Michael Holding gets teary eyes while talking about racism his parents faced in past

Michael Holding, West Indies great, and Sky Sports pundit broke down in tears while discussing the racism his parents faced in the past.

During the match between England and West Indies in Southampton, he was expressing his views on racial prejudice when Michael Holding mentioned his parents.

In an interview with Sky News’ Mark Austin on Thursday, Holding, 66, was asked about how he felt in that moment, and replying to the question Holding’s voice began to break.

“To be honest, that emotional part came when I started thinking of my parents. And it’s coming again now.”

“Mark, I know what my parents went through”, he added.

“My mother’s family stopped talking to her because her husband was too dark”.

“I know what they went through, and that came back to me immediately,” Holding said while he wiped tears from his eyes.

He also shared about times he faced racism over the years, including when he and his white friend were assumed to not be booking into a hotel together in South Africa.

“We laugh about it when not living in that society, and sometimes I grimace in my head and I move on. But I cannot keep on laughing, grimacing, and moving on,” he said,  “It’s time for a change.”

Holding further added that he hopes that to tackle institutional racism would not be “brushed under the carpet” and again urged for better education on black history.

He said: “I hope people understand exactly what I’m saying, and exactly where I’m coming from. I’m 66 years old. I have seen it, I have been through it and I have experienced it with other people.

“It cannot continue like this – we have to understand that people are people.”