All language subtitles for Black.Ice.2022.720p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-done

We as Canadians
do this thing

where if we don't
talk about it,

we don't have to take
ownership of the fact

that some of the more
negative things have happened.

A lot of that history
just gets lost.

That's why it becomes
really important

to tell those stories.

If we really wanna look
at where we are now,

you wanna get
a real understanding

of the progress
that's been made,

and the progress
that's still yet to be made.

Then you have to look
at the journey
that got us here.

When I first
got introduced to hockey,

I would have been probably
around the age of...

three, three-and-a-half

was when I started skating.

My dad being from Jamaica,
my mom being from Montserrat,

um, they wanted us to still
see ourselves as Canadian.

So everybody had to know
how to skate in our family.

So when I was
about three years old,

my dad brought me to the pond
and taught me how to skate.

And I remember him
teaching me how to skate

because it was the most
unique thing I'd ever done.

He had emigrated
from Trinidad and Tobago

when he was just very young

and never got the opportunity
to play hockey.

And when I was born
and came along,

he introduced me.

My dad
used to bring me ice skating.

Public Skates,
downtown Montreal.

Um, you know, we'd go there.

We start once a week,
twice a week,

and then next thing you know,
I just love skating.

I just love being fast out there

and, uh,
just fell in love with it.

I was five years old

when I first saw
the game of ice hockey,

and I kept seeing
how fast the game was

and how physical they were

and the smell of the ice.

Once I found it, it clicked,

and I never wanted
to give it up.

Some of my first
memories are just walking
around the house in my skates.

Finally, I was able to go
to some learn-to-skate programs

and-- and get on to
a couple outdoor rinks.

And-- and that's really
where I-- I fell in love
with the game.

A lot of us in the game
are most comfortable

- on this ice right here.

It's my truest self.

And I-- and I can express that
through my game.

It's an escape.

Deep down inside, there was
just that burning desire

to-- to play hockey and to--

and to be the best
hockey player I could be.

I played because
I loved the sport

and, and still do.

So I started playing, um,
by the norms pretty late.

Um, just before
turning ten years old.

Uh, I moved to Canada
at-- at eight.

There's hockey
everywhere, so...

I think the-- the culture
and the environment
got me into it.

I wanted to give it a try
because it was almost like

I was kind of
getting left behind.

All my buddies were
going to play hockey

and I was going home,
you know.

But as soon as I got
into the game,

the barriers started
stacking up.

It was the financial barriers
of how expensive it is.

I had to buy skates
from a garage sale,

they were leather skates,

and this is like,
not that long ago.

So you can imagine what--
what the looks that I got

when I was wearing
leather skates,

and I'm looking to my left
and to my right

and my equipment
looks different.

So you kind of become insecure.

And then you realize
that you're
the only person of color.

Everywhere I went,
I just felt a little bit off.

It was either appearance,
the language that I spoke.

Financially, was really tough
to find a spot to, like,

really fit in and call home.

I was just constantly running
into a wall at-- at every turn.

How's that?

Fuck.

You gonna try
and get on the ice?

I...

I can't do
a single leg squat, like,

well, how much am I
gonna do on the ice?

Like, all my other
12 surgeries,

I was, like, excited
to get back on the ice.

I'm, like,
intimidated with this one.

Contract your knee.

Man,
I had 13 surgeries

before I turned 30 years old.

I don't know
if I'm gonna be able
to walk up the stairs

in five, six, seven years

because of what I've given
to the game of hockey.

How's this one here?

It's better.
It's getting better.

I got a cup of tea
at the National
Hockey League level

and nobody can ever
take that away from me.

But weighing
the pros and cons now

of what I've done to my body,
what I've done to myself,

and I still wasn't able
to have a long career,

um, or any-- any career
for that matter.

Then they paint this picture
of you as being somebody

that's difficult to deal with

because I won't get along
to get along

when I know
I'm being mistreated.

The culture is--
is so ingrained in our minds

that whatever happens,
we gotta put our head down

and shut our mouth
and not speak
on any type of issues

and just do your job

is-- is what's wrong
with our game.

Akim Aliu claims
that Flames head coach,
Bill Peters,

directed racist language
at him.

For the first time
in NHL history,

the future of a coach
is on the line

over a locker room incident.

A player
Peters coached in the minors

is accusing him of using
the N-word repeatedly.

He wasn't behind
the bench for tonight's game

as the team investigates

explosive allegations
of racism.

I think this was simple.

And the second the young man's
claims were corroborated,

they should have fired him
on the spot.

I can tell you this.

As far as I'm concerned,
there's no tolerance

for not just coaches,

but players,
management, anybody

to conduct themselves
that way.

When Akim spoke out,

he was really one of
the first people to do it.

And I knew
that there was gonna be

a lot of questions
around the game.

And I knew
that people were also

gonna start coming to me.

That was really terrifying

because I didn't really
wanna share anything.

This is a situation
where you might
have done something

two weeks ago, two years ago,

two decades ago.

You might have been
joking around.

How far back
are people going to go

and bring something up?

And is this a precedent
setting move?

Why do you think
he chose now

to come out and bring this
to the forefront?

I don't think he wanted
to get labeled as that guy.

As a Black hockey player,
we tried so hard to blend in

and not create new waves.

There are definitely
painful things

that have come up
through my career.

When he stood up,
it was scary,

but also empowering
in the same breath.

This is
the biggest story in a while

because there are repercussions

that we're gonna be talking
about for quite a long time.

Having someone
in the position that he was in

be brave enough
to come forward and say that,

I think definitely set off,
you know, a spark of people

coming forward and saying,
"Well, this is what happened."

I don't think we'd ever seen
anything like that before.

This is
my silver medal from, uh,

the World Championship in 2016.

This here...
This is from minor days.

I played for the Oshawa
Lady Generals.

This was my first year
playing competitive hockey.

I was number three
to start off with, so...

What year this is...
I would have been ten.

Yeah, ten.

I was always the biggest player
on my team here.

My dad grew up in Scarborough
and he played hockey.

Um, he really loved the game

and he wanted to put
his kids in hockey.

I'm sure my dad will tell you,
he kind of has a process
when he walks into the rink,

um, in terms of finding
other Black individuals

or knowing where to stand

or knowing
what parents to talk to.

I told them
a little bit about, like,
how you have a process

- when you walk into the arena.
- Oh.

- Yeah. My process is,

I go walk around the arena,

I look at all the pictures,
and just to see

if there is any Black history
within the arena.

And then,

and I see if there's
any Black faces in the arena.

And, uh,

usually, it-- it's not there.

So, that's how I know

the, uh,
environment that I'm in,

and I make sure
I'm comfortable.

And when I'm comfortable,
I make other people comfortable.

So that's my goal
of how I deal with it.

But, um, yeah.

I just try not to make
those things stress me out.

Because it's not, it makes me
feel uncomfortable.

And I wanna make
people feel comfortable.

Then we're gonna do
that little, uh,

crossover squat,
the T open squat.

Feet come together,
internally rotate the hips,

open back in that 45
and drop into our squat...

The first
racist instance

that I vividly remember,

um, I was around
the age of 12,

and I was in the dressing room
with my teammates.

We were all just kind of
joking around, laughing.

And I stood up to make a joke.

And one of my teammates
quickly replied,

"Shut up, you stupid..."

And proceeded to call me
the N-word.

Um, and at that point in time,
I was about 12,

so I didn't really know
what to do.

Everybody kind of just stopped

and looked around the room.

My trainer just looked at me,

and I just immediately got up
and ran out of the room.

Yep!
Right. Right. Left.

After that,
nothing really happened.

There was no accountability.

Left. Right.

That definitely led to me

kind of questioning
my place in hockey.

Um, and, you know, whether
these people were my friends

and whether they really
wanted me there or not.

I had never realized that
they viewed me differently

than they viewed themselves.

In the first few years
after that happened,

probably until
I was about 15 or 16,

I definitely tried
to change myself.

Whether it was
the clothes I was wearing

or the music
I was listening to,
in order to make friends,

and for my teammates
to want me at their events

and want me to sleep over
and, and wanna hang out
with me.

I felt like I needed
to change myself.

- You want juice or water?
- I'll take a coconut water.

- Coconut water? Okay.
- Yep.

When I started out,
I'll be honest,

I couldn't barely
even skate.

As most kids start out,
we can't really skate
that good.

But as a little kid,
as my dad told me,

I just kept on getting up
and kept on trying

to get out there
trying to skate.

After that, I played one game

and I just
fell in love with it,

like, just right in there.

And I looked at my dad,
I told him,
"I'm gonna be a goalie."

And I know his reaction was,

"Oh, no, I gotta pay
all this expensive gear
when he gets older."

But, uh, I think
he's fine with it now.

I like being the goalie.

I like being the guy

who has to save
the team in a way,

but everyone's one big team.

You know,
we all help each other.

You know, you're not
on an island by yourself.

You're on an island
distant away from others,

but it's still connected
in a way.

Kind of hit me
a couple years back

when I got called the N-word
in a Pee-Wee game.

I was 12.

Player came in,
I stopped him on a breakaway.

He kind of went into me.

I give him, like,
a goalie push as we call it,

you know, just to get--
get him off of me,

and he didn't like that.

So next face-off,
the puck goes into the corner.

He kind of skates by and says,
"F you, you nigger."

And right away, uh,
that shook me.

That threw me way off
and shook me.

When he told me
what happened

and I said, "Are you okay?"

He said, "Dad, it made me feel
I didn't belong."

And that kind of hit me hard.

And I said,
"Well, you do belong."

Back off!

You do belong
and you belong in the game.

Oh, yeah.

They were gonna talk
to the coach of the other team.

Well, that was his father.

So you know what happened.

Didn't go anywhere.

Was supposed to be like
a suspension for 45 days,

plus a written apology.

But the father said
there will be
no written apology.

And that kind of
threw me.

What kind of message
are you sending?

You should have insisted.

But it didn't happen.

We played that kid
six times the following year.

Whoo!

Not once
would he shake Mark's hand.

He would turn away.

Scott, how you doing?

- Good.

From the time
I picked up a hockey stick,

which was probably
about the age of five,

my goal was to play
in the NHL.

You know,
I was told by several people

that it would never happen,

but that's where
my mindset was.

And, you know, I wasn't gonna
let anything stop me.

Score any goals tonight?

Yeah, I got a hat trick.

Excellent. Excellent.

What did you like most about
playing in the Air Canada
Centre tonight?

Uh, getting my third goal.

To me,
hockey was just something

that I could do
and feel at peace.

...my first goal.

You know, be free
and, you know,

not think about what is going on

in the outside world
and just enjoy myself.

It's all I ever wanted to do.

It's like my art, my craft.

Even growing up,

people called me, you know,
different racial epithets.

I was fortunate enough

to play with my best friends
at a young age.

I had a core group
of four guys
that always had my back,

but at the same time,

I don't think
they even really understood,

you know, how I felt.

But they always tried.

They always cared,

you know,
and they always asked.

So, yeah,
you feel isolated a lot.

But at the same time,

I was doing
what I loved to do.

So I wasn't gonna let anyone,
you know, tear me down.

I'm a child of the '60s.

So I grew up with, you know,
two channels on TV and, uh,

Hockey Night in Canada
was every Saturday night.

Saturday nights
when I was watching Dave Keon

and Darryl Sittler,
and the boys playing--

because I was a Toronto
Maple Leafs fan, still am--

um, I wasn't seeing anybody
that looked like me
that was out there on the ice.

Over on the left side
to Monahan,

over the line with Keon

and his pass was blocked
by Seiling...

One afternoon,
I'm driving home,

and I hear these two brothers,
Darril and George Fosty,

talking about the history
of the Colored Hockey League.

And I'm like,
"Colored Hockey League"?

And so I listened intently.
And then, of course,

like everybody else...

You know, to a large degree,
we started asking questions.

"You know about
the Colored Hockey League?

"When did this happen?
Where would this..." You know?

And that's how
I first connected

with-- with George and Darril.

Darril and myself,
we were trying
to put together a book

on Canadian military history.

And I said we should write
a hockey history and he said,

"Well, how long do you think
it would take us"?

So I said, "Well,

it would take us
probably six months."

Not a hell of a lot history
in hockey, right?

So we started to, uh, research
the history of hockey.

And in the course of that,
we found reference

to a hockey league
out of Nova Scotia.

An all Black Hockey League.

CHL or Colored Hockey League.

What caught our attention was,
we were reading one of
the references to the CHL.

And they said one of
the teams' names was Jubilee.

And it was named, uh, in honor
of Queen Victoria's Jubilee.

And I looked at that
and I thought,

"That-- that's not right.
There's something wrong here."

We saw a reference that
this was a church league.

And we found a Bible
written pre-1900s.

We pulled up
the Book of Habakkuk.

The Book of Habakkuk
was the emancipator storybook.

When the emancipators
went on to the plantations,

they said, "Behold,
ye among the heathen."

They were talking
to the slaves.

"I will work a work
in your day,
which you will not believe."

That was
the underground railroad.

"We will give you
your jubilee."

And sure enough,
Jubilee meant "emancipation."

Eureka meant "I will see God."

Hammonds Plains team
was named the Moss Backs.

Well, we know that
when slaves fled north,

they used to touch
the back of trees for moss,

because moss grows
on the north side of trees,

the North Star
going to Canada.

We suddenly realized
we were looking
at a coded hockey league.

We said, "Jesus,
we've got a story here."

So we went up to Nova Scotia

to provincial archives,
we went into the communities.

We got talking
and we found out that,

uh, some of these families
were, uh, family names

that we recognized
from our research.

The Fosty brothers
reached out to me

to see if I could remember

the, the teams and how the...
Who the players were.

I told them I had not
heard that before.

I said the only thing I know
about Black people in hockey

is a picture that used to be
on the old mantel piece
at home.

We were kids, and I think

almost all of us
have the same picture
on the living room walls

of a group of guys
with hockey sticks.

And that was the amount
of information we had.

We were shocked
and astonished and, uh,

even the fact that my father

played goalie for the--

for the Halifax hockey team
in the 1930s, '40s.

Quite a surprise.

No,
I'm feeling good today.

Black folks
are largely absented.

Right? It's a verb.
It's like an action.

We're absented
from the national narrative.

The image of Canada
relies on this allegorical
Black Canada.

Canada as the last stop
on the underground railroad.

Canada as this safe haven,

from the tyranny
of American racism.

And then what, you know?

What happens to those people?

What are their stories?

What do they do,
how do they live?

What is it like?

What is it like
for Black people in Canada?

The stories have not made it
into the mainstream.

You know,
what we teach our children.

And so, we've had
to write ourselves

into the national narrative
of this country.

Pass! Pass!

When we were
researching this history,

um, there was about 13 teams.

Some played one season, uh,
others played for a decade.

One team was
the Amherst Royals,

they played for about
two or three years.

The Moss Backs,
they played one season

that we were able to identify.

The Truro Victorias,
they played
for a decade or more.

The Eurekas played
for at least a decade.

And you had
the Africville Seasides

who were founded in 1894,

and played right up
to the 1930s.

Come on,
let's go! Let's go!

Over here, over here, over here!

At one point, there were
52 Black historic communities
across this province.

Today, there's a handful,
maybe, that are still really

active and vibrant.

At those times, we were really
on the periphery.

Africville was really
on the outskirts of the city.

Close enough
because we might need you

to still be laborers and work,

or do lays work in our houses.

But far enough
you weren't living with us.

Hockey was a big part

of the way of life
in Africville, right.

And a lot of the men played
on the Africville Seasides.

So, that tradition of hockey

and of us finding a way
to play the game

continued straight through

into the '70s.

The whole community,

from the time
you were born practically,

as long as you lived
in the community, you skated.

It was normal.

And when you skated,
there was always a hockey game

that was part of that.

Hockey, it didn't
cost that much.

You give 'em a stick
and a pair of skates.

Every kid played.

When I was growing up,

my life basically
was the Black community.

I don't think
they realized the importance

of what they were doing,
and even what they were doing

when they passed it down
to the next generation because

they didn't just pass down
the skill of hockey

but how you lived your life.

And that's the most
important thing
that I take from it.

Players conducted themselves
with such dignity

because that's the way
they were raised.

How many kids here
are from Nova Scotia?

Put up your hand.
Or family from Nova Scotia?

Anybody know
why we're called Seasides?

Anybody know the history
behind the name? Go ahead.

Black people
that played hockey.

The Black people
that played hockey when?

Um...

- A long time ago.
- Yes.

The Black people
who played a long time ago.

They-- they couldn't play
with white people

because, well,
I have no clue about that.

That was... Okay.
Okay. Let me try one more.

Why are we called
Seasides? Huh?

There was a team
in Nova Scotia

called the Africville Seasides.

Oh, give him a hand.
Coach got it correct.

Coach, got it correct.

Right?

Guys... [stammers] So just...

Just a little bit
of history, guys.

The very first year,
it was 1895.

Africville Seasides, okay?

That's why we're here.
That's why our name
is called Seasides.

So, guys, that's
a little bit of history.

We'll go into it
in more detail later

when you get
your team uniforms.

Okay. Who are we?

Seasides!

One more time.
Who are we?

Seasides!

Bring it in. Bring it in,
guys, that was beautiful.
Bring it in.

Bring it in.
Bring it in. Bring it in.

You see, for me, I was always
into the Black hockey history.

My family is from Nova Scotia.

I was born here in Toronto.

Growing up in Canada,
we played hockey

from the time
that we could stand up.

We were on skates,
we're Canadian-born.

Saturday night
was hockey night.

We'd get around the TV,

we would watch it,
we would play it.

We-- we'd go outside
and play it all day,

until our hands were numb.

They would never convince me

that I couldn't be
part of the game.

It was like, no, man,
we're part of this game.

I'm Canadian, so it's my game.
We could play hockey.

Like, no matter what happened,
I just kept going.

No matter what incident
we went through,
we just kept going.

We just always tried
to send the message

that we are part of this game,
no matter what.

Let's go over there.
I'm gonna show you how to tie
these skates on tight.

Come on. Let's go over here.
Come on. Okay, now watch.

Tight.

- Mm-hmm.
- Tight.

Boom.

Now you look
like a hockey player.

Now you're ready to go.

The helmet's hurting
right here, correct?

Right? Right in here, right?

You got to keep working it.
It'll get looser and looser.

Okay? But I need you
to come back out there, man.

- All right?
- Okay.

Don't let your mom
make you miss weeks, man.

Okay? 'Cause I had
to call her twice

to make sure you guys
are here today. Okay?

No more missing weeks, man.
'Cause if you're ready
to start playing games,

we can't miss no weeks. Okay?

I've always tried to tell
the wider hockey community

that they're making this
diversity thing too difficult.

I just went to the areas
in the city to where people
were just neglecting.

One thing that we found
in talking to them

is nobody ever asked them

if they were interested
in playing hockey.

So I-- I just started asking,
and they said,

"Yeah, we're interested.
We're interested."

And that's why
we came up with Seasides.

Right away, that way.
Right away.

We're at 85%
of the children in the program
are subsidized.

'Cause we know that
it's really, really,
really, really expensive.

So whatever it takes,
whatever money that it costs,

whatever equipment
that they need,

we're gonna follow
all of our kids all the way up.

Do I think hockey
is really ready

to welcome a diverse crowd
with open arms?

No. Not 100%.

They're, they're--
Like I said, they're moving
in the right direction,

but they're taking
the long route.

We don't want the kids to get
too comfortable and think

that there's still not racism
in the game.

Hockey's done a really
good job of disguising it.

The NHL has been talking
about diversity since 1993.

They just don't know
what to do with it.

They don't know
what to do with it.

Still, today.

For me,
this beautiful, rich,

and energetic
country of ours

can become a model
of the just society

in which every citizen

will enjoy
his fundamental rights

and peoples of many cultures
will live in harmony.

Talking about
racism in Canada

really pushes at
the-- the boundaries

of the Canadian imagination.

Like, what we-- what we think
is possible in this country,

it goes to the core
of who we think we are.

That's, you know,
that's a hard pill to swallow.

The idea that
racism exists here,

when Canadian multiculturalism,

Canadian-- Canadian tolerance,

Canadian benevolence,
is so built into the--

our core understandings

of who we are as a country.

♪ A tapestry ♪

♪ Of color,
shapes and sounds ♪

♪ We're a people
bound together ♪

♪ By the visions
we have found ♪

Every country needs
a national identity.

For centuries, ours has been
that we are not American.

We are descendants
of the British,

whatever that means.

And America is where--

is where real racism happens.

It really goes
against the core

of who we think we are,
and that is so challenging.

That's such...

Such a momentous thing
to have to overcome.

I was obsessed.
I was in love with hockey.

Uh, first year Pro,
I was in Rockford

with Chicago's farm team.

We were, um, getting ready
for a pregame skate.

Guys were just doing
the regular thing
in the morning,

taping their sticks,
having a coffee, chatting,

just getting ready
for pregame skate.

I had my iPod going.
I'll never forget,
it was a Lil Wayne song.

The doors come flying open,

and Bill Peters
comes flying in and...

runs up to the iPod
and rips the aux cord out.

And he goes,
"Whose shit is this?

Whose music is this?"

And I was just like, kinda,

"Like a-- it's me
that's playing it."

And he goes,

"I'm tired
of this nigger shit.

Get your nigger shit
out of here. I don't want it--

I don't wanna hear it
ever again."

And I kind of like...

Like, it makes my--
Like, I'm shaking right now.

Like, I was like...

I'm 20 years old, man, like...

And I was the youngest guy

in that-- in that dressing room.

And I'd lock eyes
with one of the players,

and then they'd like,
look away.

Then I'd look this way

and then they'd look--
they'd look away

because they were
so uncomfortable,

they didn't know what to do.

And it was just dead silence.

And then I was like,
"Well, what do I do now?"

Like, do I respond to him,

or do I suck it up
because he controls my fate?

I'm this far away from getting
to the National Hockey League,

and he holds all my cards.

I've worked my whole life.

Like, I grew up on welfare

to get to an inch from
the National Hockey League.

And this is really tough
for me to say

and eats me up inside, like...

In that position...

Y-yes, the right thing
would have been to--

to call it out as what it is.

But I have to know

what the consequences
to that are gonna be.

And...

it came to fruition because...

even after that incident,
he wanted--

He didn't want me on the team

because he felt that I was

shunning him a little bit,
disrespecting him.

And now,
I'm walking on eggshells

after coach called me
an N-word

and making sure
that he's okay.

And I just, like, that's a lot
to, like, wrap in your mind.

Like, I know
what happened was wrong,

but there's nothing
I can do about it.

And I've got to make sure
that the guy

that did it to me is okay

so I can reach my dream.

I feel like sometimes
I'm going in circles and stuff,

but it's just like,
hard stuff to talk about.

You just gotta
spit it out.

I think it happens
right off the bat.

It's a reality
that you're living.

Racism. And how deeply
it's ingrained in the game.

My mom's Filipino
and my dad's white.

She comes from a huge
blended family.

Black, Asian, First Nations.

Growing up here
you're the butt of every joke.

I think the ignorance
of little kids

not knowing exactly like,
what ethnicity I was,

you kind of just get
the book thrown at you.

See what sticks and see what--
see what hurts me.

But I just...

I just knew
all my family, like...

Uh, kind of
everything hurt me.

So you're-- you're constantly

standing up for those people

and, and wanting to, you know,

represent them or, you know,
not let anything slide, but...

It's a lot,
it's hard work.

That's exhausting, you know,
constantly doing that,

especially in hockey,
with how frequent it is.

I know there was a time
when I was younger,

like, at a teen tournament.

Um...

Guys would call me the N-word.

I was just...

It's fucked up, like,
why are you saying this? I...

Don't call me it again.

It's done.

They're like, you know,
"you're not Black.
You're Filipino."

Like, why--
"why are you mad about that?"

It's-- it's not right.

They're like, "well we'll give
you something to be mad about."

And then they start
calling you like, "chink."

And... it's like,
in that moment,

I just-- I just fought the guy.

I didn't...

It was like,

my first, like, probably
real, real fight, like...

And I didn't win.

I was--
I was playing up.

I was-- I was a rookie
on the team, so...

I got my shots in,
but took a beating

and then went back
to my room and...

like, just crying.

Just wondering, like,
"Why am I even playing?"

Like, "Why am I
playing hockey?"

It's not right...

Little kids shouldn't
have to do that, you know.

I was like, like,
13 years old.

It's just bullshit.

Growing up,
I was definitely the only,

uh, Black player
on every team I played on.

I was a shy, timid kid,

didn't want really
to speak out, ever.

When you start playing hockey
at a young age,

you gotta act a certain way,
you gotta dress a certain way.

You gotta talk a certain way.

You will never cause a scene,
cause trouble,

um, you know, that's just
a hockey mentality.

It's always been like that.

I was probably
nine, ten years old,

we were in a tournament,
some hockey tournament

in Montreal,
and, um, you know,

we had played
the semifinals that morning.

We had one big game

and then we had
an afternoon finals,

and obviously as a kid,
you know, playing the finals

or whatever tournament,
you know, you're--

you're obviously excited,
you're pumped.

I mean, you're-- you're a kid.

You're playing hockey

for the love
of the game, right?

Before the game,
for some reason,

there was, uh,
opposing team's parents,

uh, in the hallway.

Two or three of them
were, you know,

making monkey noises
and calling me the N-bomb.

You know, at the time,
I'm just like...

"Who's-- who's
the adult right now?"

Like, who, who, like...

"What is going on?"
Like, "This is not right."

And obviously, as a--
as a ten-year-old kid,

like, you don't know
what to say,
you don't know what to do.

My teammates behind me,
you know, are seeing this,

like, they don't know
what to do. They're--

They're in shock as well.

You hear stories
about little kids,
you know, quitting hockey.

But, you know, luckily for me

the love of my game,
you know,

it was just, was so much
deeper than that,

and, um,
I just wanted to shut them up

by telling them, like,
"Hey, like, I'm out here.

Yeah, I'm Black.
I'm a hockey player.

And I'm gonna show you."

That's one of
the interesting things about

the Colored Hockey League.

The innovation
in terms of the sport.

What made this
unique was,

because the league didn't have
an official rule book,

they had adopted
the white rules,

and, uh, had a looseness

in their interpretation
of these rules.

At that time,

players could not lift
their sticks

off the ice.

Eddie Martin,
like many other Blacks
at that time,

played baseball
in the summers.

And so during the course
of a game in 1903,

he ended up breaking in
on the goaltender

and decided to raise
that stick waist high

and fire a shot.

The teams and the officials

got into arguing about that,

though, eventually,
it was resolved.

And, uh, Eddie had pioneered

what would become
the slap shot.

Come on,
go, go, go, go.

Come on! Your stick
was way up there.

And it wasn't until
25 years after

when Frank "Bun" Cook
of the New York Rangers,

he introduced it,
as well as Andy Bathgate.

But ultimately,
it was the Golden Jet,

Bobby Hull,
who popularized the slap shot.

Going through
the defense, getting set,

he may pass or shoot,
he drives one, scores!

Back in 1895,

another rule
was that the goalie
had to stand in the net.

But those rules were thrown out
in, uh, Colored Hockey League.

The talk about
some of it being
somewhat unorthodox

compared to the white leagues
for instance,

the goaltender being able
to go down on the ice
to stop a shot,

something that was
unheard of at that time.

But Henry Franklyn,
who was a goaltender

with the Dartmouth team,

you read in the articles

how he went down
to block a shot.

That style of goaltending

uh, predated the NHL.

Great save!
Played it on the left wing.

People like Glen Hall,
back in the '50s and '60s,

Tony Esposito
in the '60s and '70s.

...by Tony Esposito.

He faked three men.

Not only was Franklin
innovative in that regard,

he would wander
outside of his net

to play the puck,

and pass it to the forwards.

Uh, he sort of
set the standard,

and it wouldn't be
until the late '50s,

Jacques Plante
copied that style.

New York Rangers
shoot the puck in,

Plante came way out of the net
and he's gonna hold it.

So that style
of goaltending

changed the face of hockey.

Look at the writings
in the Acadian Recorder

and you see it there
written by the reporters

that those innovations began
in the Colored Hockey League.

When you read about
what the reporters were saying

of the style of play,
of the speed of the play,

the innovations that--
that were there,

um, you start
to realize the fact

that this league had gave
a lot to the sport.

And, and, and, you know,

the NHL and hockey
as we know it today

has really never looked back
to claim any of it.

Yeah!

Okay. This is one--

this is one of my little
cubby holes.

And I have some prized
possessions in here.

These are my father's...

hockey cards.

Some of the originals.

I can get it open. Here we go.

Yeah, this is...

This is one of
the original hockey cards.

Uh, two of the originals,
the little one.

And, uh...

these are a couple of the others
that have come out since.

My treasures.

Amazing.

To me, this was a gift.

Because I have my father's
real feelings on tape.

Herb Carnegie was
the best Black player

never to play in the NHL.

I think he's the best
Black hockey person

who is not
in the Hall of Fame.

Herb played in various
leagues in Canada.

Played with distinction.

He was a center, a setup man.

Played on a famous
all-Black line called
the Black Aces.

His brother, Ossie Carnegie
and Manny McIntyre

were the linemates.

And they were a prolific line.

You do?

So, uh, anyway,
now I get on the train.

I come to Montreal
and then from Montreal...

I had met
Herbie Carnegie

in Sherbrooke, uh,
with the Quebec Aces.

Herb was by far the better
of the three players.

Should have been
in the National Hockey League,

uh, before me.

Um, had all the skills
and the ability to play.

Uh, just unfortunate
circumstances, you know,

kept him from, you know,
from being chosen.

Conn Smythe, the owner
of the Toronto Maple Leafs,

saw him playing
at Maple Leaf Gardens.

And by all accounts,
Conn Smythe was impressed,

but not so impressed
that he wanted to make history

by signing
the first Black player.

Instead, Conn Smythe

was widely quoted
by journalists as saying,

"I'd give any man $10,000,

who could turn
Herb Carnegie white."

Now, I got that statement
when I was 18.

How would you feel?

I'd feel awful.

I can't forget it.

Because he cut my knees off.

He broke my legs.

It's horrible.

So I don't want people
to go through that.

My father said
when he was told this,

he decided that he would
just try even harder.

He actually said,
"I played every game

like a scout was watching me
and that they would see me.

They'd actually see me
and recognized my talent."

In 1948,
Herb finally got an offer

to go to the New York Rangers
training camp

in upstate New York.

Have a chance
to make the team.

My father and mother
were on pins and needles.

And it's like, "Oh,
I finally have my chance.

A chance
that I've been waiting for."

And he played well.

And they told him so.

And the offer is half
of what he was earning.

The Rangers' first two offers
to Herb Carnegie

were lowball offers.

After another few days
of impressing the Rangers
at training camp,

and impressing
the front office,

they made him
another lowball offer.

So he turned it down.

It's as if they may have found
Herb Carnegie, uppity,

if you wanna use
a racial stereotype.

"You, you didn't take
the offer we-- we gave you.

Who do you think you are?"

And as a result,
the Rangers never made him
another offer.

Herb Carnegie never played
in the NHL.

Which is because,
you know,

because he--
of his color, you know.

They just weren't ready
for a Black hockey player.

My father
was never the person

who put his name forward

to be in the NHL
Hockey Hall of Fame.

There have been many attempts
through the years

where people came to us
and said,

"We believe
he should be in there."

But, of course,
he was never an NHL-er,

so they kind of
threw that out there.

But they do have
other categories,

like builder.

He was someone
whose contributions

make the sport
of hockey better.

In his post hockey days,

he started a school,
the famous Aces School.

If it was not
the first such school,

it was one of the first,
and it taught hockey skills

as well as sportsmanship,
handling yourself with class

and dignity and grace,
producing better citizens.

And even that
was not looked upon

as worthy of induction
into the Hall of Fame.

It's a shame
that avid hockey fans

don't know the name
"Herb Carnegie."

It's a shame that his
contributions as a player

has been overlooked
by so many people.

You know
what I feel like right now?

It's like mental. I'm scared.

- To... to drown.
- Yeah, okay.

But you're in water.
Worst case scenario,
you fall over.

Dealing
with all this shit
on the ice and off the ice.

These racial incidents.

I don't even talk about
the mental side of things.

How many
sleepless nights, man?

Sleeping pills just to try
to get to sleep.

I was in a dark hole
for a while.

And that was
an altering point.

Not in my hockey career,
my life.

My mindset changed from that.

So how was it?

It hurts, man.

But it's okay?

- Yeah, it's just--
it's just weak, and...
- Right.

- ...still getting that
sharp pain, but...
- You've got to get stronger.

You got to start
pushing all day.

That's when
I started feeling

a type of way
about the game of hockey

and the stakeholders
in the game of hockey

and the power brokers
in this game.

The world right now has had
this incredible attack

with social injustice.

And now we're sort of
grappling with, uh...

Yes, but the infrastructure
or the institutions

or everything that was...

What does it mean for that

if we move forward here?

With that comes a lot of fear.

And you're seeing us
kind of move through that, uh,

period of fear uncomfortably.

There are certain things

that are very specific
to hockey

that you just
don't get elsewhere.

And a big part of that

is the insular nature
of the sport.

No one player
is greater than the team.

That's what's been preached
in hockey for so long.

They always say
No one's above the team,

which, I believe in that.
No one is above the team.

You're supposed
to work together.
That's how you win.

That's how a team game
is played.

But at the same time,
I think players are trained

to do what is told of you

and not question,
kind of, the system.

With hockey,
you have a lot of great values

or a lot of great ideals.

Playing together,
having this one goal,

it's good in itself.

But with hockey, it kind of
takes it to the extreme.

You should listen
to your coach,

but that doesn't mean
that you don't say
anything ever, right?

I wanted
to let people know

what was happening at times.

But if I wanted
to excel in my career,

I had to keep my mouth shut
and just move forward.

You don't wanna draw
that attention to yourself.

It creates this culture
that's very cyclical,

and it's very hard
to break that cycle.

What?

How's it going, Akim?

How you doing, buddy?
What's going on?

- Nothing much.
How about yourself?
- What are you, 17 now?

No, I'm 16.

Turning 17 in June.

Man, you're a, a leader
at, at such a young age.

I wasn't doing
what you're doing at that age.

It's, uh... it's inspiring.

Obviously,
just wanted to check in.

Um, see how things are going.

Where you're at
with Hockey PEI,

and obviously,
I know you reached out

to Hockey Canada as well.

Well, the five spectators
from Friday night,

they have been suspended,
25 games.

While Saturday night incident
at the hotel,

it's still
under investigation.

We haven't heard anything much

and from what they sent
my dad from emails,

it's been copy and paste
of the same thing,

that when we keep checking up.

They're keep saying
the same thing

that it's still
under investigation.

In November of 2021,

it was a early bird
tournament in PEI.

There was some--
these five boys,

sixteen, 17-year-olds,
chirping.

These spectators were
kind of throwing, you know,

"You suck, goalie,"
and all this stuff,

but, like, trying
to get in my head.

And after I got scored on,
they said, like,

"You fucking suck, nigger!

You fucking nigger."
All this.

But I just had to, like,
stay focused into the game.

They continued
every time I skated by.
They'd be like,

"You shouldn't be playing
fucking hockey, you nigger!"

Mark called
the refs over

and told them
what was happening.

They didn't wanna deal with it.

Those boys should have been
removed from the rink.

But they weren't.

We hit the hotel later.

The team that we were
playing against
on Friday night,

a couple of their players
were on the same floor as us,

and they were in the hallways.

Some guys called--
some guys called me

just "fucking nigger."

And one told me,
"Shut up, nigger!"

You know? And I came out
with a couple other players.

They all...
They heard them that night.

Some guys heard them call me
a monkey and all this.

Do you feel that
enough is being done?

Or do you think that
there could be more that--
that could be done?

Well, at first Hockey PEI,

they didn't have
the resources for this.

And they admitted it

and they had to get help
from Hockey Canada.

But...

Overall, it's just...

It's just a little difficult
to deal with them.

Why they took this long
to handle anything

4to give those players
the disciplinary action,

and how long
this second incident's

taking to be investigated?

After that, you said,
"Dad, I just wanna go home.

I've never been called
so many racial slurs

until I came here to play.

And I did nothing
to these kids.

All I did was play hockey."

Let's say Mark was playing
the game, got in a fight.

Next day,
he's gone for five games.

No doubt. He's gone.

But you do a racial incident,

we're almost five months
with Hockey PEI

on the second incident.

And, you know, the second,
the third...

First one took three months.

We should have answers.

A few parents,
the Black father and...

They said,
"Wayne, I'm glad it was you.

That pushed this forward."
He said, "If it was me,

"it would have been
brushed aside."

And that shouldn't be.

There's no rules
set in place for how to deal
with this stuff.

It seems that hockey
is so far behind

and when these occurrences
happen of racism,

they don't really know
what to do.

Um, I know it's a--

It's a really tough space
to be in,

- um, so honestly...
- I know.

...we appreciate you.

I... We appreciate
your family.

I don't even think you realize
how many kids
you're gonna help.

And, honestly, everybody
that's of color in hockey

that's trying to just feel
welcome in the game.

And, and it's a huge
thank you to you.

So I appreciate you, boss.

I appreciate the call.

Of course, okay.
See you, Mark.

See ya.

Say hi
to your dad for me.

- Oh, no problem. See ya.
- All right. Take it easy.

Spook! Spook! Spook!

The chant
of "Spook! Spook!"

Just one epithet

from a poisonous garden
of racial slurs

flung at Val James

when he plays hockey
in Salem, Virginia.

We frequently talk
about exclusion, right?

Being locked out
of the halls of power,

being locked out of the rooms
where decisions are happening

and that, that is true.

That is one function
of racism.

But racism
can also be a function

of predatory inclusion, right?

We are included in ways

that end up
being quite harmful to us.

And we never think about

what happens
to people of color,

what happens to Black people
after they are integrated

into these predominantly
white spaces.

These predominantly
white spaces,

which never wanted us.

Hey, price
for fighting a nigger!

What is that like,
to be the only Black player
on a hockey rink?

I bet it's awful.

Throughout my career,
I've always felt as though

I've had to let go of a piece
of my Blackness to fit in.

My time at Yale
was very difficult

just because I definitely
expected my team
to be more woke

and, you know,
more educated in that sense.

Being able to be my 100%
authentic self involved them,

you know, not necessarily
being able to relate to me.

And by my second year
of college,

I was done code-switching.

I was done setting aside
my Blackness.

I'm a very driven individual,

and I don't like
quitting things,

so I really just
wanted to continue.

But at the same time,
I quite often played

with hate in my heart
and I played angry.

And I probably played angry
up until this past year.

I never played
with another Black player

up until my senior year
at Yale.

And I realized the importance
of me having a friend

and having somebody to look to
in the dressing room.

With the Toronto Six signing
Angela James and Mark Joslin

to be our coaches, for myself,
I was just overjoyed.

♪ Oh, Canada ♪

♪ We stand on guard ♪

♪ For thee ♪

I got the call
that Angela was gonna
be coaching me.

I definitely bawled
my eyes out.

A breakaway for James.

For myself, that was
really the only person

that I had to look up to

when I was growing up
in the hockey community.

There wasn't any other
Black women for me to look to.

The MVP,
Angela James.

Playing
professionally now,
I-- I don't think I play

with as much hate in my heart,

um, but at the same time,

I'm still aware
of all of the things

that have happened
in the past.

The league itself,
when it first started,

we're talking about
the turn of the century,

into the early 20th century.

So you've got
great leadership, right?

You've got people like
James Kinney,

James Robinson Johnston.

They're getting into politics,

they're becoming
a force in elections.

They're building up
the social structure

of Black communities.

Come on, let's go! Let's go!

The league was seen
as part of a social movement

which should help
develop pride

but also raising
the social mobility of Blacks.

You've got people
coming to the games.

Black empowerment,
taking shape
through ticket sales.

You've got to
remember, work for Black men
in particular

was very scarce.

So the revenue
that was generated

from the Hockey League
was very, very important

to, to the whole community,

not just the league itself.

I think my aunt told me my...

Her father, my grandfather,
got 50 cents a month,

and it was big money.

The white teams

who played hockey
here in Halifax

wanted a part of that revenue,
that money.

So they would organize
exhibition games

against the Colored
Hockey League

to get a share in the gate.

They could bring
a crowd out.

I remember reading
about one game
that happened in Sydney,

where they had 250 people
come out to watch.

Some amazing stuff to read
about being able
to break the color barrier.

Playing games
against white teams,
which would've been unheard of.

They were living second-class
citizenship in this country,

uh, and yet they were playing
Canada's pastime back in 1895.

You know? Wow.
The-- the amazingness

that surrounds all of that
when you think about it.

But when you look
at some of the things

that-- that were
in the Sydney paper

when the teams went down
and played in Sydney,

it had really nothing
to do about the game.

It had more to do with
trying to make spectacles

of the Black players
that were playing.

Those were just
racist, cartoonish,

derogatory depictions
of Black people.

That was our systemically
racist society

that always tried
to make us more buffoonish.

Or tried to make us
less than serious,

instead of in reality,
looking at the sportsmanship

that was out there
and talking about

how these players
were playing.

Were there white leagues
that saw the--

the Colored Hockey League
as a threat to them?

Possibly.

Uh, what's the best way
to dismantle that,

is to, you know, to put out

something that says
they're not as good

and they're just making
fools of the games.

And so therefore,
you diminish people's interest

in going to watch them,

uh, and going to pay
to see them

or, or talking positively
about it.

We now acknowledge

that race is
a social construct.

In the 18th, 19th,
early 20th century,

we talk about race as being
a biological construct.

People really believed

that there were
differences in biology

that distinguished races
from one another.

So your race determined
your temperament,

your morality,
your behavior, your potential.

When I was
12 years old,

I said, "Mom, I wanna be
the first Black woman

to play in the Olympics
for team USA."

2013 rolls around,

I'm graduating
from Boston College,

I'm in my prime.

- It's a score!

Tapped in by Bolden.

I won two U18
World Championships,

I'm in this pool of 40 to 60

of the best players
in the world

that are trying out
for the national team.

Obviously,
I'm the only person of color.

The idea
that Black people

are naturally physical,
naturally gifted

and suited for manual labor,

as opposed to leadership
or intellectual pursuits,

is a longstanding stereotype.

It ties directly back to that
legacy of racial hierarchy

connected to
transatlantic slavery.

And the idea that white people

were superior in every way,
was common at that time.

I would constantly go
into these training camps

and feel like
I wasn't being seen.

Feel like there was just
this barrier

of misunderstanding
and perception.

That idea needs
to be passed down

from generation to generation
for it to occur today.

And then when
we bring sport into it,

that kind of binary thinking
leads to Black people

being assumed
to not be coachable

and not be
leadership potential.

I was told that...

I was perceived
to be uncoachable.

And that was like,
a gut punch to me.

What do you mean? I'm, I'm...

I'm not a disrespectful person.

I shake my head,
I give good eye contact.

I show up, I do the work.

I was shocked
when that was told to me.

I don't know if it was
because of this.

I don't know
what it was because of.

But I can only think
about things like that

based off of my experience.

And it was--
it was tragic for me.

It was heartbreaking.
I lost myself.

For years.

In hockey,
there are certain adjectives

like "heady" or "smart"

that are not applied
to Black players.

The result
of that 20 or 30 years ago

was that Black men in the NHL

were pretty much relegated
to being enforcers.

George Laraque,
Donald Brashear...

He's just too strong.

This guy is a tower,
I'll tell you...

This assumption
that you don't think
as well as people

from other groups,

it's all based on stereotypes,
not reality.

Unconscious bias.

I've been dealing with that
my whole career.

I've had coaches say,
"Oh, your hockey IQ

is actually pretty good,"

and, "Oh", like,
"You're actually...

Oh, you're actually articulate."

Looking back,
they're just like...

It's just cra...

Things that are crazy
that no one should have

to really deal with,
to be honest.

In my experience,
and I've been raising
Black kids for 30 years,

they could think the game
just like anybody else.

Guys, everybody got a puck?
Everybody got a puck?

Stand still. Okay.
Let's start moving.

Keep it on your stick.

What happens is,
is because
those teams are coached,

by hockey dads
and volunteers and friends,

they take the Black kids,
and say,

"You're gonna play defense."

We're gonna stick you back
at the back

because we're just gonna
use you athletically.

It's just like, "Oh,
you're six-foot-two

and you're a Black kid,
you're 190,
you should be a beast."

No, why can't a six-foot,
290-pound Black kid

be pretty out there?

One, two, three, four.

Come on. Come on.

It's just something that,
that starts from the time

that they're younger.

They just segment guys.

That's why you don't see
a lot of Black centers,

glory positions.

And it's a story
that they've created.

They're running out of,
um, excuses,

really, is what I would say.

When I was younger,
the first player
I was introduced to

was Willie O'Ree,
um, by my parents.

They just wanted me
to know that, you know,

obviously, hockey is
a pretty white sport,

but, you know,
it was a possibility

because somebody, you know,
who looked like me

had already made it.

My parents always
prepared me well

for being one of
the only Black players

in hockey, to expect it,

you know,
and try not to react to it.

But it's hard.
I'm a human being.

I had just gotten traded from
LA to Philadelphia, and...

It was kind of, you know,
a new start for me,

a place where I could go

and, uh,
kind of reinvent myself.

We were playing Detroit,

at the John Labatt Centre
in London, Ontario.

So we were tied
after regulation,

overtime,
we go into a shootout.

Um, I'm skating down the ice,

and all of a sudden,

I see an object fly by me.

Um, you know, at the time,

I'm like, kind of,
you know, "What is that?"

I take a glance. I'm like...

it's a banana.

And immediately,

I already know
what's going on.

I honest to God,
I had a million
different things

going through my mind.

I knew guys
weren't gonna understand

what I was going through,
so I just buried it.

To the outside world,
I probably looked like
it didn't affect me much.

But, um, you know,
on the inside, it was burning.

This morning, Londoner,

Christopher Moorhouse, 26,

pleaded guilty
under the Trespass Act

for throwing
that piece of fruit.

While Moorhouse pled guilty
to the one charge

after an extensive
police investigation,

what was revealed this morning

was that there was
absolutely no evidence

that the throwing
of the banana

was racially motivated.

After hearing the evidence,

justice of the peace,
Robert Seneshen,

referred to Moorhouse

as a thoughtful young man

who is not a racist

or a bigot in any way.

