The Owen Sound Attack will be wearing special jerseys as part of a special night at the rink to mark Black History Month.
The team will be wearing custom jerseys designed by Attack defenceman Taos Jordan for their game on Saturday, Feb. 3 against the London Knights.
The third-year blueliner says for him and his teammates, this weekend is an important one, donning a new sweater to raise awareness of racism that still exists, celebrate diversity in hockey, and raise money for both the Emancipation Festival and for Team Jamaica.
Jordan says that part of the motivation is to help fight racism in both hockey and throughout Canada.
“It means a lot to me, growing up having some racism[-driven] comments towards me and my family members,” says Jordan. “That really set the tone for me to be able to create these jerseys.”
He also played for Team Jamaica in the off-season and wanted to raise money to help that organization, not only to help fund trips for the team but to help establish Jamaica as a hockey-playing nation.
The Emancipation Festival commemorates Black History Month and honours the legacy of Black Canadians.
The jersey design includes a fist to represent ethnic solidarity as part of Black History Month, with a stealthy Attack logo behind it in black.
On the shoulder, there is the logo for the Emancipation Festival which showcases the commemorative cairn at Harrison Park.
Lastly, along the bottom red stripe of the jersey, there are two calls to action: “Stand For Diversity” on the front, and “Time For Change” on the back.
He says that the other members of the team have been supportive of the cause.
Jordan says he first showed the jersey design to Harry Nansi and Gabriel Smith, who approved of their teammate’s efforts.
“I showed them first to get their opinion on it,” he says. “And they really liked the jersey. So we’re all really super excited to wear them this Saturday night.”
During the matchup against the visiting Knights, the Attack is welcoming several groups to the Bayshore, including the Owen Sound Emancipation Festival, the British Methodist Episcopal Church of Owen Sound – which is a designated Black Heritage Site, and the Sheffield Park Black History Museum.
The team is holding an auction until Sunday at 6 p.m. for fans to try and win the special jerseys and support Team Jamaica and the Emancipation Festival. The auction can be found here.
