Black History Month: Visible role models are crucial says Simi Pam
The Bristol Bears prop is an impressive role model both on and off the pitch.
It’s Black History Month and a time to reflect on how far we have come as a sport and a nation.
Rugby Football Union Chair, Tom Illube, has talked about racial abuse that he’s encountered, a drawing of a monkey labelled with his name on a flip chart among his experiences.
He also talks about rugby needing to provide a lead and a safe space for the diversity of players from modern-day Britain.
Another British Nigerian, Simi Pam, Bristol Bears' barnstorming loose-head prop moved to England from Nigeria aged three. Like her father, Ishaku, who was the consultant for a covid ward on the Isle of Man throughout the pandemic, Simi was on the NHS frontline and combines junior doctor duties with being a Premiership rugby player.
She says that the rugby environment has always been a safe space for her.
“Rugby has never been a place where I’ve felt different because of being a black woman. That’s one of the best things about rugby and its values of respect, understanding, tolerance. You’re a team and you stand united with each other in all aspects, race, religion, sexuality.”
Simi, who worked on the NHS frontline throughout Covid, is “really proud to be a British-Nigerian dual national. This is the country that I was raised in, and I work for the NHS, but you can’t outrun being black, you can’t hide. It comes with the good and the bad.”
The bad has included racist abuse on social media and being verbally and physically attacked last year on a night out with friends.
A man threw a punch at her head after Simi was involved in a confrontation with his girlfriend, who called her a ‘black bitch’, and said, ‘I’ve got a British passport, go back to Africa’.
Simi has had a British passport for 20 years, her dual citizenship approved when she was 10 years old, and is all too aware of the dangers of physical confrontation.
“As a doctor, I see people coming in after a fight. All it takes is one punch, they hit the concrete and have a bleed on their brain, and people are being charged for assault or manslaughter.”
It was an alarming experience, but Simi had lots of support from her club and teammates.
“Rugby is a place where anyone can come and be accepted. At Bristol Bears, even if people might not fully understand what it is that we go through, we have their support.”
Coming from an athletics background, Simi first played rugby at Bristol University in November 2017 and now has 81 caps for Bristol Bears. The rampaging loose-head prop also scored a 70m try against Sale that went viral in February 2021, as she was working on the Acute Medical Ward.
That was a high point for a player who continues to inspire young black female rugby players.
There have been tough times, especially during the Covid pandemic in Bristol when Simi and her colleagues summoned all their resilience to serve the most vulnerable.
“The numbers were piling up, and people were really sick,” she explained. “One of the consultants, Dr. Osman, got Covid and passed away. That was a really difficult day to be at work, seeing my consultants in tears really brought home just how real everything was.
“That was around the time my granddad was unwell from Covid, and he eventually passed away too. It was a really rubbish couple of weeks. He was in his 90s and very well otherwise. It just felt quite premature.”
There have been challenges in her rugby career too. She suffered a serious ankle injury that required surgery in December 2023 prior to being in Red Roses camp over summer. The first time she was called into camp was for the 2023 Six Nations.
“I was gutted but I believe everything happens for a reason. The injury allowed me to stay at Bristol and get back to fitness, ultimately helping the team reach a cup final, which is an incredible experience.
“Right now I’ll try to focus on what I can control, trying to be the best athlete I can be, a sponge ready to learn, keep learning and developing my game.”
For this inspirational player visibility is of utmost importance. “I’ve been trying to impact inclusivity by being a visible role model and loudly black in all the spaces I occupy.
“Seeing someone like Shaunagh Brown, who transitioned successfully to rugby from athletics, inspired me. Visible role models are so important.”
