Race winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates winning a 7th F1 World Drivers Championship in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Turkey at Intercity Istanbul Park on November 15, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Dan Istitene - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
English broadcasting giants Sky have donated £1m to Mission 44, the anti-racism foundation of Lewis Hamilton.
Sky Sports has collaborated with Mission 44 – the foundation of Lewis Hamilton to the tackle high rate of school exclusions among Black students. This investment is part of Sky’s £30 million commitment towards tackling systemic racism. This is in the aftermath of a recent rise in cases related to racism across the United Kingdom.
The foundation aims to focus on more inclusiveness in schools and on helping young children in poor communities. Sky also plans to include grant funding for Multi-Academy Trusts to invest in interventions that reduce school exclusion rates.
“Understanding and addressing issues that lead to young people being excluded from school is really important to me,” said Hamilton. “Having experienced unfair exclusions during my time at school, I understand how upsetting and stressful it can be. When we launched Mission 44 last year, implementing initiatives such as these was a personal priority and I am grateful to have the support of Sky to help Mission 44 take action.”
According to Mission 44’s research, black Caribbean students are 2.5 times more likely to be permanently excluded compared to other students.
In January 2021, Sky targeted to increase ethnic diversity and representation in the UK. By 2025, Sky is aiming for 1/5th of its employees to be from Black, Asian or ethnically diverse race. Hamilton, has been vocal about his stance on racism since the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.
Hamilton has been quiet on social media since the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. A mishap involving Race Director Michael Masi cost him the win and a record-breaking 8th World title. There are numerous reports suggesting the Brit could possibly retire from the sport in the aftermath of the painful loss.
Mercedes have also had a change in the driver’s seat with George Russell replacing Valterri Bottas. The Finn move to Alfa Romeo and will replace retired Kimi Raikonnen. The all-English pairing is an exciting prospect for the 2022 season, but the next few weeks are vital to understand if Hamilton will return.
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