Moorhouse was fined $200,

and the justice of the peace
said he hoped

that he could put
the incident behind him

and continue on his path
towards a career in policing.

I don't know
how many times

I've gotten called something
and everyone's like,

"Oh, you know,
it's just one person,

you know, they're ignorant."

Well, then why has
this happened to me?

I can't even count the amount
of times this happened to me.

So why does that happen?
If it's one person,

and that is the only
ignorant person,

how is that situation
isolated? It's not.

It's-- it's a cultural problem
within the sport of hockey.

And the fact that, um,
it goes unchecked,

is the biggest problem
about it.

- Anybody of color

that tried to make it
playing hockey up there,

listen to the stories
they had.

They'd be like,
"Were you in Alabama?"

- "No, it was in Manitoba."

Members of
an indigenous hockey team

say they faced racist taunts.

In my lifetime,
I faced racism before

but not at this level.

These aren't
one-off incidents.

They happen all the time.

Racism knows no age limits.

Ask Divyne Apollon.

He had to endure monkey chants
from an opposing team.

Take Ty Cornett
who dealt with opponents

who acted like gorillas
every time he lined up

in front
of an opponent's bench.

It's frustrating
because I know
what that's like.

You know,
when I'm five years old,
listening to parents

scream names and things at me.

Subban shoots,
he scores.

Montreal's
P.K. Subban wins the game.

Meanwhile, on Twitter,
17,000 racist tweets

were posted by Boston fans
against Subban.

#whitesonly,

and called him
an "effing N-word."

It's meant
for you to feel like

you need to stay
in your place.

This is not attainable for you.

Blatant racism
is easier to pinpoint.

There are actions.
There are verbal assaults.

You can point to it.
It's very clearly,

you are called the N-word,
that's racist.

...24-year-old
Jonathan Diaby.

He says racist fans
targeted him and his family.

Player Akim Aliu,

was surprised
by equipment manager

dressed in Aliu's jersey,
with blackface.

People don't really understand
how bad it is
unless you're on the inside.

People think that
when we talk about
systemic racism, we mean,

there are racists
in your system.
But that's not it.

The Rangers
organized the Zoom chat

with Miller and fans,

and Miller saw racial slurs

all the time on this chat.

Jalen Smereck
was the target
of a racist gesture

by Andrei Deniskin.

He pantomimed unpeeling
and eating a banana.

When I seen that,
like my heart just dropped.

Systemic racism is the idea

that even if there were
no racists in your system,

we would still see racially
disparate outcomes.

Right? Because racism
is embedded in our institutions,

in our ideas,
in our patterns of behavior,

and it's self-perpetuating.

Death threats made
towards you,

racist threats made
towards you.

How do you deal with all that
and move on and play?

Sad to say, but that's just
the fact of the matter.

I'm getting good
at just putting it
in the rearview mirror.

I've had racial remarks
directed towards me,

you know,
in the last couple of weeks.

There's so much hate going on
in the world today.

The video is damning evidence
of player misconduct,

yet no disciplinary action
has been taken.

In my time,
playing that level
of egregious misconduct,

was never punished. Ever.

There's a huge disconnect
between policy

and the enforcement
of the policy.

I'm not calling that
a blind spot.

That's a gaping hole
in our game,

that needs to be repaired.

You cannot see
systemic racism

by focusing
on individual actions.

That is all smoke and mirrors.

These incidents
happen more often

than people wanna believe
or admit to.

We had 130 articles

of incidents
dating back to 2018.

And because
we keep treating them

as isolated incidents,
no one's connecting the dots

and saying,
"We have a broader problem

that we need to deal with,

and it's called
systemic racism."

You cannot solve
systemic issues

with individual action.

You cannot understand racism

as only individualistic.

It's-- it's a distraction.

The Black community
is starting to emerge

by the early 1900s.

Simultaneously,
they're sitting in around
the Bedford Basin.

Places like Africville,
prime industrial land.

Halifax has to expand.
The railroads have to come in.

Whose lands are they taking?

They're taking

the Black
hockey players' lands.

So these families
are fighting back.

The city of Halifax
wanted to build a railroad

through the community.

And a number of players

that played on
the Africville Seasides

started to protest.

A part of
the backlash from that

was to attack the Maritime
Colored Hockey League.

Rinks weren't available.

Local newspapers, uh,
refused to cover the games.

By 1908, there's no
Colored Hockey Leagues

playing in and around
the arenas of Halifax.

They're gone.

Fast forward, 50, 60 years,

you've got the destruction
of Africville.

Africville obviously,

must be redeveloped.

And sometimes,
some people need to be shown

that certain things are not
in their own best interests

and not in the best interest
of their children.

Many of
the city officials

saw that community
as a barrier

to supposedly
economic development.

They razed the--
the homes and the school...

It was quite
a traumatic experience.

Not only for the Africville
residents themselves,

but for the broader
Black community.

They took our homes,

they moved us
out of Africville,

in the city garbage trucks.

We had a lot better out there

than some places
they put us in this city.

I'm living on welfare.

I think a whole lot of us,

when we came in this city,
we had to go on welfare.

When we lived
in that city of Africville,

you look in the record to see
how many Africville people

had to humble and come
to the city for welfare.

We were too independent.

We didn't want it,
we earned our own living.

And we've earned it
the honest way.

The last resident
to leave in 1970

was Aaron "Pa" Carvery,

and he played
with the Africville Seasides.

Aaron "Pa" Carvery,
he would be my great uncle.

He was the last warrior.

He didn't go till 1970.

And, you know,

my Uncle Pa,

and my grandmother,
in that generation,

all of them,

were gone within five years

of having to leave Africville.

And every one of them died
with a broken heart.

Because all they wanted

was the dignity to die
where they were born.

It's all they wanted.

Yeah...

There's an anger.

Not only a sadness,

but I am--
I am moving into anger,

that through no fault
of their own,

that this community's gone.

And there was no longer

the community taking care
of community anymore.

And all the social ills

that, um,
society's plagued with,

um, hit our community
that was now dispersed.

What's up?

Julian, where's your dad at?

What's up? Nice jersey.
Julian, where's your dad at?

I would say, I hit this,
like, pivotal moment around,

like, 26, 27

where my mindset changed from

me being, in some ways, selfish

and just concerned
about my own career.

"How do I get better
in this game?

How do I move up in this game?"

But then...
What's the next kid
that's gonna be me,

coming up in this game.

What's the ten-year-old Akim,
right now, feeling?

How can I help that kid

to not experience
what I went through?

Today's a celebratory day
for me.

I mean, obviously,

you see a lot of kids
of color sitting here,

and girls, and obviously
indigenous, Asian, Black.

For the most part,
you look different
in your dressing rooms

than I did growing up. I mean,

I played 12 years professionally

and I played with
two other people of color.

Every time you look
left or right,

you never really see anybody
that looks like you.

Um, and that kind of hits you
in a-- in a different way,

especially as you
get older. So...

I had some racial incidents
happen to me.

Um, what,
what I'm doing right now,

obviously, we don't have
to go through the same thing.

I'm super excited.
We'll go out there

and have fun today
and have a good tempo

and good atmosphere
and enjoy it.

I've kind of come
into my own recently.

It's just been a recent switch
from anger to empowerment.

Anybody want an XL?

The XLs actually aren't
even that big, so...
You want XL or large?

I'm more so worried about
affecting the girls behind me

and allowing them
to have a pathway

to walk that I didn't have.

Let them have the resources,
the networking,

all of those amazing things

that I saw
my teammates having,

that I didn't have necessarily
growing up.

Um, and making sure
that they feel comfortable

and welcomed in the arena.

That is great.

How great is this, guys?

I thought I had
trouble fitting my hair.

Everyone always ask me, um,

"How does all your hair
fit in a helmet?"

- I know.
- I'm like it just does.

- Right?
- Yeah.

I know that they love
seeing me on the ice.

And I love seeing
the Black girls

that I see
at the arena every day.

Um, now, that I didn't see
when I was younger.

There we go.

- Let's go.

Let's go, let's go. Let's go!

...inside, inside.

Good job, good job.

My generation
is trying to open it up

so that you can be yourself.

My dream is that,
you know, everybody can,

you know, play hockey
without having to worry

about what's gonna
happen to them
if they speak their mind.

But I know we've got
a long way to go
before that happens.

I think it's time for
the game of hockey to evolve

the way Canada is evolving

and bringing in people
from all over the world.

It's Canada's game,
but it doesn't appeal

to what Canadian
demographics are.

And we still have
a really tough time

in attracting people of color
to play the game of hockey.

They just don't
resonate with it.

For me, it's one of those
things I just think that...

That it's something
worth saving

because it has
so much potential.

My first year playing
with another Black player

was my senior year of college.

And at that point in time,
I felt like

that was gonna be
my last year playing.

Um, I had lost my love
for the game

because I didn't have
friends on my team

like how you guys are
all friends in a community.

I know sometimes
things get said,

it might be awkward
and then you got
to internalize it

because you're the only
Black player in the room.

But I think once we--
once we get these Black faces
in the arena,

I think we're gonna see
Black individuals

being welcomed in the arena,

um, which is something that
we haven't necessarily had.

I really wish now
I had spoken out a lot more

'cause I think it would have
went a long way to helping out,

you know,
younger kids that were...

You know, look like me,
and could possibly be
in that position.

All right,
ladies and gentlemen,

I think I wanna leave you guys
with one parting message.

You guys can do
whatever you guys wanna do.

You guys see me, right?
I play in the NHL.

I started right where
you guys are. Right?

Don't ever let anybody
take that from you

because you guys
are kings and queens,

and you can do whatever
you guys wanna do.

- Yes?
- Uh...

Yes. Um...

Unfortunately,
the sport that we play,

some people don't want us
to play this sport.

But we got news for them.
This is our sport.

We go all the way back
to the 1800s

and the Colored Hockey League
back in Nova Scotia, right?

So don't let anybody
ever tell you
this is not your sport

because this is exactly
what you're supposed to be.

Exactly.

I thought about
sometimes quitting hockey

but my teammates
brought me out,

telling me, you know,
"We support you in this"

and they helped along the way.

And the community behind us, especially.

That lift my spirits
and made me feel very good.

You know, even guys
we compete against, you know,

some of us are buddies,
and we all know each other.

And they tell me, like,
"Hey, man,

we support you through this."

They all said, you know,
"This got to be changed.
This got to stop.

It shouldn't be
happening anymore."

There are a lot
of things that people
might not think is palatable.

But all those stories
have to be told

so that we get
a true depiction

of where we need to go,
where we've been

and, and how we get
to where we wanna go.

I think
it's vitally important

that we reclaim
our place in history.

We're not just
the runaway slaves

or free loyalists who came
to build and to clean.

We had a good place
in history.

That should not be ignored.

Nor no longer forgotten
or buried.

I think now,
you know, I'm a grown man.

I learned so much.

And now, at 26 years old,

I'm finally talking
about this.

It is... It's not easy.
You know,
it's not comfortable.

Um, but it's, it's definitely,
uh, something we have to do,

especially for the younger
generation coming up.

I've seen so many kids, like,
be turned away from hockey,

and it makes me so sad
every year,

because I see, like,
my younger self

in these kids.

Our game
is stagnant right now.

Are we going to invite
the next generation in,

or are we going to isolate

and say, "No, you actually
can't be a part of it?"

It's about
the incidents that happen

every day in our world.

It's opening people's eyes

that these things happen

and people have to live
with these things.

That's difficult.

If you start talking about
those kinds of issues,

there is a level
of uncomfortability.

But as you come to grips

with those
uncomfortable issues,

can you move forward?

I mean,
the stories we tell,

and the stories
we tell ourselves,

the stories
we tell our children,

the stories we tell
about ourselves,

who we are as individuals,
as communities.

As a country, right?

These are foundational
to who we think we are.

Right? And so the stories
that are not told,

the stories that are
kind of jettisoned

from the realm
of what's imaginable,

it goes to the core
of our national identity.

And so, when Black people
are excluded

from those stories, right?

We let Canada think
that we are new,

we have never been here,

we don't really belong here,

we should be grateful
to be here.

While what we actually are,
are, you know, we are integral

to everything
this country thinks it is.

♪ Oh, Africville
Look what they've done to me ♪

♪ It's a part of our history
They kept in the class ♪

♪ And professors never taught
the lessons ♪

♪ They neglected forgot it ♪

♪ They kept it
underneath the table ♪

♪ Kept it under the surface ♪

♪ Nervous that we would
reemerge it ♪

♪ They dispersed us
and jerked us ♪

♪ Out in Africville
Halifax is ill ♪

♪ How can us Blacks rebuild
when the facts reveal ♪

♪ The government
left them comatose ♪

♪ The younger and older folks
in Black Nova Scotia souls ♪

♪ Have frozen many homes ♪

♪ Are broken drugs
started creeping in ♪

♪ Crime started seeping in
The heaven got crushed ♪

♪ When the demons
started sneaking in ♪

♪ A Black community
lost and trampled ♪

♪ Left out in shambles ♪

♪ Dismantled and it's
still hard to handle ♪

♪ You can't put a price ♪

♪ On the lives
that they ruined ♪

♪ No reparations, no nothing ♪

♪ Why would you do this? ♪

♪ Divide my people to find out
on the corners at night ♪

♪ Oh, Africville,
look what they've done to me ♪

♪ Take my word it's time
to settle this ♪

♪ As I reminisce
about the settlement ♪

♪ If you Black from Halifax ♪

♪ I'm speaking
about your relatives ♪

♪ History don't like
to tell of it ♪

♪ Discreet about
its relevance ♪

♪ 'Cause
a Black community ♪

♪ Was a disease
to their development ♪

♪ Therefore they had
to change that ♪

♪ But those in the community ♪

♪ That lay beside
the train tracks ♪

♪ Forced to make
tax payments ♪

♪ Despite the lack of
running water and sewage ♪

♪ Flat pavement and light ♪

♪ Our forefathers bought
themselves from enslavement ♪

♪ With rights
to land ownership ♪

♪ I'm asking people
How do you condone this shit? ♪

♪ See what happened
to Africville ♪

♪ It happens still ♪

♪ They choose land over man ♪

♪ To expand extract and kill ♪

♪ You can't put a price ♪

♪ On the lives
that they ruined ♪

♪ No reparations, no nothing ♪

♪ Why would you do this? ♪

♪ Divide my people to find out
on the corners at night ♪

♪ Oh, Africville
Look what they've done to me ♪

♪ How can you compensate
a lost culture? ♪

♪ Especially
when it's smashed up ♪

♪ In a system
of colonial vultures ♪

♪ Africville, they made
a real-life theatrical poster ♪

♪ They moved Blacks
off the base ♪

♪ And using garbage trucks
as chauffeurs ♪

♪ It's pretty clever how they
did this through the night ♪

♪ Destroying Black history ♪

♪ With no regard
for human life ♪

♪ Into the crack-infested
ghetto city lights ♪

♪ Hundreds of Black children ♪

♪ Hating each other
ready to fight ♪

♪ There's no amount
of reparations ♪

♪ Compensations
rehabilitation ♪

♪ Three day celebrations
never changed the situation ♪

♪ Even though it's been proved
by the United Nations ♪

♪ That the Africville
relocation ♪

♪ Was a civil rights
violation ♪

♪ You can't put a price ♪

♪ On the lives
that they've ruined ♪

♪ No reparations, no nothing ♪

♪ Why would you do this? ♪

♪ Divide my people to find out
on the corners at night ♪

♪ Oh, Africville
Look what they've done to me ♪

♪ Look what
they've done to me ♪