Speaker 1: And now my mic back like we can strike.
Speaker 2: From headquarters behind.
Speaker 3: In the be.
Speaker 1: For those just tuning in the civic cecher, I'm your host,
Speaker 1: Ramsey's job. He is rams this job. This is.
Speaker 4: A very emotionally mentally exhausted Q war. And if you
Speaker 4: if you call it the first half of the show,
Speaker 4: you have an idea why if you didn't keep listening.
Speaker 4: We always, unfortunately have enough to keep me feeling like this.
Speaker 1: It'll get better. That's what my brother says to me
Speaker 1: every week. I will uh. Today we're talking about living
Speaker 1: in the aftermath of anti black violence. Special guests in
Speaker 1: the studio Marshawn Neely, who just shared a bit of
Speaker 1: his personal story where he was a victim of police
Speaker 1: brutality let's be honest and specifically the victim of a
Speaker 1: police attack dog. And we're going to spend the second
Speaker 1: part of the show talking about Ralph Yarl and we'd
Speaker 1: love for you to stick around and share your thoughts
Speaker 1: as well. But first and foremost, let's discuss becoming a
Speaker 1: better ally BABA. So today's BABA was sponsored by Major
Speaker 1: Threads for the finest in men's sportswear. Check majorthreads dot com.
Speaker 1: You know, sometime sometimes with the Baba we help with
Speaker 1: big things in a little way, and sometimes we help
Speaker 1: with little things but in a big way. And this
Speaker 1: past week we came across the story from a young
Speaker 1: lady named Jamia Bratcher or Jamia Bratcher, I'm not sure
Speaker 1: how to say it, but just one of those stories
Speaker 1: that kind of hit me in the heart. She's an
Speaker 1: individual who was sent to a homeless shelter, dropped off
Speaker 1: at a homeless shelterer eighteenth birthday, and told to make
Speaker 1: her way. Can you let our audience know who dropped
Speaker 1: her off? It was her adopted parents that dropped her
Speaker 1: off at a homeless shelter because they were no longer
Speaker 1: receiving money for her. She made a video about it.
Speaker 1: Someone was interviewing folks on the street, and that video
Speaker 1: touched me and the people around me. And normally now's
Speaker 1: the time I'd list her cash app because she showed
Speaker 1: her cash app on the screen if someone wanted to help,
Speaker 1: but she said she didn't know how to work it.
Speaker 1: And I'll be honest, I sent money and it never
Speaker 1: got accepted. So I really wanted to talk about her
Speaker 1: supporting her financially. But now I'm going to ask since
Speaker 1: we have stations all over the country, she's gone missing,
Speaker 1: and I would like for you all to please travel
Speaker 1: over to my instagram at rams's jahr Am s e Sja.
Speaker 1: She's the first photo there, and if you've seen her anywhere,
Speaker 1: you got any information on her, please, you know, contact
Speaker 1: me or contact anybody that's connected to that, because we
Speaker 1: need to find her and make sure that she's okay. Again.
Speaker 1: We can help a lot in a small way, and
Speaker 1: this is just on my heart, so I appreciate you
Speaker 1: anybody supporting that. All Right now, we're gonna move on.
Speaker 1: We're still talking about living in the aftermath of anti
Speaker 1: black violence. But another crazy story that has kind of
Speaker 1: really taken shape over the past week is the story
Speaker 1: of Ralph Jarl, who was shot by Andrew Lester for
Speaker 1: knocking on the wrong door when he was looking to
Speaker 1: pick up his siblings. I think he went to the
Speaker 1: right number address, but instead of street, it was lane
Speaker 1: or lane it was street from something like.
Speaker 4: That up some some easily mistakable minor semantic like that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and he rang the doorbell. And I'll read from
Speaker 1: the Kansas City defender who's a big supporter of Civic
Speaker 1: Side for a shout out to the Kansas City Defender.
Speaker 1: Ralph y'arl, a sixteen year old black boy, was shot
Speaker 1: twice by a white man in North Kansas City after
Speaker 1: accidentally ringing the doorbell of the wrong home while attempting
Speaker 1: to pick up his siblings. My understanding was his two
Speaker 1: little brothers. The white man reportedly shot Ralph in the
Speaker 1: head and shot through the glass door, and when y'all
Speaker 1: was already bleeding on the ground, he shot him again,
Speaker 1: this time in the head. The family has described it
Speaker 1: as a hate crime, and community members are calling for
Speaker 1: justice for the young victim. And just so we're clear
Speaker 1: around us, the first shot was in the head, was
Speaker 1: it okay? Okay, so imagine that I read that wrong.
