This year’s four-part Black History Month blog series is all about community. In previous blogs we have often focused on the stories of Freedom Seekers and their descendants in St. Catharines. We have heard about the incredible journeys these people made to this city, how their lives changed, and how a local faith community was forged. But what is the story of the Black St. Catharines community outside of grand historical moments and formal institutions like work, school, and church? It is often what happens in between all this that really makes a community hum – the joy and laughter, the sadness, the togetherness and fun, the leisure, the weekends, and the warm home-cooked meals. In the hopes of sharing a small glimpse of all this vibrance, this year’s blog series will explore three community cornerstones: sports, music, and food!  

Part 1 of 4

The Black community of St. Catharines has enjoyed and excelled at sports for generations. Sports can bring individual excellence, team camaraderie, as well as a sense of shared culture and community among fans and spectators. St. Catharines Black history is sparkling with examples of all three. 

The St. Catharines Orioles are a truly incredible example of Black sports history in St. Catharines. The Orioles, who played in the late 1930s, were possibly the first all-Black hockey team to play in a league against white teams in Canada. The players were all members of the BME Church – the same church that Harriet Tubman attended in the 1850s and which still stands at the corner of North and Geneva Streets – and many worked together at General Motors. As this team’s amazing story has already been covered in other articles, I will not repeat it in detail here. Click here to find out more. 

Hockey in the Black community in St. Catharines did not end with the Orioles. Michael Nicholson was named captain of the Brock Generals men’s hockey team in 1968. He was the first Black captain of a university hockey team in Canada, which was at a time when there were no Black players in the NHL. Willie O’Ree had briefly broken the league’s colour barrier ten years earlier, but the NHL would not see another Black player until 1974. Despite this, Michael, his (white) teammates, and coach, apparently thought little of the appointment, which was given to him for his natural leadership and exceptional playing skills. Michael went on to play three seasons with the semi-pro Erie Lions in Pennsylvania.  

Michael Nicholson came from something of a royal family of athletes in the St. Catharines Black community. The Nicholsons were descended from Adam Nicholson who had come to St. Catharines in the 1850s as a Freedom Seeker. Michael’s father Hope had captained the St. Catharines Orioles and several other family members played for the team. Hope also boxed, played baseball, and spent many years as an umpire. Hope’s brother Doug, Michael’s uncle, was considered a star athlete at the Collegiate in the late 1930s and was offered an American sports scholarship. On his mother’s side, Michael’s uncle was Norman “Pinky” Lewis who worked for many years as a trainer with the McMaster Marauders and Hamilton Ti-Cats football teams. Michael himself also played football in high school.   

Members of the St. Catharines Black sports community have historically participated in more than just hockey. In 1885, a “six-day walking match” was held by the Black community at an open field between Welland Avenue and North Street. An 1891 Emancipation Day celebration at the city’s Fair Grounds included baseball, lacrosse, foot-racing, and jumping events. Two lacrosse teams are named in the poster for this event, Old Maids’ Pride and Bachelors Wonder, but we have been unable to uncover any specific information about them. 

In the mid-20^th century, the North American major sports leagues each had controversial, world-changing moments of breaking the colour barrier. As mentioned, Willie O’Ree became the first Black NHL player in 1958, but hockey was the last of the big four to follow suit. For the NFL, it was Kenny Washington in 1946. Jackie Robinson became the first Black player in the MLB the following year. And for basketball, it was Earl Lloyd, who joined the NBA in 1950. These were all very important and very visible moments of change for Black participation in sports and society in general. But it is interesting to note that on a community level in St. Catharines, this colour barrier seems to have been less ingrained.  

Company baseball teams were common in the first half of the 20^th century, and the highly industrial city of St. Catharines had plenty. A quick search of team photos available in the museum’s collection revealed two squads – the 1940 McKinnon Macs and the 1942 St. Catharines Steel Products – that had both Black and white players on the roster. School track meets were no different, with the St. Catharines Standard running several photos featuring young Black and white athletes competing alongside one another in the 1930s. One photo even shows Daisy Nicholson – another athletically gifted Nicholson and aunt to Michael – taking first prize in a relay race against white competitors. Black athletes, even in St. Catharines, almost certainly did experience unequal treatment and racism at this time, but the photos suggest that, at the very least, they were welcome to play. 

In more recent history, the Black community in St. Catharines has continued to produce remarkable athletes. Richard Duncan, who grew up in St. Catharines in the 1970s and 80s and attended the St. Catharines Collegiate, was an accomplished long jumper. He competed in the Commonwealth Games, three world championships, and two Olympic Games before retiring in 2004. Mohammed Ahmed, who also attended the Collegiate, is considered Canada’s most successful long-distance runner, having competed in two Commonwealth Games, six World Championships, and three Olympic Games, winning a silver medal in 2021. In the 2010s, St. Catharines’ Keith Makubuya played several seasons in the Canadian Soccer League along with two games for the MLS’s Toronto FC. And finally, St. Francis alumnus Abu Kigab is currently enjoying a professional basketball career in Slovakia.   

Sports are sometimes considered “The Great Equalizer”. Out on the playing field, it ostensibly does not matter where you come from, how much money you have, or what colour your skin is. All that matters is your skill and willingness to work hard for the team. And through the apparent meritocracy of sports, people can climb the ranks of society, create their own destinies, and achieve great success. Unfortunately, this idealized image of sports is easily debunked as leagues of all levels continue to struggle with various prejudices and bullying, not to mention the prohibitively high costs of equipment and facilities. Nevertheless, the history of sports in St. Catharines’ Black community seems to have been a positive one. It has been a source of community, but also an avenue to build bridges and challenge barriers. And it is a history of which we can be proud. 

Click here for Part 2.

Sean Dineley is a Public Programmer at the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre.