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It was a special day last week as I gathered in Toronto with nearly 150 individuals from The CI community for the world premiere of the “Beyond Their Years” documentary.
For me, it was personally and professionally rewarding and humbling that the film was so warmly received. I also have immense gratitude for the many partners who stepped up to make this film possible.
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The documentary has been, and will continue to be, shown across Canada on TSN. Stay tuned for future announcements on where it will be aired in the United States.
This project has been a labor of love for me ever since I discovered the parallels between the lives of two outstanding humans, Herb Carnegie and Buck O’Neil. Thanks to the talents of far too many individuals to list here, we were able to create a film that tells the stories of these two men and the profound impact they made during their lifetimes. Their legacies live on through all who they touched and I am proud to have produced a documentary that further memorializes those legacies.
But, it’s not enough to just watch “Beyond Their Years” because it serves as a vehicle to spark the types of hard, yet respectful, conversations needed to make real sustainable change. It is imperative that we follow in the footsteps of social justice icons like Herb Carnegie and Buck O’Neil and take actionable steps to make this a more inclusive world to live in.
That’s why we are developing an educational component that will roll out in early fall. It will provide instructions on ways to use themes presented in the film to engage in meaningful discussions on how we can teach, heal, and humanize.
Yours Truly,
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Shelley Nicholls Named The CI's New Executive Director
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Shelley Nicholls, an entrepreneurial leader known for optimizing and inspiring teams to achieve critical objectives, has been named the new Executive Director of The Carnegie Initiative.
Nicholls started her career in the automotive industry as an engineer and went on to lead $100M+ projects.
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She has spent the past six years in the social profit sector and currently also serves as a consultant for EPIC Leadership in Toronto.
She has served as the Executive Director for several organizations since 2017 that include the Herbert H. Carnegie Future ACES Foundation, Sistering, and the Girls Inc. of Halton (Ontario).
She succeeds Stephanie Geosits, who has served as Executive Director since The CI’s inception.
“Stephanie has been the backbone of the success we have experienced in the past two years and we are deeply appreciative of her work to get us to this point,” The CI Co-Chair Bernice Carnegie stated.
“We are pleased to welcome Shelley to the team and look forward to her leading us to new heights in the years ahead. Her passion, drive, and experience makes her the ideal fit for this role to lead The CI and our work to make hockey more inclusive and welcoming for all,” Carnegie added.
Nicholls completed a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Ottawa, earned the Project Management Professional designation and graduated from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business MBA program.
Nicholls was born and raised in Montreal, the daughter of immigrants who moved to Canada from the Caribbean. She and her husband reside in the Greater Toronto Area and are the proud parents of four children (ages 10-17) that include three active hockey players. She also serves on the Board for Black Girl Hockey Club Canada.
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“Beyond Their Years” Premieres at Hockey Hall of Fame
The Carnegie Initiative (The CI) hosted the world premiere of a new documentary created by Burst, “Beyond Their Years: The Incredible Legacies of Herb Carnegie and Buck O’Neil,” last week. The event, attended by invited guests and media, was held at the Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto on June 27, 2023. The premiere was made possible through the support of The CI partners – Chase Payment Solutions, Burst, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), and TSN.
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The film aired nationally across Canada on TSN, TSN.ca, and the TSN app two nights later and re-aired numerous times. Upcoming dates and times for “Beyond Their Years” include:
- Friday, July 7 at 7 pm ET (TSN1, TSN3)
- Saturday, July 8 at Midnight ET (TSN2)
- Wednesday, July 19 at 10 pm ET (TSN2)
- Tuesday, July 25 at 2 pm ET (TSN1)
- Thursday, July 27 at 8 pm ET (TSN2)
“This enlightening film tells an important story about how my father, and baseball legend Buck O’Neil, changed the world by choosing love over hate. The CI is deeply grateful to have relationships with partners that share our vision of making the world more inclusive and welcoming,” The CI Co-Chair Bernice Carnegie shared.
“Beyond Their Years” depicts the compelling story of parallel lives lived by sports and social justice icons Herb Carnegie (hockey) and O’Neil (baseball), who were excluded, because of their race, from competing at the highest professional leagues of the sports they loved. Instead of becoming angry and bitter, they channeled the injustice they both experienced into pioneering work that made their respective sports, and the world, more inclusive.
“Beyond Their Years” was created by Burst and produced by Bryant McBride in partnership with TSN, MLSE, The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and The Carnegie Initiative. An educational component and leadership guide being created through the kind support from Canadian Tire Jumpstart will launch this fall.
A portion of the proceeds from the film will go to The Carnegie Initiative and The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
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Following the screening of “Beyond Their Years,” TSN’s Jermain Franklin moderated a thought-provoking and insightful panel discussion between Bernice Carnegie, Rane Carnegie (grandson of Herb Carnegie), and Bryant McBride. | |
Supovitz Added to The Famous Group Board | | |
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The Carnegie Initiative Board member Frank Supovitz was added to the Board of The Famous Group (TFG).
The creative technology company, headquartered in Los Angeles, engages fans through the creation of immersive live event experiences.