Speaker 4: No, you read it right, But then you just added
Speaker 4: that this time it was in the head until you
Speaker 4: read about the second shot.
Speaker 1: You shot him in the head already through the door.
Speaker 4: Yeah, okay, like for all of us to he shot
Speaker 4: him in the head already, then let me go make sure.
Speaker 1: And shoot him again. And he was unarmed, sixteen, an
Speaker 1: unarmed child, Yes, sir, pick it. I'm just making sure.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I'm not sure. So one of the things
Speaker 1: that I want to say here is sad and sick,
Speaker 1: and we've talked about it on the show before Q
Speaker 1: and I. There is an audio recording that we came
Speaker 1: across some months ago of a police person, someone with
Speaker 1: some authority over normal police officers, suggesting that if an
Speaker 1: officer draws a gun and shoots someone, that they should
Speaker 1: make sure that the person dies, because if the officer
Speaker 1: shoot someone and they live, they could sue and fiscally
Speaker 1: that would have a greater impact than if the person
Speaker 1: was actually dead. Not only that, but they wouldn't have
Speaker 1: to do it.
Speaker 4: But now there's statement that would never happen before if
Speaker 4: the person was dead. That's where that lack of accountably typically,
Speaker 4: that lack of accountability typically comes in.
Speaker 1: There's no victim statement, there's no with Shawn Neely in
Speaker 1: the studio, was telling the side of the story. Yes,
Speaker 1: so so yeah, so this idea of this second shot
Speaker 1: when he's already been shot in the head, As you said,
Speaker 1: I don't know for certain, but I suspect that that
Speaker 1: might have played a role in it, because again, a
Speaker 1: shot in the head through the door. We have to
Speaker 1: avoid definitives. Yeah, it's tough because you know.
Speaker 4: To maintain our integrity as journalists in this space. It
Speaker 4: is not, however, lost on me, the reason you shoot
Speaker 4: this again. If it was fear or defending for your life,
Speaker 4: you already shot him in the head. I think you'll
Speaker 4: be fine, especially because he's a child with no weapon
Speaker 4: and no way to harm you.
Speaker 1: I think you'd be fine. We know what the second
Speaker 1: shot was for. Oh yeah, and you mentioned something in
Speaker 1: the first half of the show, Q that I want
Speaker 1: to bring back up. The only quote unquote weapon was
Speaker 1: that he had melanin in his skin. Yes, too much.
Speaker 1: That's the only weapon. And as you know, I mean,
Speaker 1: I'm obviously being facetious here, but that's not a weapon.
Speaker 1: That is a human condition. Human beings have melanin, original
Speaker 1: human beings, Homo sapiens sapiens, or melanated individuals from Africa,
Speaker 1: the African continent. So if that struck fear in the
Speaker 1: heart of this Andrew Lester, and he was able to
Speaker 1: execute this attack on his child under the guise of
Speaker 1: stand your ground laws, and I think it's time that
Speaker 1: those laws be re examined to what end. Though right
Speaker 1: like stand your ground on its face, the term should
Speaker 1: be interpreted a lot different than ready fireing. Well, then
Speaker 1: let's let's talk about Trayvon.
Speaker 5: Yeah, let's let's talk because that's that's where this versus
Speaker 5: the first time I ever heard about this stand your
Speaker 5: ground yep, A man stalked and murdered him and got
Speaker 5: off on the basis of standing his ground.
Speaker 4: In this case, weaponizing your fear of melanid skin gets
Speaker 4: you off on the idea that maybe you thought this
Speaker 4: young man was there to do you harm, and you
Speaker 4: also betting on that second shot doing its child. Because
Speaker 4: then we don't have we don't have to have a
Speaker 4: nuanced conversation. There's no other witnesses.
Speaker 1: There's you and the deceased, who cannot provide his account
Speaker 1: of what happened. I love that you said that weaponizing
Speaker 1: your fear, because I think that's exactly what you were
Speaker 1: describing in your story, Marshawn. Because these officers breaking your door,
Speaker 1: kicking in your in your door, and then grabbing you
Speaker 1: in the i'm guessing like an atrium or entrance of
Speaker 1: your home and being able to attack you like this,
Speaker 1: there's that degree of protection, the qualified immunity, so forth
Speaker 1: and so on, where if police brutality or overreach or
Speaker 1: whatever takes place. They often say, well, it was based
Speaker 1: on a fear for myself or fear, fear, fear, whatever
Speaker 1: the case is, and so weaponizing the fear. And obviously
Speaker 1: you're a black man. Ralph Yarl was a black child,
Speaker 1: and that's that's really the only way that I can
Speaker 1: see that existing as a narrative, not a truth, but
Speaker 1: a narrative in the minds of those who would cause
Speaker 1: harm to black bodies. So that's a quick question.
Speaker 3: Andrew, guy, he didn't get arrested on the scene because
Speaker 3: there was a stand in your grand law in effect.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so we'll jump right there. I'm glad you brought
Speaker 1: that up. So what happened Initially? The shooter, Andrew Lester,
Speaker 1: was taken into police headquarters briefly to provide a statement,
Speaker 1: but was released shortly after without being charged. How about
Speaker 1: that now real quick, I want to interject something here.
Speaker 1: You're listening to my voice. You know that there's a
Speaker 1: black child who's sixteen years old and a white man
Speaker 1: who was in his eighties. Right, this white man shot
Speaker 1: this black child through the door. I want you to
Speaker 1: do me the favor that I often asked for on
Speaker 1: the show. I want you to change a couple of
Speaker 1: these pieces around. Let's make the sixteen year old child
Speaker 1: a white child, and let's make Andrew Lester black black. Now,
Speaker 1: now let that play out in your head. Now, the
Speaker 1: police show up, what happens to Andrew Lester? Does he
Speaker 1: go into police headquarters briefly to provide a statement and
Speaker 1: release shortly after without being charged as it happened that way?
Speaker 3: No, I think he would have got arrested right on
Speaker 3: the spot or worse or worse.
Speaker 1: I know you for those that can't see cs, I
Speaker 1: just got a quick quick question around. Yeah.
Speaker 3: Do you believe that they charged him because they felt
Speaker 3: the story was going too viral?
Speaker 1: I'm glad you brought that up. Let me read all right,
Speaker 1: So Andrew Lester was able to go home and clean
Speaker 1: up any evidence as pressure mounted for police to charge
Speaker 1: him with a crime.
Speaker 4: Can you imagine black Andrew Lester not being shot when
Speaker 4: the police arrived, not being with the crime or arrested,
Speaker 4: allowed to go into police headquarters, give his statement and
Speaker 4: then go home and clean up any potential evidence. Now,
Speaker 4: especially because in his statement, yes I shot him.
Speaker 1: Okay, thanks for your statement, sir, have a good one.
Speaker 4: Not let us keep your own custody while maybe a
Speaker 4: crime scene investigator goes to see if the story checks
Speaker 4: out since we don't have any other witnesses. No, you're fine, man,
Speaker 4: go home and get your affairs together so we can
Speaker 4: make sure you're going to be okay. I mean, all
Speaker 4: you did was shoot a black kid, ye, and you
Speaker 4: know we all know that's not a big deal, right man,
Speaker 4: you be keeping it real.
Speaker 3: This is so sad, but you're telling do you think
Speaker 3: that if Andrew was black, that he would have got
Speaker 3: to do the peaceful surrender because he got to have
Speaker 3: his last meal?
Speaker 1: DN go turn himself in after the charge has got
Speaker 1: brought against him. You know what, I think you're touching
Speaker 1: on something that is a theme around here, and I
Speaker 1: will uh summarize the criminal justice system in the United
Speaker 1: States of America treat you very different if you are
Speaker 1: white and guilty than if you are black and innocent.
Speaker 1: It'll treat you worse if you're black and innocent then
Speaker 1: if you're white and guilty.
Speaker 4: Now, come on, Ramses, you know, conversations like this are
Speaker 4: intellectually beneath us, and you need to be a higher
Speaker 4: thinker because of course, things aren't that simple. They don't
Speaker 4: just treat you worse because you're black and innocent and.
Speaker 1: Better for those that don't white and guilty. Would Q
Speaker 1: was obviously being facetious here you can't see his face,
Speaker 1: but but yeah, this is a theme that and this
Speaker 1: is a big part of why the show exists in
Speaker 1: the first place, is that you know, you weren't around obviously,
Speaker 1: but in twenty twenty when George Floyd was murdered and
Speaker 1: we all saw and be murdered, and we saw that
Speaker 1: there was initially no accountability. The idea that in spaces
Speaker 1: where this show is broadcast, in particular hip hop stations,
Speaker 1: there were people who were profiting from the culture. There
Speaker 1: were people who were chronicling a narrative of what it
Speaker 1: means to be black in this country. And there was
Speaker 1: a visibly absent moment that was necessary, a moment of
Speaker 1: clarity where we talked about, indeed the fullness of the
Speaker 1: black experience in this country. We need to talk about
Speaker 1: systemic oppression. We need to talk about systemic injustice. We
Speaker 1: need to talk about white supremacy, white supremacists institutions. We
Speaker 1: need to talk about economic inequality. We need to talk
Speaker 1: about housing, We need to talk about healthcare outcomes. We
Speaker 1: need to talk about the criminal justice system, among other things.
Speaker 1: And so to your point, that is indeed the reason
Speaker 1: the show exists. So I appreciate you bringing that up.
Speaker 1: I want to read a little bit more because, believe
Speaker 1: it or not, it gets deeper. Charges. A first degree
Speaker 1: assault and armed criminal action came two days later. Okay,
Speaker 1: I want to stop here. Okay, So two days later
Speaker 1: he's charged again because of mounting public pressure, as you mentioned, Marshall,
Speaker 1: and he's charged with first degree assault, armed criminal action.
Speaker 1: That's not attempted murder. You said he got shot in
Speaker 1: the head, right, first shot, and then then he got
Speaker 1: shot again, and then you shot him again. Okay, So
Speaker 1: that sounds to me like attempted murder. They didn't even
Speaker 1: charge him with that, right, It probably felt like him
Speaker 1: like felt to him like successful murder. Yeah, probably in
Speaker 1: that moment, sounds like capital murder. Well, we're grateful that
Speaker 1: Ralph is recovering for those that have story, and we're
Speaker 1: grateful that you're recovering too, Marshaun, because we don't often
Speaker 1: get stories like this. A lot of times you end
Speaker 1: up talking about people and they can't say anything. So
Speaker 1: we're really appreciated. I want to make sure that that's
Speaker 1: a Stabbs. We're grateful that you could come to the
Speaker 1: studio and tell your story. Yes, but yeah, you know
Speaker 1: when you said that, they hit you with a bunch
Speaker 1: of charges that they ultimately had to drop. And let's
Speaker 1: be honest, they forced you to take a plea deal
Speaker 1: to get out of solitary confinement so you can go
Speaker 1: back home and recover. Q calls that trumped up charges. Right,
Speaker 1: we're talking about the same criminal justice system. Q. I'm
Speaker 1: gonna ask you a question. Does first degree assault and
Speaker 1: armed criminal actions sound like a fair charge for what
Speaker 1: happened here with Andrew Lester shooting Ralph y'arl in the head?
Speaker 1: Is that trumped up charges? It's barely anything anything. Yes,
Speaker 1: it's a slap on the wrist. Let's charge him with
Speaker 1: something so that the people right. Okay, okay? Does it
Speaker 1: sound like there's two different criminal justice systems operating in
Speaker 1: this states?
Speaker 4: Does it sound like I've said, now many times on
Speaker 4: this show, the conversation that you are attempting to have,
Speaker 4: it's intellectually beneath us. I need you to subscribe to
Speaker 4: a higher vein of thinking and remove this very very
Speaker 4: elementary idea that racism is always prevalent in these in
Speaker 4: these stories.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 1: You know what's funny is that there are people who
Speaker 1: actually feel that ways you have to interject race into everything. Well,
Speaker 1: as I mentioned, I'm not talking to you, of course,
Speaker 1: I'm talking to people that would have that weird argument
Speaker 1: against you know what we're saying here again, We've talked
Speaker 1: about on this show housing discrimination. It's a real thing.
Speaker 1: You don't have to listen to the show to find
Speaker 1: that out. You can research it yourself. We've talked about
Speaker 1: a tax on history, critical race theory, and educating people
Speaker 1: so that we have a more empathetic and understanding society
Speaker 1: and way to relate to each other. We've talked about
Speaker 1: the legacy of redlining and the economic inequality that black
Speaker 1: people are enduring in this country right now. We've talked
Speaker 1: about the failed War on drugs and how drugs once
Speaker 1: upon a time were criminalized and black people were put
Speaker 1: in jail disproportionate sentences, and indeed, drugs were pushed into
Speaker 1: black communities and everyone was just like just say no.
Speaker 1: And then when the tables turn and it's fentanyl. Now,
Speaker 1: all of a sudden, it's a health problem. It's not
Speaker 1: a criminal issue. And that's not because it's s fentanyl.
Speaker 1: Hang on, hang on, because white people are known. But
Speaker 1: let me finish. We're talking about environmental racism, right. For
Speaker 1: those that don't know what environmental racism is, please look
Speaker 1: it up. I would love to tell you more about it.
Speaker 1: We've talked about it on the show. But if you
Speaker 1: don't know, please look up what environmental racism is. Find
Speaker 1: out that black communities are polluted at a higher rate
Speaker 1: than white communities because people in power, people that are
Speaker 1: elected at local governments, who themselves are hateful. I see you, Oklahoma,
Speaker 1: I see you North Carolina, and local governments have no
Speaker 1: problem polluting black and brown communities. Okay, we're talking about
Speaker 1: the fiscal implications of the unequal disbursement of the GI
Speaker 1: bill in this country. We're talking about policing. We're talking
Speaker 1: about judicial sentencing. We're talking about the legacy of black codes.
Speaker 1: We're talking about the legacy of the New Deal being
Speaker 1: unevenly distributed to America's population. White people benefited vastly more
Speaker 1: than black people. This is what we're talking about. And
Speaker 1: the people that people that might the people that might
Speaker 1: say what you were saying earlier, real quick, that's not
Speaker 1: unique to the new deal, and and many others. Absolutely, absolutely,
Speaker 1: that's probably true for everything, whatever you want. Yes, absolutely,
Speaker 1: But the folks who might say that an argument is
Speaker 1: intellectually beneath me. I have all those and so many more.
Speaker 1: Have we talked about. We haven't even talked about health
Speaker 1: care outcomes, and how racism is cooked into the medical books,
Speaker 1: you know that than indoctrination, and how a lot of
Speaker 1: those experiments that white people benefit from were performed on
Speaker 1: black slaves and the legacy of that, and how doctors
Speaker 1: think that we've taken more oxygen and have thicker skin
Speaker 1: and feel less pain, and and real health care outcomes
Speaker 1: that cause us to die more exist in the world right,
Speaker 1: So welcome to civic sife for everybody.
Speaker 4: All I'm saying ramses because I don't understand all that data,
Speaker 4: statistics and facts why you guys feel the need to
Speaker 4: always interject the idea of race into every discussion you have.
Speaker 1: I don't understand. To people who might say that, again,
Speaker 1: Q is being funny, But to people who might say
Speaker 1: that to me, not funny. People who might say that
Speaker 1: to me, he was not being funny. Well, Q was
Speaker 1: being annoyed.
Speaker 4: That's a better way to say it, because these are
Speaker 4: the exact things that people say to us, yes in
Speaker 4: person and direct messages on our lives, on our Facebook
Speaker 4: and our comments that we are somehow looking for the
Speaker 4: racism and all these stories.
Speaker 1: As if it's not blatant, it's super there, super obvious.
Speaker 1: This is not hidden overt stuff we're talking about. This
Speaker 1: is in your face, overt, proud. It's written into the law.
Speaker 1: It's written into the bylaws. You can see it the
Speaker 1: government documents. This isn't guessing, This isn't even data. For
Speaker 1: people that feel like data and alternative facts and all
Speaker 1: that sort of fake news stuff, you can look at
Speaker 1: the laws themselves and trace indeed the legacy of those laws.
Speaker 1: Speaking of lass, let's get back to this criminal quote
Speaker 1: unquote Andrew Lester that shot this child in the head
Speaker 1: and then shot him again and they headed in the shoulder,
Speaker 1: I believe. So guess what happened after he was hit
Speaker 1: with those baby chargers. He was able to post a
Speaker 1: two hundred thousand dollars bond and it's now free again.
Speaker 1: If that means, of course, that means he came up
Speaker 1: with twenty thousand dollars, and right now, well as of
Speaker 1: this recording, he's walking around Kansas City free as a burden.
Speaker 1: He can fight his case disgustingly, I'm sure being celebrated
Speaker 1: by some of his exactly now, hold on, hold on
Speaker 1: a second. Did you have to take a plea deal, Marshawn? Yes, okay, okay,
Speaker 1: that's what I wanted to know. Did you did you
Speaker 1: hurt anybody?
Speaker 5: No?
Speaker 1: Did they hurt you?
Speaker 5: No?
Speaker 1: I mean no, no, no, no, they hurt you? Yes,
Speaker 1: I remember the story. Okay. I just want to make
Speaker 1: sure that we are all subscribed to the same reality
Speaker 1: here and that these things are happening and I'm not
Speaker 1: in a dream world half the time or whatever. This
Speaker 1: is the same shared experience for all of us. I
Speaker 1: do want to say this while we have a few
Speaker 1: seconds left. Ralph y'all. He's at home now and he's healing.
Speaker 1: But a couple of questions that I want folks to ponder,
Speaker 1: because again we're dealing with living in the aftermath of
Speaker 1: anti black violence. What will his future be like? In Marshawn?
Speaker 1: These are questions that we would ask TFT sure trauma,
Speaker 1: community trauma, because it doesn't just affect you, you mentioned it
Speaker 1: affect your kids. I'm sure Ralph is going to have
Speaker 1: this trauma with him for a long time. What does
Speaker 1: this teach the country about what's okay? It's not okay?
Speaker 1: And to who? Why were the charges so light? Why
Speaker 1: didn't they charge him with assaulting a minor? Even? You know?
Speaker 1: And as always keep thinking what if Ralph was white
Speaker 1: and Andrew Lester was black? And now it's time for
Speaker 1: the Way Black History Fact. There's a Way Black History
Speaker 1: Factor sponsored by Underground Beach Club from the streets to
Speaker 1: the beach, the finest in beachware. Visit Underground Beach Club
Speaker 1: dot com. Today we are reading from the Hockeywriters dot Com.
Speaker 1: I will begin in January twenty twenty, Canada Post released
Speaker 1: a special stamp and first day cover featuring what is
Speaker 1: undoubtedly Hockey's greatest secret. The stamp features teams and artwork
Speaker 1: of players from the Colored Hockey League. Between eighteen ninety
Speaker 1: five and the early nineteen thirties, all black ice hockey
Speaker 1: teams in the Maritimes thrilled mixed audiences and news reporters
Speaker 1: alike as they challenged each other to exciting matches and
Speaker 1: buyed for the ultimate prize, The Colored Hockey Championship, created
Speaker 1: as a means of drawing more men church and strengthening
Speaker 1: their religious path. All Black hockey also served to dispel
Speaker 1: myths about black people's abilities. With their fast paced, physical
Speaker 1: games and down to the ice style of goaltending, the
Speaker 1: players made real contributions to the game. While winning on
Speaker 1: the ice was a moment to celebrate, the greater triumph
Speaker 1: was the pride experienced by black communities across the region.
Speaker 1: Hockey fans may know of the Montreal Wanderers, the Ottawa
Speaker 1: Silver Seven, the Winnipeg Victorias, and the Vancouver Millionaires, as
Speaker 1: well as the Seattle Metropolitans and some of the teams
Speaker 1: from the early years of the Stanley Cup, but very
Speaker 1: few have ever heard of the Africville seasides the Halifax
Speaker 1: Eurekas and the Halifax Stanley who were the original teams
Speaker 1: that formed Canada's first organized hockey league, the Colored Hockey
Speaker 1: League more than a century ago. Hockey played a huge
Speaker 1: role in Canadian black culture on the East Coast. The
Speaker 1: black leaders of the day recognized it, and they used
Speaker 1: hockey as a vehicle for advancement. The Colored Hockey League
Speaker 1: has perhaps the most intriguing history of any sports league
Speaker 1: in North American history. It was formed in eighteen ninety five,
Speaker 1: predating the formation of the NHL by more than twenty years.
Speaker 1: The league also predates the Negro Basketball League sorry Negro
Speaker 1: Baseball League in the United States. What makes it interesting
Speaker 1: is that the league was actually formed by the Baptist Church.
Speaker 1: The mandate of the league was to use hockey as
Speaker 1: a way of advancing young black men to a level
Speaker 1: equal to their white brethren through a game that would
Speaker 1: instill the qualities of leadership, community organization, pride, teamwork, and determination.
Speaker 1: Henry Sylvester Williams and brother James Borden were two of
Speaker 1: the visionaries who guided the formation of the league. They
Speaker 1: were both churchmen who saw the social and political importance
Speaker 1: of using hockey to encourage advancement of black men. They
Speaker 1: also saw it as a way to attract young men
Speaker 1: in families to churches that were suffering from stagnating attendance.
Speaker 1: Williams's Cornwallis Baptist Church in Halifax would form two teams,
Speaker 1: the Halifax Stanley and the Halifax Eurekas. Across the Harbor
Speaker 1: Bordon would form the Dartmouth Jubileef from his Lake Baptist Church.
Speaker 1: The league was operated by the church, making it unique
Speaker 1: in North American history. The official rule book was the Bible.
Speaker 1: First ever colored hockey league game was played on February
Speaker 1: twenty seven, eighteen ninety five, at the Dartmouth Curling Rink,
Speaker 1: and the Eurekas and Jubilees skated to a one to
Speaker 1: one tie. The league received press and coverage from the
Speaker 1: Acadian Recorder, which was one of three Halifax newspapers of
Speaker 1: the day, and it was Baptist owned. The Recorder reported
Speaker 1: that the game featured a much more physical style of
Speaker 1: play than the more gentlemanly white teams would play, as
Speaker 1: players would partake in body checking and cross counters short punches.
Speaker 1: The Recorder also reported that through the first season, ladies
Speaker 1: would turn out in full force for the games, cheering loudly.
Speaker 1: There were no nets and curling stones were used as posts.
Speaker 1: The star of the Jubilees was their goalie, Henry Brace's
Speaker 1: Franklin and an ice cutter by trade. Franklin revolutionized his
Speaker 1: position as he was the first goalie who reportedly went
Speaker 1: down on the ice to make saves in the game's history.
Speaker 1: Franklin's butterfly style was eventually made popular by goalies like
Speaker 1: Glenn Hall and Patrick Roy. Another innovation of the Colored
Speaker 1: Hockey League was the slap shot. It may have been
Speaker 1: made famous by Bernie Boom, Boom, Geffron and Bobby Hull,
Speaker 1: but it was Colored Hockey League star Eddie Martin who
Speaker 1: invented it. The Stanley would win the first championship, while
Speaker 1: the Eurekas would win the next five. The season was short,
Speaker 1: usually running from late January to early Marches. Artificial ice
Speaker 1: was not available in the Maritimes. The league also had
Speaker 1: to take whatever ice times were available as they had
Speaker 1: to work around the schedules of the white teams and leagues. Regardless,
Speaker 1: attendance was strong. Some playoffs and championship games drew more
Speaker 1: than a thousand spectators. The caliber of play was considered
Speaker 1: by many to be on par with the scene in
Speaker 1: the best white leagues. Unfortunately, as the league was striving,
Speaker 1: politics and racism became an obstacle. Expanded rail service onto
Speaker 1: the Port of Halifax led to the annexation of land
Speaker 1: and from many families in Africville, the black community in Halifax.
Speaker 1: A five year legal battle ensued, and many rink owners
Speaker 1: refused to rent ice time to the league or any
Speaker 1: of its teams. Under pressure from municipal and provincial officials,
Speaker 1: the local newspapers stopped covering the league. There are no
Speaker 1: newspaper accounts of any Colored Hockey League play from nineteen
Speaker 1: eleven to nineteen twenty, but in nineteen twenty one league
Speaker 1: resurfaced in the public eye. Three teams, the Victorias, the
Speaker 1: Seasides and the Halifax all Stars formed a three league team.
Speaker 1: The league was not strong, not as strong as it
Speaker 1: was in its prime in the nineteen thirties. The league
Speaker 1: would fade away. Many black families left the economical repression
Speaker 1: they suffered in Nova Scotia for the greener pastors of Boston.
Speaker 1: Although new teams like the Affricville Brown Bombers, Halifax Diamonds
Speaker 1: and Halifax Wizards, New Glasgow speed Boys and Trudio Cheeks
Speaker 1: would emerge, the league was gone and forgotten. By the
Speaker 1: time World War II had begun. Little history on this
Speaker 1: hockey league, which is why Canada's post twenty twenty Colored
Speaker 1: Hockey League stamp series is so significant. In two thousand
Speaker 1: and four, hockey researchers Darryl George Frosty researched a book
Speaker 1: entitled Black Ice, The Lost History of the Colored Hockey
Speaker 1: League in the Maritimes eighteen ninety five to nineteen twenty five.
Speaker 1: The Hockey Hall of Fame also has an exhibit that
Speaker 1: includes information on the Colored Hockey League. The Changing Face
Speaker 1: of Hockey Diversity in Our Game is a permanent exhibit
Speaker 1: that brings to light the challenges faced by marginalized people
Speaker 1: across in North America in their struggle for societal sorry,
Speaker 1: for social equity and acceptance in the great Game of hockey.
Speaker 1: The display plays homage to the pioneers who confronted discrimination
Speaker 1: from the hockey world. Through their perseverance, talent, and courage,
Speaker 1: they have enriched the cultural landscape of hockey and established
Speaker 1: a tangible forum in which to fight prejudices still faced
Speaker 1: by many, both in hockey and in life. To date,
Speaker 1: there have been nearly one hundred black players to lace
Speaker 1: up and play in the NHL. Some like Ore have
Speaker 1: been pioneers, Some like Rant Ferr, have been Stanley Cup Champions.
Speaker 1: Some like Jerome Iginla, have become superstars. They have all
Speaker 1: become household names to hockey fans. Obviously I'm not sorry,
Speaker 1: but this is a cool story and it's time for
Speaker 1: players and teams in the Colored Hockey League to become
Speaker 1: widely known in the hockey world as well. Again, I
Speaker 1: want to shout out the Hockeywriters dot Com for providing
Speaker 1: us with the source material for that something that I
Speaker 1: didn't know. Normally, I throw all the sports stuff to
Speaker 1: Q because he knows a little bit about that. But
Speaker 1: I didn't know if hockey would be something that you
Speaker 1: would know any more about than me. But I still
Speaker 1: think it's cool because obviously we need to know that.
Speaker 1: I wouldn't have known it otherwise. Yeah, it's it's interesting.
Speaker 4: No matter what type of history we're talking about, be
Speaker 4: it sports, be it climate, be it ego, be it community,
Speaker 4: be it whatever.
Speaker 1: There's humps of racism. It out fait everywhere at good time. Yeah,
Speaker 1: not interjected by us actually in the history. Yeah. And
Speaker 1: Ramses used to remind our audience that Google was free.
Speaker 1: I'll do it on his behalf today. Appreciate thank you,
Speaker 1: but that's going to do it for us here on
Speaker 1: Civic Cipher. So once again, thank you for tuning in
Speaker 1: and I am your house. Rams's jaw and I am
Speaker 1: still qwar. A big shout out to our guest Marshawn Neely.
Speaker 1: Thank you again, brother, all right, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1: I just want to give you guys your flowers.
Speaker 3: Man, if no one else does.
Speaker 1: No, we appreciate it, man, We appreciate We're trying to
Speaker 1: do something here. And if you want to support us
Speaker 1: on our way again, check us out on social media.
Speaker 1: I'm at Ramsy's jaw. I am q ward. I'll go
Speaker 1: ahead and drop your social media. I still got to
Speaker 1: make one, okay, Well, shoot Marshawn Neely m A R
Speaker 1: s h U. And for folks who want to follow
Speaker 1: that story as well, and hit the website civicacer dot com,
Speaker 1: make a donation, follow us on social media at Civic Cipher.
Speaker 1: You can download this in any previous episode as well,
Speaker 1: and of course subscribe to our YouTube. Are building something
Speaker 1: special there and when you need to be a part
Speaker 1: of that, that Civic Cipher on YouTube cid I c
Speaker 1: c I PhD RN. Until next week, y'all go. Please
Speaker 1: make sure we had.
Speaker 2: To live These brothers a fabulous that our lady showing you
Speaker 2: where ROMB traveled live will spit tones from sunlight to
Speaker 2: move busting on stage like gonna fight some move, roll
Speaker 2: my mic back. You're like that jonal list with journalist too.
Speaker 2: We can strike back all cover borders with waters from
Speaker 2: headquarters behind and the beline sides up and the border
Speaker 2: the press pass.
Speaker 1: We bring it to you as it happens.
Speaker 2: The streets love popping from music. You're wrapping the street
Speaker 2: command the slash p xpando. You're gonna fight the slander
Speaker 2: with the proper propaganda.
Speaker 1: What's happening.
Speaker 2: It's how You've got a questions to ask if Deduce
Speaker 2: is just a TV show, get past it? And this
Speaker 2: from a white wartime jonal list headlines wait God, prepas
Speaker 2: and resist like this like what like this like