[ad_1]
Akim Aliu recalled how no one knew what to expect when he and four colored NHL players sat in a circle in a dark locker room and the cameras spun around, asking them to share their personal and most painful experiences of racism.
“Everyone was really worried – because apparently we’re not Actors or anything and we really have the raw material – that we would run out of talk,” Aliu said.
Instead, filming of the film, which originally lasted no more than half an hour, approached 90 minutes when the director finally said the cut.
The stories were told by members of the newly formed Hockey Diversity Alliance Aliu, Minnesota’s Matt Dumba, Colorado’s Nazem Kadri, Toronto’s Wayne Simmonds and Florida’s Anthony Duclair. The exchange turned out to be so strong that it became a two minute video which debuted on Saturday and launched the HDA’s campaign to eradicate racism from hockey.
An edited version of the video sponsored by Budweiser Canada (which meets language and content standards) will be used in a Canadian ad to promote the TapeOutHate campaign. The unfiltered version is published on social media.
As part of the campaign, black rolls of hockey tape with messages of support and solidarity will be available for purchase. The price is one dollar for each sale to HDA.
The alliance was formed by current and former colorful NHL players after the death of George Floyd in the hands of Minneapolis police in May 2020. This campaign is its next step in raising awareness of racism in hockey as it seeks to make the majority of white sports more accessible to minorities.
Dumba found the debate empowering. With his mother, a Filipino, he was subjected to racial insults in Saskatchewan because he has darker skin.
“I think it’s defending our younger selves, you know, 10-, 11- and 12-year-old Matt Dumba, knowing how confused he was about everything and how hurt he was at one time,” Dumba said. the first NHL player to kneel in protest of Floyd’s death. “Every guy in our group starts talking about some of the things you’ve lived, and it brings out more of the things you’ve just buried for so long.”
It’s also a message Dumba wanted to share with those dealing with similar experiences: knowing they’re not alone.
“It’s depressing that children have to go through this and feel a sense of loneliness and don’t know where to adjust,” Dumba said. “I hope it’s a beacon of hope for the younger generation.”
Racism is not new in the NHL. What has changed are those inside the game who are willing to talk.
The cultural change began in November 2019, when Aliu posted a series of tweets accusing his former sub-league coach Bill Peters of racial slander a decade earlier. The allegations turned out to be true, and Peters resigned as coach of the Calgary Flames.
“Racism, ignorance, anger, they have no place in our game,” Dumba says when opening the video. The unfiltered version is followed by a disclaimer and then actual violations by HDA callers on social media, text and direct messages from so-called fans.
In the locker room discussion, Dumba asks why any of them would like their children to play hockey. Simmonds responds by referring to his daughter, “If I knew she would have to face the same things as me, probably not.”
14-year-old NHL veteran Simmonds was about to start his third season in Los Angeles in 2011 when someone threw a banana on the ice at a show in London, Ontario. The man was fined $ 200.
Budweiser Canada approached the HDA a year ago with its vision for the ad, emphasizing sending a strong message.
“We believe we need to feel comfortable because we are ultimately growing, learning, changing and evolving,” said Mike D’Agostini, senior director of Budweiser Canada.
“This campaign is not about winning Budweiser. I think it’s about our partnership, really winning the HDA, and getting the world of hockey to a better place is the goal,” he added. and we want to be on the right side of the debate and change. “
Aliu helped oversee the project, and the former NHL player said he would never have collaborated with any sponsor with the intention of watering down the message.
“We never intended to do a sugar jacket for anything and we never did anything that is performative,” Aliu said. “To be completely honest, they’ve kept their word since day one.”
It is disappointing for HDA members that the NHL declined the invitation to participate.
Dumba questioned the league’s lack of interest, given the campaign’s potential to expand its hockey base.
“That happened. I think it still shows where their hearts lie in these things. It’s a hard pill to swallow for us, our group, for the many people who are trying to make a difference in our game,” Dumba said. saw it. “
However, the NHL said it would support the campaign and plans to promote the video on its various platforms.
“The NHL thanks our partners Budweiser and the Hockey Diversity Alliance for their efforts to promote the diversity and inclusion of hockey,” the NHL said in a statement to the Associated Press.
“This ongoing movement requires vision and commitment from all hockey stakeholders,” the statement reads. “We welcome all those who use their voice and platforms to achieve these important goals, and we will resolutely continue to use our goals and the work needed to bring about real change.”
League, every year ago announced its efforts to speed up participation in the NHL, launched a diversity promotion video in October with Scotiabank “Hockey for everyone.”
More NHL stuff:
|
Sources 2/ https://www.si.com/nhl/2022/01/08/hockey-diversity-alliance-share-past-campaign-end-racism The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
[ad_2]