This month, the SAP Speaker Series featured a very important and timely topic. We welcomed Judith Williams, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, and Evander Kane, San Jose Sharks Forward & Co-Head of Diversity Alliance to discuss equality, diversity and inclusion in the sport of hockey and beyond. If you didn’t get the chance to tune in live, check out the replay here.
By Libby Bramson
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Judith and Evander dove right into the conversation. Evander recently launched the Hockey Diversity Alliance whose mission is to end racism and intolerance in hockey. Evander shared that during his time in the league he has been on the receiving end of racist and intolerant remarks and comments and has witnessed similar things directed at other minority players. The Alliance have created a specific set of policies to eradicate racism and they plan to implement this in all levels of the game, from children’s leagues to minor leagues to the NHL. One of the things that the Alliance is going to focus on is education, especially in children leagues, both for the players and for their families. As Evander said, people “aren’t born racist.” Evander segued into talking about the support he received from his parents while he was growing up in the hockey community. He says that while unacceptable, he was prepared for some of the racist comments he had to tolerate while growing up in minor hockey. He said it made him tougher, but it’s not something he wants his kids to have to deal with.
Evander shared that its hugely important for kids to look at sports and see people who look like them. But in hockey, there are only a few players of color and they tend to be undervalued and overlooked. He says its been a “complete dismissal” in order to grow the game, and that is unacceptable and something that the Alliance is trying to combat. Judith then asked about the resource hurdle that hockey includes. Hockey requires a lot of expensive equipment and access to an ice rink and Evander says its key that the hockey industry and equipment companies pitch in there and help remove the barriers. While he acknowledged that hockey is expensive, he said “it can’t be the reason and the excuse we use to not become more diverse.”
Evander talked about the unique situation he is in, here in San Jose and with the Sharks organization. He expressed how there has been more comfort here for him because he knows the organization is supportive of his voice and his opinions. When forming the Alliance, Evander reached out to fellow Bay Area sports legend, Collin Kaepernick, whose biggest piece of feedback was stick together and stay united which is something Kane and the rest of the Alliance is really taking seriously. Evander has been quite invested in the Bay Area community in his few years here. During the season, he visited a school in Oakland and introduced a group of predominantly Black kids to ball hockey. Seeing the enjoyment on their face was incredible and if they really got a chance to play, the whole league could look different in ten years. We have seen this with the NBA and the NFL. Fifty or sixty years ago, the leagues were predominantly white but that has transformed in the last few decades and the leagues are now predominantly Black. The NHL hasn’t gotten there yet, but Evander is hopeful his work with the Alliance can expediate that. Judith asked, “what we can do to support?” Evander’s response was for now, spread the word and support the movement in hockey and in society.
Judith asked Evander to dive deeper into the phrase and being referred to as “a Black hockey player.” He said it would be normal if he played a different sport, if he was in a different league. He told a story about being in elevator and a woman said he looked like an athlete. She guessed he was a basketball player, then a football player, then tentatively guessed baseball and then tennis. Evander said she even went so far as to guess cricket! Hockey didn’t even cross her mind and Evander said that that is the problem right there! He said hockey needs to promote their minority players because that is what will encourage the youth to join. He said you can’t create fans unless they see you and the visibility is key for minority and Black players.
Judith then told Evander that there are people within SAP and probably other organizations as well who want to do something but don’t know what that means. She asked him what lessons we could take from him that we could extend to corporate organization. Evander highlighted that listening is crucial. We must listen to people’s stories, especially Black people to gain an understanding of where people come from and what they have gone through. If we don’t listen and learn, then we cannot move on.
Judith asked Evander if he thinks that the movement in hockey will translate to some of the other societal issues going on involving the police. Evander said he hopes that the police issues are expediated because that issue trumps anything else. He talked a lot about accountability in the police force. While he doesn’t believe all police officers are “bad” he says the accountability needs to be higher. Evander then detailed a story that is not uncommon for Black men in America. He was driving in Beverly Hills (in a white Ferrari!) and was pulled over. He hadn’t broken any laws and he wasn’t speeding. He was asked to exit his vehicle with his hands up, he was cuffed and sat down on the curb. The police officers didn’t ask for his ID and when they finally answered the question “What am I being pulled over for?” they said it was because he “matched the description” of a burglary suspect. Eventually, they let Evander go but the incident obviously is still with him.
Judith ended the talk on a lighter note by asking what Evander has been doing to stay busy and in shape during this time of quarantine. Evander laughed and said he has been working on his golf game since getting access to an ice rink hasn’t been possible.
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Want to experience the event for yourself? Watch the full video here!
Stay tuned for our next SAP Virtual Speaker Series.