Black Nova Scotian athletes who made sport history
In honour of African Heritage Month, we’ve created a shortlist of inspiring Black Nova Scotian athletes that made their mark and paved a path for future Black athletes.
The Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes:
Did you know that the first-ever pro hockey league was established in 1895 on Nova Scotian ice and consisted of all-Black teams? It was named the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes (CHLM). The leagues’ origins can be traced back to Pastor James Borden, James A.R. Kinney, James Robinson Johnston and Henry Sylvester Williams and their efforts to increase church attendance within Black communities throughout Nova Scotia.
The first-ever pro-hockey league consisted of the Dartmouth Jubilees, the Africville Sea-Sides, the Truro Victorias, the Charlottetown West End Rangers, the Amherst Royals, and the Hammond Plains Moss Backs.
Learn more about the CHLM:
https://www.ontheshoulders1.com/the-giants/americas-first-hockey-league-was-all-black#/
Marjorie Turner-Bailey
High school soccer and basketball player turned track star; Marjorie Turner-Bailey caught national attention for her speed in 1964, when she met a provincial record set by Aileen Meagher. Marjorie started to gain international attention, competing in events such as the Pan American Games in Mexico, the first World Cup in Germany, the Montreal Olympics, and the Commonwealth Games in Jamaica, New Zealand and Canada.
During her athletic career, Marjorie set four Canadian track and field records. Marjorie retired after winning a silver medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games.
Learn more about Marjorie Turner-Bailey:
George Dixon
Born in Africville in 1870, George Dixon was the first Canadian boxer to win a world championship and the first Black world champion. Dixon used his platform and earnings as a world champ to support Black boxers and Black communities.
Learn more about George Dixon:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/george-dixon
The first all-Black forward line in Canadian university hockey:
In 1970, Saint Mary’s University hockey players Bob Dawson, Darrell Maxwell and Percy Paris made Canadian university hockey history as the first and only all-Black forward line. Saint Mary’s University became the first Canadian university to have three Black players on its hockey team.
Learn more about Bob Dawson, Darrell Maxwell and Percy Paris:
