Melanistic Magazine - Vol. 6 We Are Kings

THE DOMINO EFFECT

BY: NIGEL WILLIAMS

Images Courtesy of Ronnick Sinclair

Probably the earliest known domino set was found in the ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamen’s tomb in Thebes. Tutankhamen reigned in Egypt’s 18th dynasty, around 1355 BC, and the set discovered is now on display in an Egyptian museum in Cairo. The earliest known Chinese set of dominoes has been dated to 1120 AD.

I chose to sit and interview three influential Black men in our city whose volunteerism and careers continue to strengthen our community. I picked individuals with varying age ranges and cultural backgrounds who have now made Edmonton their home. The selection promised to offer broad perspectives on several topics. These men however have two things in common, the color of their skin and their love for Dominoes.

This game is normally played at nighttime in a dark area, against a backdrop of easygoing, local music. Depending on the region, your game may be paired with either a spirited drink or a stimulating tea. To help bridge our worlds and to recreate the atmosphere, we conducted this interview at one of the newest restaurants in the city, Island’s Best Restaurant, renowned for its Jamaican / Haitian Cuisine.

First to enter, cellphone in hand, is Errol Scott, the youngest of the participants. Errol was here to win, and I immediately identified with his competitive nature, so I decided to sit across from him to give us a better chance at victory.

In contrast to our first guest, our second player, Michael Broodhagen, is the eldest. His energy is cool, calm, and collected and I’m immediately excited by the breadth and diversity of the Black experience represented at this table.

Bringing balance to the foursome, enters the last player, Sharif Harij. Bluetooth in ear, dressed in comfortable business-casual attire, he too is ready to take a couple hours to engage. Sure enough, once we started, the planned interview would take second place to the game and the dynamic intergenerational energy exchange.

THE JOURNEY TO SIX

The gentle clicking of the shuffling tiles indicates the official start of our quest to six. I begin with questions on the upcoming elections and any preferred candidates. The chat flows between politics and the tiles as I blurt my displeasure at Errol’s play. “Sometimes you just got to take the best play you got man,” he says. His comment could just as easily be applied to the sentiments of many around Black representation in politics. “Maybe a person of color this time”, Shariff responds, hoping to have our interests represented.

The conversation shifts to the overpolicing of Black communities and Shariff continues with a brief history of the institute and the rippling impact today. Michael Broodhagen showed more restraint in his answers with short, quips of wisdom, slowly delivered, keeping everyone distracted as he plots and executes his game, “Policing is not babysitting the community,” he shares, “Policing is not forcing; Policing is not social work, and it seems that our society is looking to police to become community social workers – this is not their role”.

Sharif is a man of culture, a silent hustler, but an intelligent player. Midway through the game, he takes over the interview, tossing out questions while simultaneously making plays to improve his position. Errol, whose drive to win extends from his professional to social life, refuses to fall for the tactics and repeatedly redirects our attention to the game and the next critical move.

"My father, Harold Williams, passed in 2020 - he loved his family and the game of dominoes. He played at nights after work and eventually, when I was old enough, we played together. I can still see the pride in his eyes every time we played, win or lose. Now, whenever I play, it feels like my father is with me and I remember all the life lessons he taught and exemplified. Sitting with these men, finding commonalities reflecting on our love for life, family, and our city stirred warm memories of my father." - Nigel Williams

As Black men we all have different experiences, different lineage, and different priorities, but we find consensus on our role as men as ‘lovers, providers, protectors and partners’. We also find comradery as visible minorities in a city led by non-POCs; we findbrotherhood, solidarity, and support over this simple game of dominoes. “You’ll never know how much I needed this!”, Shariff comments in closing. I believe that we all share his sentiment. Even though we did not ‘give him six’ this game, there’s always next time. Double Six pose!