“Some people don’t unlearn those things.”: A Conversation on Hockey, Racism, and Belonging

Abstract:In a game against Red Deer College in February 2020, Gwich’in and Inuvialuk hockey player Davina McLeod of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) Trojans was the target of an anti-Indigenous racial slur wielded by an opposing player. The incident made national headlines. In its aftermath, McLeod has worked to build public recognition of the prevalence of racism in hockey—both its blatant manifestations and the myriad microaggressions that sustain white supremacy—thereby endeavouring to push Canada’s national winter sport toward becoming actively antiracist. Among McLeod’s work in this regard has been both participating in and conducting interviews for the Indigenous Hockey Research Network. The following conversation occurred between McLeod and Sam McKegney via Zoom on September 17th, 2020.