The Hockey Diversity Alliance hopes an attention-grabbing video and a campaign involving hockey tape bolsters its mission to eradicate racism in the sport.
The HDA, made up of current and former hockey players of color, has partnered with Budweiser Canada to launch “#TapeOutHate,” a campaign that will feature rolls of hockey tape available for purchase with “racism has no place in hockey” written on the tape.
Members of the HDA created a two-minute video that incorporates their real-life experiences with racism in hockey, from Akim Aliu having a racist comment directed to him by a coach to Wayne Simmonds having a banana thrown at him during a game.
There’s both an uncensored version and a version that blurs out the racial slurs directed at the players. The censored version will be shown during Hockey Night in Canada tonight.
“The biggest thing we want to do is spark a conversation. It’s a rallying cry. We know we can’t do this on our own. We need our allies behind us, and that’s the white community supporting us,” Aliu, a former NHL player and a founding member of the HDA, told ESPN. “We want to share our experiences and come together as one, no matter race or gender. We want this game to reach its full potential.”
The HDA was founded in June 2020 by several NHL players of color. Along with Aliu, the video features Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri, Florida Panthers winger Anthony Duclair and Simmonds, a winger for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“I can’t remember how many incidents I had to go through, especially at a super young age,” Kadri said. “These things become traumatic. I’m 30 years old now, and I remember things that happened to me when I was 10. Luckily, I had the mental toughness to get through it all, but in today’s generation, not everyone can. Since mental health has become such a big issue, it’s important to reach out. There was nothing like this around when I grew up, to help people see things from a different…
Source : espn
