When I was at Wisconsin I heard people say many times that they’re color blind, that they don’t see black, white, red or brown skin. I believe it’s very important to acknowledge the Black experience. If you’re saying you’re color blind, I think you’re diminishing that experience.
Any discussion about Black History Month makes me think of my dad, Roger. Growing up in Hamilton, Ontario, with my brothers Elijah and Isaac, Black history was not taught in schools, so my father took it upon himself to enlighten us. Not just in February, either, but throughout the year. He made us understand where we came from. He had us read books. He made us appreciate the impact of people like Angela Davis, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and Rosa Parks in the U.S. and Canadians like Lincoln Alexander, the first Black member of parliament, and Viola Desmond, who staged a Parks-like protest in a white-only section of a theater.
That exposure and insight helps me appreciate the fact that women are at a cultural crossroads in the sport that I love. There’s a huge cry in hockey for racial inclusion for men and women, but if you take a step back, you see there’s also inequality for women. Both are on the same plane and we have to look at how they intersect.
Growing up, I didn’t have a traditional role model other than my parents. There was no visibility for women in hockey, let alone Black women. There was no one who made me say, “I want to be like her. If she can do it, I can do it, too.”
