CHAMPAIGN (WCIA) — As athletes, coaches, and parents fight to get back on the field this fall, there is another fight happening in the United States: the fight against racism.

Central head football coach Tim Turner encourages dialogue among his players, and opens up conversations about race. The third year head coach says these are the important but uncomfortable conversations that need to happen.

“There’s racism in the world, and the way to combat it is through conversation, the way to combat it is through education, and that education comes from us getting to know one another,” says Tunrer.

Turner includes conversations like these during his character development portion of practice. He hopes to lead this generation to make a difference.

“We’re in a new world, and because of that, there are some touchy subjects that we have to touch upon, and we have to touch upon those subjects with our youth,” says Turner. “They are the ones that can really make a difference, and if we’re to change our society we’ve got to have these conversations with them. I’d like our kids to be able to talk amongst themselves, and really discuss what it looks like and what it feels like”