The University of Toronto Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) recently teamed up with the department of history to host Ornella Nzindukiyimana, an associate professor in the department of human kinetics at St. Francis Xavier University exploring Black Canadian sport histories.
Nzindukiyimana, who is also co-president of the Black Canadian Studies Association and editor of Sport History Review, has documented Black Canadian histories in boxing, track and field, swimming and baseball, and continues to investigate Black athletes’ presence and experiences in surfing, basketball and hockey.
Dean Gretchen Kerr welcomed Ornella Nzindukiyimana on behalf of KPE
“In KPE, we believe that movement - through physical activity, play or sport - is a human right and essential to the health and well-being of all individuals and communities,” said Gretchen Kerr, a professor and dean at KPE, in her welcoming remarks. “We promote this human right in part by working to identify and dismantle barriers to access and full participation.
“This talk by Ornella Nzindukiyimana is an opportunity to welcome new knowledge and expertise into our community, embrace our commitment to learning, and help to contribute to a foundation for future anti-Black racism work.”
Nzindukiyimana shared her research into Black Canadian sport histories from the 20th and early 21st century with a focus on how nationalism, colonialism, multiculturalism and immigration, along with race, gender and class, shaped Black athletes’ participation and experiences in Canadian sport.
Reflecting on the breakthrough successes of Black Canadian athletes, she cautioned against the ‘tales of firsts’, saying that “these histories were important, but from a futuristic perspective, spoke to a tendency to be satisfied with well enough.
“Tales of firsts need to be probed, so they don’t become fantastical - they shouldn’t be the end of the story.”
Nzindukiyimana argued that making sense of our (his)stories is to make sense of ourselves, with stories of the past narrating the possible future.
“However, when we see the past differently, we also see the future differently,” she said, adding that historical narratives are not fixed, but evolving.
After her talk, Nzindukiyimana engaged in a conversation with Associate Professor Funké Aladejebi from the U of T department of history and answered questions from the audience
Funké Aladejebi, an associate professor in the department of history specializing in Black Canadian history, facilitated the Q & A portion of the event, asking Nzindukiyimana for her take on Black athleticism and activism.
“The concept that athletes, especially Black athletes, should just ‘shut up and dribble’ is detrimental not just to athletes, but everyone who comes after them,” said Nzindukiyimana. “Athletes are not impartial to injustice and progress doesn’t happen magically on its own.”
Assuming that the mere presence of an athlete of colour is an indication of progress is also limiting, she said.
“Canada casts itself as welcoming, but it can be blind to the fact that there are still spaces that are very closed off, for example, ice hockey,” said Nzindukiyimana. “The issue is not that someone once broke the barrier and stepped on ice, the issue is why did it take so long - and what happens next?”
That’s why complacency has no place in Canadian sport - or any other – history, said Nzindukiyimana. If we stop at that ‘tale of firsts’, we stop the momentum to imagine more. That can be uncomfortable, she said, because we’re so used to the idea that there’s nothing more to do.
Nzindukiyimana gave the example of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play Major League Baseball in the modern era.
“He achieved iconic status because he really was that good, but it’s important to remember that his success came after years of activism and Black athletes demanding more,” she said. “Nobody gets anywhere alone and there’s always a community of actors that are at the root of any big changes we see.
“Understanding how that exception happens, how greatness gets built, is important because no Greats just fell from the sky.”