Amid worldwide discussions on police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement, a former 91大黄鸭 Rockets goaltender took to social media to share his experiences with the racism embedded in the culture of Canadian hockey.
Michael Herringer was a goaltender for the Rockets of the Western Hockey League from 2014 to 2017 before moving to the University of Regina. Born in Haiti, Herringer was adopted at 14 months old by a family in Courtenay, B.C., and currently lives in Victoria.
On Friday, June 5, Herringer shared a personal account of the racism he鈥檚 experienced in Canadian hockey and broader society in a post to Instagram.
鈥淚鈥檝e held off from saying anything for a bit because I couldn鈥檛 really verbalize how I鈥檝e felt through all of this,鈥� begins Herringer鈥檚 post.
鈥淚鈥檝e read and seen some pretty terrifying things in the news over the last while that hurts me to my core and shakes my faith in humanity. But at the same time there鈥檚 been so much beauty through all of this,鈥� Herringer continues.
The 24-year-old detailed his time growing up as an adopted child in Courtenay, B.C, through to his time spent in Major Junior hockey.
鈥淚 was the obvious minority everywhere I went,鈥� he states.
鈥滱s a young kid I didn鈥檛 really understand that people saw me differently. In my mind I was just another kid on the hockey team or another kid in the Grade 2 class photo.鈥�
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鈥淚 would forget I was the 鈥榖lack kid鈥� until a coach, teammate, classmate or parent would point out how I stood out in a photo, or how it was weird that a black kid liked country music, or they would refer to me as 鈥榯he black kid from Courtenay,鈥欌�� Herringer says, adding that as a teenager he would brush aside his feelings on such 鈥渟eemingly harmless remarks鈥� out of fear for how they would be received.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to be seen as soft or dramatic so I let them go.鈥�
During his time in junior hockey, the comments only got more vitriolic.
鈥淚鈥檇 get every kind of racist remark you could imagine from fans almost every time we鈥檇 play anywhere other than 91大黄鸭,鈥� he said of his time spent with the Rockets.
Herringer says he grew accustomed to the racist insults, viewing it as part and parcel of being in an opposing team鈥檚 building. He heard other, non-racialized insults directed at his other teammates and as far as he knew, the comments he was forced to absorb were 鈥渢he norm.鈥�
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鈥淏ut there鈥檚 something really wrong when a 17-year-old boy while playing the sport he loves is being singled out and openly told by an adult to go back to the plantation or that 鈥榤y people鈥� know nothing about hockey and I should stick to basketball or cotton picking,鈥� his post continues.
鈥淭he worst part is I鈥檇 mostly be embarrassed while this was going on, that something completely out of my control was causing a scene, and I鈥檇 just hope my coaches or teammates wouldn鈥檛 hear so they wouldn鈥檛 think any differently of me.鈥�
Now in his 20s, Herringer says he has 鈥渢remendous respect鈥� for police officers, but is heartbroken that he still feels compelled to fear them.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 imagine how I鈥檒l explain to my kids one day that the people whose job it is to keep you safe might want to harm you because of the way you look, through no fault of your own.鈥�
Herringer鈥檚 post ends on an optimistic note, despite all the things he鈥檚 heard from fans while between the pipes, or the looks of trepidation he still gets while walking down the street.
鈥淚 love who I am, I didn鈥檛 always, but I wouldn鈥檛 change it for the world now.
鈥淚t鈥檚 time that things change. And not just the smaller things that happen on the daily. This has to be a worldwide effort 鈥� I still believe it鈥檚 going to happen one day.鈥�
