“Are there consequences in terms of making people uncomfortable? I don’t care. I think we need to make people more uncomfortable.” – Evander Kane
George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. David McAtee. Tony McDade. Tamir Rice. Mike Brown. Trayvon Martin. Eric Garner. Unfortunately, this growing list feels never ending. Their deaths, the ongoing result of a disgusting systemic problem that has yet to be dealt with: Racism, racial bias, police brutality and discrimination.
With the ongoing fight for black lives in America and the world, this is hardly the time to bring back a column based on hockey and humor. That said, this column gives me a platform, however small, to do everything I can do to help educate others. I have a following about as minute as that of the Tampa Bay Lightning, but if one of the six of you reading this learns something, then we’ll be working towards a better future together.
This is how we start, by having a conversation.
Black Lives Matter
There is absolutely nothing contentious about this phrase. Black lives matter. Say it. Say it again. If you disagree, if you have trouble saying this or if you flat out won’t say it, you are part of the problem. If your response to this is “all lives matter,” you’re wrong. All lives do not matter until black lives matter. I’m not trying to repeat everything that’s been circulating Twitter for the past week, but some of this is so god damn basic and easy to understand that it’s mind-boggling to see people still arguing against it.
As an extremely privileged, white, part-time blogger from Canada, I’m about as far removed from experiencing the problems black people have had to live through their entire lives, but that doesn’t mean I can’t educate myself about these issues and do everything in my power to be a part of this fight. I’m now encouraging all of you to do the same. For many of us, that begins with recognizing our own privilege.
Police Brutality
It’s impossible to talk about racism without also discussing police brutality. We’ve seen this happening for years, especially to the black community. Most of the names listed in the opening paragraph died at the hands of police, the force dedicated to protect and serve. Nowhere in the police handbook does it say it’s okay to beat and murder the people you are sworn to protect.
This past week, we’ve been watching the police under a microscope. We’ve witnessed violence against black people. Against peaceful protesters. Against men, women and children of all ages. Against people peacefully advocating against police brutality. Police brutality used on people peacefully advocating against police brutality.
Seeing over a week of televised beating, tear gas, rubber bullets, actual bullets, assault and murder is disgusting on every level. The fact that this is happening despite every single police force knowing the world is watching them makes it even more despicable. Police f*****g brutality. The system is not suddenly broken. The system has been criminally wrong since the beginning.
Racism in hockey
Hockey has a racism problem. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. So many players have been open about witnessing or experiencing racism on the ice, in the locker room or from fans. This has been going on for far too long at every level of hockey. If you haven’t read Akim Aliu’s Players Tribune piece yet, I urge you to stop reading this and start reading that immediately. Here’s a link.
Over the past few days, many players have come out to denounce the racism and police brutality going on in the world right now. Evander Kane spoke to The Athletic about racism in hockey. Players such as Jonathan Toews, P.K. Subban, Blake Wheeler, Hillary Knight, Patrice Bergeron, Braden Holtby and Tyler Seguin, among so many others, made statements. Even Sidney Crosby, who has historically stayed silent on all matters outside of hockey, spoke out.
Tyler Seguin, J.T. Brown, Zdeno Chara and so many others backed their statements by attending rallies and protests. NHL players and countless others have led the way with strong statements and actions condemning racism and police brutality, which is a very large step in the right direction for a league that has been far too hush on these issues in the past. The next steps involve enforcing the change.
Locker room leaders at all levels of hockey must change the rhetoric. Aliu’s story, like so many others, is a very recent one, which makes it even more disturbing. Racism is still very much a part of hockey and it’s going to take a hell of a lot to change that. Once again, this feels like the beginning of a long, but positive, journey for change. It’s on every single one of us to make sure that journey doesn’t end until the goal is met.
Change
It currently feels as though we are experiencing a seismic shift in regards to racism. A shift that is so very long overdue. If you take a step back to examine the bigger picture, this is a moment that will define your life, my life and the lives of everyone else on Earth. This is a moment in which we must demand change. Change in the way we handle racism, change in police, police training, management and accountability, change in government.
Demand a change in the friends and family you know who are “kinda racist, but I’ve known them forever and they mean well…” No. This is the time to educate those people. Call them out and change the way they think. If you can’t, then maybe they aren’t worth having in your life.
This is not just a black problem anymore, this is a global problem. Many of us may be throwing our activism hats on for the first time but black people have been fighting this fight for over 400 years. Do not let your opportunity to take part in change slip away because you feel uncomfortable or because this doesn’t affect you. It does. This affects every single person who shares this planet. We all have a part to play in righting this wrong. This is our problem and we must join and support the black community in repairing it.
https://twitter.com/PKSubban1/status/1268221484717096960
Ways YOU can help
There are so many ways you, personally can help this movement. First and foremost, listen to those in need. Educate yourself on the issues and engage in the discussion. Educate those around you who may not fully understand the magnitude or importance of this change. Participate in peaceful protesting. Speak out, spread awareness and be an ally. If you can, donate. Donate to any number of charities supporting this movement. Here’s a great place to start:
If you don’t have money to donate, people have very creatively come up with ways to help. For example, all of the proceeds from this YouTube video are being donated to the Black Lives Matter movement. Put this on in the background of your computer and turn off your ad blocker. You can literally donate without having money to donate.
Racism isn’t going to end overnight. For a lot of us, it won’t end in our lifetime. Still, every small victory until we can truly live as equals is a small victory worth fighting for. If you say you care about others, now is the time to prove it. DO NOT treat this as another trend. Keep fighting. Keep standing up with and for those who need our help. Keep pressing, because change is happening.
Black Lives Matter.
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