating what he sees as a transformation in atmosphere and a feeling of belonging he never felt before.
Follow along for more stories this month – and share your own at BlackArsenalUntold@arsenal.co.uk
Amii’s
Story
“I saw a lot of myself in a lot of the football I saw on TV.”
I’m a football coach from Southeast London. I’d probably say that football was my first love – but really, it was Arsenal. It was through Arsenal that I then fell in love with football.
My love of Arsenal comes from my sister, Jo. When she was a stubborn four-year-old, she was told – by her primary-school friends at the time – that because her favourite colour was blue, she should be a Chelsea fan. My sister was like, “Nah, not having that, I’m gonna become an Arsenal fan.” I was the doting little sister who wanted to do everything that my big sister did.
Arsenal was actually one of the first teams I even knew of that had a women’s team. So everything that I even know about women’s football has very much come through an Arsenal lens. Growing up around the likes of Wrighty, Henry and Vieira, but then also on the women’s football side of things with Yankey, Asante and Sampson… I was just always around Black football. Growing up in a time where Hope Powell was also the manager of England, this all just played such a big part in me feeling like football was something that I could do. I saw a lot of myself in a lot of the football that I saw on TV.
“There’s no one here that feels as safe as Arsenal made me and my sister feel.”
Ashley Cole was an important figure to me too, because I’m also mixed race and play defence. Seeing a lot of him and Rio Ferdinand in the England set-up was so important for me: I [felt] very British, very Gooner, and represented. Even current players who may have moved on from Arsenal like Joe Willock or Alex Iwobi – these were players who you felt like you knew, because of their background, because of who they are as people. [You feel] you probably have this shared experience with them, especially those who were from London. Like, Eddie Nketiah is from Lewisham. I know he’s moved on now but he [visited] the grassroots club that I coached at last season and his mum still pops in. She even came to the Christmas party last year! I have family who went to the primary school that Ian Wright went to. So yeah, I feel very connected with Arsenal.
But people kind of questioned, ‘Why are you Arsenal fans?’ We would joke, ‘Well, they're originally from Southeast London, why can't we support them?’ But it’s still there, in the DNA and the fabric of the team. I think that Southeast London has a big Arsenal community and that’s also because there were so many Black people in the team. If I think about other teams who are local to us, there’s no one here that feels as safe as Arsenal made [me and my sister feel]; it’s the Caribbean community and diaspora feel.
I think that in the same way that to be Black is in the DNA of Arsenal, to be Southeast London is in the DNA of Arsenal as well. They're in my DNA. Arsenal is in my DNA. And that's it.
natalie’s
Story
The entrepreneurial spirit of Black Arsenal
Living opposite the Emirates Stadium on Drayton Park, Natalie and her family saw an opportunity to bring Caribbean cuisine to matchday.
For years they served our local community, including fellow Gooner Reggie Yates who lived just around the corner.
With queues down the road, the smell of jerk chicken in the air, and clouds of smoke floating down the street, The Jerk Kitchen was impossible to ignore.
After nearly two decades feeding supporters and staff, the stand served its last customers. But the legacy lives on in Natalie’s sauce business. Just the next chapter in this family’s entrepreneurial story which left a permanent mark on matchday culture in this corner of Islington.
Follow along for more stories this month – and share your own at BlackArsenalUntold@arsenal.co.uk