“And, Needless to Say, I Was Athletic, Too:” Southern Ontario Black Women and Sport (1920S – 1940S)
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 7-5-2018 2:00 PM “And, Needless to Say, I Was Athletic, Too:” Southern Ontario Black Women and Sport (1920s – 1940s) Ornella Nzindukiyimana The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Kevin Bruce Wamsley The University of Western Ontario Joint Supervisor Michael Heine The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Kinesiology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Ornella Nzindukiyimana 2018 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Canadian History Commons, Cultural History Commons, Oral History Commons, Other History Commons, Other Kinesiology Commons, Social History Commons, Women's History Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Nzindukiyimana, Ornella, "“And, Needless to Say, I Was Athletic, Too:” Southern Ontario Black Women and Sport (1920s – 1940s)" (2018). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 5462. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/5462 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT This dissertation presents a two-part study of sporting practices of Southern Ontario Black women, between the 1920s and the 1940s, aimed at developing a socio- cultural history of sport that includes narratives from marginalized groups. Given sport’s traditional position as a masculine domain, as well as Canada’s status as a patriarchal White supremacy, the accounts presented in this work centre Black women’s sport experiences through an intersectional perspective. It is argued that, by virtue of their simultaneously racialized and gendered identities, Black women had distinct sporting experiences from those of White women and men and Black men. The first study used archived oral histories of a group of Black women who lived across Southern Ontario to document a range of activities which located women in sporting spaces. These women were not just athletes, but also coaches, umpires, and spectators. Also, men and boys were influential in these practices, often introducing women to sport. Still, for many, participation in youth gave way to being in the stands in adulthood. These narratives demonstrate the influence of gender norms and racial identity on women’s sporting experiences. The second study focused on Jean Lowe, a champion Toronto track and field athlete in the late 1930s and 1940s who also played softball and basketball. The main source of evidence was the record of Lowe’s performance through two widely circulated newspapers: Toronto’s Globe and Mail and Daily Star. The media often praised Lowe, and her narrative denotes a Black woman’s ascent and integration in a White-dominated community. But, her seemingly unproblematic athletic career, as well as her qualification i as representing an image of pulchritude, stand in sharp contrast with her sustained designation as “dusky,” her frequent inclusion into discussions of the ‘Black athlete’s’ threatening rise, and her permanent departure from the city in the mid-1940s. Lowe’s story underscores the reticulation of ‘acceptance’ and Othering that historically characterized Canadian racial relations. Through both the oral histories and the media, it is found that insidious notions of race and gender remained embedded in some Black women’s sport experiences, even as sport expanded and shifted the lens through which society viewed them. KEYWORDS Black feminism, Black Canadians, Oral history, Black Women’s history, Sport history, Ontario history, Student athletes, Women of colour, racial relations ii DEDICATION To my parents, whose choices, efforts, and sacrifices allowed me to reach this step. And, to the little girl who shared her lunch with me in kindergarten because I ate mine as soon as I got to school in the morning. She was robbed of the chance to grow up, and because of her, achievement means than I can express. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Without hesitation, this has been a long (but great) journey. Many people have been instrumental in my finishing it and my thanks go to all of them. I first must thank my advisor, Dr. Kevin Wamsley, whose calm guidance were more than I could have hoped for. My best professional decision was by far to contact him a little more than four years ago to ask if he could be my advisor. Dr. Wamsley was always ready to sit down and talk about the next steps or whatever issue needed to be solved, but he was especially great at leading quietly and letting me make my own way. Thanks to him, I did not second guess myself as much as I could have. Supportive and kind, I am very grateful and proud to have him as a mentor. I am also thankful to Drs. Don Morrow, Anton Allahar, Janice Forsyth, and Marie Louise Adams for agreeing to be on my examining committee and for a record turnaround. I am honoured that they were the ones there to shake hands with at the very end of all this. Western University’s School of Kinesiology has been one of the best environment for me to work in, thanks to the faculty and staff. First, I thank Drs. Michael Heine, G. M. Ross, and Bob Barney whose advice and counsel, enthusiasm, and conversations I always appreciate. My thanks also extend to Dr. Jim Dickey and Dean Jayne Garland for their invaluable advice. I did not take it for granted! And, I thank the Kin Graduate Program staff, Jacqui Saunders, Jen Plaskett, and Lindsay Stark, for their quick assistance, time, and for a very smooth process throughout. This past four years, I had the chance to have many positive interactions with wonderful fellow Kin graduate students and North American Society for Sport History iv attendees like my friend Courtney van Waas. The fruitful exchanges I had with this group were one more element that made these four years memorable. In subtle ways, they were a source of support and motivation. And for these last couple of years I spent within the Human Kinetics department at StFX University, I thank the members of faculty for their encouragement and support. I also must thank people who played a role in my MA at the University of Ottawa and who facilitated my transition to PhD, especially Dr. Eileen O’Connor, my MA advisor. Throughout my time at Western and especially during the summer of 2016, I visited many libraries and archives across Ontario, from Chatham to Ottawa, and one in Montreal. I had access to the collections of the Chatham Kent Historical Society & Black Mecca Museum, Hamilton’s Central Public Library, Western University Archives and Research Collections Centre, the Central London Public Library Archives, the Special Collections room at the St. Catharines Public Library, the Multicultural History Society of Ontario in Toronto, the Toronto Reference Library, Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa, and the McGill University Archives. This is not to mention the archives and libraries I contacted or whose databases I browsed online. Even when I left emptier handed than I would have liked, I thank the archivists and librarians at each and every stop made my research much easier. More practically, I thank the committees responsible for awarding the North American Society for Sport History research funding, Western’s School of Kinesiology internal awards, Ontario Graduate Scholarships, the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada, and the Sport Information Resource Centre’s doctoral awards for making the path to my degree less precarious. v Finally, no less impactful in my journey were various friends and family members. It is difficult to measure the priceless power of their quiet support and patience. G., thanks for just being there, but also for the conversations, the laughter, the encouragement, and the cheering. And of course, I am incredibly grateful for the encouragement I received from the Nzindukiyimanas, who are simply irreplaceable. To Mama, chère Jeanne d’Arc, for the efforts and energy it took to bring me where I am today. To Papa, Mr. Nzindu, who always took me seriously and gave me the self- confidence to forge ahead. And, to my sisters, Olivia, Mimi, and Negrita, an endless source of inspiration, laughter, advice, and more laughter, each in her own way. Milles mercis. Mwarakoze. Thank you. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ i DEDICATION.................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... xi LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER I ...................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 1. Research Purpose ...................................................................................................