Melanistic Magazine - Vol. 6 We Are Kings

KINGS OF OLD

BY: GREG DAVIS

Throughout Canada’s history, you will find a plethora of lost, omitted and forgotten stories of Black men in our communities who rose to levels of success despite societal challenges. If you dig, you will find their stories and their accomplishments across varying sectors of Canada. We will take a brief look at some of these ‘Kings of Old’ who worked tirelessly to redefine the Melanistic story in Canada.

NEGRO HOCKEY LEAGUE Unrecognized, under-appreciate and often unspoken are the contributions to the game of hockey made by the Negro Hockey League. Skating techniques, goalie playmaking, the slapshot, along with other elements of the modern game draw their origins from this league which ran from 1895 to 1925 in Nova Scotia.

ALTON C. PARKER Canada’s first Black police detective Born in 1907, it took almost 40 years before he landed a job as a mechanic within the Windsor Police Service. He eventually rose to become Canada’s first Black police constable, and in 1951 he was finally promoted to the rank of detective breaking through another seemingly untouchable glass ceiling.

JOSEPH LEWIS Fur Traders The fur trade industry is one of the pillars upon which Canada’s economy and society is built. However due to omissions and the distortion of history, Black fur traders are mostly unheard of. Joseph Lewis is significant in this regard as he is one of the very few traders who has been documented in historical records. From the end of 1700 to the early 1800 Lewis made his way across Canada, making stops at Edmonton’s own Fort Saskatchewan. This makes him arguably the first known member of the Black community in Alberta.

DENHAM JOLLY Founder of Flow 93.5 Back in 1989 Jolly made his first attempt to obtain a broadcast license and frequency from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Having been passed over twice, success came in 2000 and in February of 2001 Flow 93.5 took to the airways as Canada’s first all-Black music and cultural radio station. To learn more about Jolly’s fight in the world of media, get a copy of his book ‘In the Black: My Life’.