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“Frank’s expertise and tenure in live sports and entertainment event production is unparalleled and we are delighted to welcome him to our growing Board of Directors,” TFG Partner Andrew Isaacson stated. “We will look to Frank’s guidance as we continue to grow our breadth of offerings and provide cutting-edge solutions to the biggest teams, leagues, brands and organizations in the industry.” |
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Q&A: Dre Barone
Barone is a member of The CI’s Board of Directors. He was the first openly gay male in professional hockey. As a referee, he worked four seasons in the ECHL. In 2021, he moved up to the AHL and became the first openly gay male official to work a game in the league’s history. Dre spent two months last year at the Ukrainian-Polish border evacuating Ukrainians and getting humanitarian aid into the country.
CI: Was there a particular instance in your life you recall as the moment you fell in love with hockey?
DB: I was first in skates when I was a year and half old, so it’s not a stretch to say that I learnt how to skate as I learnt how to walk. I have a distinct memory of watching the Habs on TV with my dad when I was 3 years old. Out of nowhere I turned to him and asked, “Can I play hockey?” My dad was planning on signing me up at 5 or 6 years old like he did my two brothers, but I had my say! So, at 3 years old I started pushing chairs on the ice in full, very tiny, equipment. My favourite part of that first 7am ice time was getting to the rink early to get on the ice alone. The freedom and joy of skating around and shooting pucks unsupervised was blissful to me - still is.
CI: As the first openly gay male in professional hockey, you have been a leader and a role model. Was there someone who you looked up to as a role model while you were growing up?
DB: Since there wasn’t anyone else in hockey I can relate to as far as coming out or just being gay, I turned to other sports and music. I remember reading Robbie Rogers’ coming out story. That was the first person to come out in a sport that resonated with me. Also, my role model has always been Bono. I did some work with his charity, the ONE Campaign. Their motto is, “you don’t have to agree with everyone about everything if the one thing you do agree on is important enough.” I still hold that near to me. Whether being myself around the rink or heading over to Poland and Ukraine to help evacuate civilians as I did last year when the full-scale invasion began. In a way it forces me to (almost) always do the right thing.
CI: How would you compare the “reffing world” to the rest of the hockey world, in terms of inclusion and acceptance?
DB: They say the hockey world is small and the reffing world, as you can imagine, is even smaller. That being said, I think it has many parallels to the greater hockey community. I was out to my family, friends, and fellow refs three years before I came out publicly. I wasn’t hiding it by any stretch. The opportunity to come out publicly didn’t present itself to me until I met the great people at OutSports. The majority of my fellow refs wrote to me with supportive words and it’s never been an issue in the locker room. The caveat to that is that my experience as a white, blonde-haired, blue-eyed male isn’t the best sample size to put up against hockey culture’s inclusivity record. There are stereotypes that need to be broken and I hope my story can help someone else be authentically themselves within the hockey community.
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CI: There has been a great deal of controversy over Pride events both inside and outside of the hockey world. Where do we go from here?
DB: We just have to move forward. I think it’s disappointing that a handful of players chose not to wear pride jerseys. Most of those players cited their religious beliefs as the reason, while inclusivity is a two-way street, it seems as though it’s a little targeted given that there are other aspects of the game which also clash with religious beliefs. As far as the Pride nights themselves, I think we have to be strategic and pick our battles. We should focus on getting more players speaking out about inclusion through PSA style social media posts, working with their local LGBTQ+ communities, and making Pride Nights a fun celebration for everyone to enjoy. Furthermore, there remains the Pride Tape which players can sport and show solidarity with the community. Lastly, wording matters. Using LGBTQ+ has become kind of catch all term without a specific meaning. Words like gay, trans, lesbian, and bi were for the longest time used as slurs in the hockey world. People need to start referring to others as they are. For example, I’m a gay guy in hockey. I think there needs to be more of that direct language to normalise those words that too often make people uncomfortable.
CI: As a Board Member, what do you see as the most immediate challenges The CI must focus on to see more progress in making the sport more inclusive and welcoming to all.
DB: The CI’s biggest challenge will be continuing to get marginalised people in the hockey community a voice. I think we need to connect those people with decisions makers. Whether it’s the NHL, AHL, USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, the various junior leagues, or the new professional women’s league, all of these organisations have marginalised people within them. Those who don’t have a voice but love the game. The CI needs to give those people a voice so they can tell their story. That is the only way we can collectively learn and not repeat mistakes of the past. The CI should continue to work towards giving the silenced and invisible a seat at the table. As it's said, if you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re probably on the menu.
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Carrying on the Work Started by Herb Carnegie
Bernice Carnegie spoke about “Beyond Their Years” at an event in Minnesota this past spring. She shared with the audience the importance of thinking about the choices we make and how, together, we can make a real difference.
Watch video:
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By the Numbers
Tennessee State University announced last week its plans to add a club men’s hockey team. In doing so, TSU would become the first historically Black college or university to launch a college hockey program.
The school’s goal is to eventually field Division I men's and women’s teams.
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Calendar
January 2024 - The CI Summit in Toronto, Ontario.
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Help Blaze the Trail
The CI gratefully appreciates donations, large and small, that help us with our mission: “Work to ensure that hockey is inclusive, supportive, and welcoming to all.”
Please consider a donation today.
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Smith, a Forensic Accountant/Member, Anti-Racism Advisory Group, made this statement in the “Beyond Their Years” documentary. He was referencing the fact it would have been nicer for Herb Carnegie to have experienced being elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame during his lifetime. | | | | |
