FIRST PERSON — I was a victim of racial slurs in hockey | Article

Why did it take so lengthy to get justice?

EDITOR’S NOTE:
Mark Connors, 16, is a hockey goalie from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Final fall, he was the sufferer of racist slurs when he was at a match in P.E.I. Right here, he recounts his story and the way the system wants to alter to guard children like him.

My father is white Canadian and my mom is Black Jamaican and I used to be taught I used to be no completely different than anybody else.

My pores and skin color isn’t any cause to cease me from being profitable.

However I preserve going through setbacks.

The latest ones occurred in November 2021, after I was taking part in at a hockey match in P.E.I.

I used to be the topic of racial slurs.

I attempted to get it to cease, however that didn’t occur.

Mark Connors performs goalie within the U18 AA league in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Picture submitted by Mark Connors)

How it began

I reported two separate incidents from that November match.

The primary one occurred in the beginning of Friday’s recreation.

5 folks within the stands — gamers from one other workforce — began by throwing chirps at me (making enjoyable of me). Then the chirps become racial slurs.

They mentioned issues like: “Hockey is a white man’s sport.”

They used the N-word.

My coach complained to the referees, however they mentioned they might solely do one thing in the event that they heard it. They didn’t.

At first, I simply ignored them, however on the identical time I couldn’t imagine they had been utilizing these racial and hurtful phrases in the direction of me.

The second incident occurred on the lodge the following day.

A unique group of gamers made racist feedback about hockey being a white man’s sport.

Mark feels his story was solely taken critically after he spoke to the media about it. (Picture credit score: Brian MacKay/CBC)

Right here’s what we tried to do about it

In each cases, we tried to get it to cease.

On the recreation, we notified the referees and my dad advised match organizers.

On the lodge, we reported it to the entrance desk and the police had been known as.

Then, nothing.

The gamers didn’t face any penalties.

Then I found I wasn’t alone

I felt disillusioned that this wasn’t taken critically.

Eager about different children who may face an identical scenario, my dad and I made a decision to succeed in out to the native CBC.

It obtained nationwide consideration {and professional} hockey gamers like Kevin Weekes and P.Ok. Subban posted about it on social media.

Different gamers within the hockey neighborhood, internationally, and from different sports activities, shared comparable  experiences with me.

This made me notice I used to be not alone.

It additionally made me notice that being a Black hockey participant means having resiliency and toughness and the flexibility to persevere in methods others can not.

Solely then did I really feel like Hockey P.E.I. began to take me critically.

There was an investigation and a listening to from the Hockey P.E.I self-discipline and ethics committee.

The gamers on the Friday night time recreation denied all the pieces.

However the investigator mentioned my story was extra credible.

The opposite gamers have been suspended for 25 video games and must do anti-racism coaching.

That call got here three months after the preliminary incident.

Mark’s dad Wayne alerted match organizers to the racist incidents. (Picture submitted by Wayne Connors)

The system wants to alter, not me

This course of has left me feeling empty inside.

However I like to play hockey and the competitiveness of the game.

I really like taking part in goalie.

Why ought to I surrender the game that I like to play due to a couple of dangerous people who find themselves racist or ignorant simply due to the color of my pores and skin?

The method to cease racist incidents after they occur needs to be higher to guard gamers of numerous backgrounds like me.

Training begins with the youthful era: educating them that these phrases do harm.

Employees, coaches and executives have to discover ways to deal with these conditions and what steps they should take to guard their gamers.

Simply due to the color of their pores and skin, background, tradition, it isn’t OK to make enjoyable of individuals.

Mark stands for a photograph together with his dad and mom in October 2021. (Picture submitted by Wayne Connors.)

Recommendation for different gamers

This might occur to a different younger participant sooner or later.

Right here’s my recommendation: If children hear these phrases, report the incident to a coach or recreation officers and ask that they cope with it then and there.

We aren’t going to eradicate racism, however we will reduce all these incidents sooner or later.

This recreation is for all and I belong on this recreation.

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TOP IMAGE CREDIT: Glenn McMinn, graphic design by Allison Cake/CBC