Beyond Sport: The Significance of Black History Month to Kodiaks Athletes

Black History Month in February holds a special place for three Black members of the diverse Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks Athletics community.

Wayne Bauluck (first year, Criminal Justice – Policing, Moose Jaw, Sask.), Kohlbe Anderson (second year, Business Administration, Claymont, Delaware) and Ta’merra Hart (second year, Multimedia Production, Hanna, Alta.) come from different parts of the world but are united in their belief of the importance of Black History Month.

“I was born in Mauritius, a little island off the coast of Madagascar, and we flew over here when my dad got a job offer,” said Bauluck. “We lived in Humboldt (Sask.) for close to a year, then Moose Jaw.”

“Mauritius was a slave trading port with a lot of boats where slaves were traded and shipped off, so that was part of my history,” Bauluck added. “Black History Month means to me, as an athlete, it’s representing more than just myself. It shows you can’t keep us down and we can be a lot more than what we were in the past.”

Bauluck, who competes in the 60- and 300-metre sprints as well as relays for the Kodiaks indoor track team, said he had little doubts about moving from Moose Jaw to Lethbridge.

“This was something new for me and my family and I’d be the first in my family to compete in college sports. I wanted to make my family proud. It’s been everything and more than I expected with my teammates. I couldn’t ask for anything better, I’ve made a lot of friends.”

When it comes to Black athletes he looks up to, Bauluck focuses on speed, and lots of it.

“Lewis Hamilton, I look up to him, and Usain Bolt for obvious reasons. Hamilton is the first black Formula 1 driver. He’s made his struggles known and in some ways I can somewhat relate to it. It’s nice having someone like that speak out for it. And Usain Bolt, obviously, with his achievements, I would like to get there someday. That’s the dream.”

Bauluck also looks to another athlete as a famous leader in Muhammad Ali.

“He was a pioneering athlete who showed the world.”

Bauluck has been impressed with the events presented by Lethbridge Polytechnic to recognize Black History Month.

“The Black demographic in Moose Jaw isn’t as big as Lethbridge, it was much smaller, but for me and my family it was back home (in Mauritius) where they celebrated National Slave Abolition Day. It was big for us because it meant a lot of our history.

“Here (at Lethbridge Polytechnic), it’s a lot different, the events taking place here, the music, the food, it’s really celebrated here which is nice to see.”

While Bauluck came from halfway around the world to eventually end up in Lethbridge, Ta’merra Hart came here from Hanna, a town with very few Black people.

“I was adopted when I was a baby and we used to live in Utah and when I was three we moved to Canada, that’s how I ended up in Hanna,” said Hart. “The people in Hanna are very nice and very accepting. I never felt like I didn’t belong.”

Hart was set to attend Lethbridge College in 2019 but her plans were derailed by COVID. After four years of working, she headed south as her sister lives in Lethbridge which made the move that much easier.

It’s a move Hart doesn’t regret as she feels right at home at Lethbridge Polytechnic.

“There’s definitely a lot more Black representation here. When I first moved here it was weird seeing a lot of other Black people because I wasn’t used to it. It’s nice to have some very interesting conversations with other people, so it’s been really good.”

“They do a very good job of celebrating Black History Month here,” added Hart, whose indoor track events include the 60-, 200- and 300-metre sprints and relays. “It’s not just like Black Lives Matter, they do everything. They try to make it more known and to educate new students. I kind of like that there’s a big diversity here and everyone fits in in their own way.”

Like Bauluck, Hart looks up to sprinters.

“I’ve always been inspired by Usain Bolt. I wanted to be like him when I was younger, but that’s easier said than done,” laughed Hart. “There’s also Sha’Carri Richardson, a sprinter. I do look up to her a lot. She did struggle a lot at one time and she came back up from that and she’s worked really hard.”

Hart said a leader she looks up to is actually an actor, the late Chadwick Boseman.

“I felt he was a leader through his acting, doing Black representation films. His earlier films had a really big impact on me. He helped people understand the raw emotions because it’s not always bright, there’s the dark parts, too, and he showed those in a realistic way.

“I like being straightforward and understanding the good and the bad. It’s history, we’re all humans and not everything is consistent and perfect and that’s what Chadwick showed.”

Meanwhile, Black History Month is very big in Delaware, where Kohlbe Anderson hails from.

“The city where I grew up is pretty diverse and predominantly Black. In school Black History Month was always a big thing, you always learned about it and it was always on TV,” said Anderson, who ended up in Lethbridge after meeting Kodiaks assistant coach Matthew Primrose while playing semi-professional volleyball in Philadelphia. “I don’t know about other states but in our state it was pretty push-forward to learn about it, to educate people.

“Black History Month is like a learning experience and a time to educate others, too, and an important time to remember how far we’ve come as a people, looking at our origins and the trials and tribulations my ancestors had to go through, especially in America.”

Anderson has looked back at his ancestry over five generations in America and through that research he came up with an amazing discovery.

“I haven’t looked back to any African or Caribbean origins, but I do know I do have some Indigenous in me that goes back five generations, and it’s actually Blackfoot. When I found out last year that this area was Blackfoot, that’s the only real part of my ancestry that I actually know about.”

Anderson has a special spot for athletes who have broken barriers in difficult times.

“Jackie Robinson, for sure, he’s one that I definitely admire,” said Anderson, who is a key player in the success of the Kodiaks men’s volleyball team this season with 88 kills and a team-leading 40 blocks. “A lot of the first Black athletes I admire because they were put in a really hard situation where they had to dominate. They didn’t have any excuses, and they had to show up every day. You also had to have a thick skin as people were giving you trash talk and racist remarks. Jackie Robinson had to deal with it, the same as another great, Jesse Owens.”

Anderson derives inspiration from several leaders.

“I admire Malcolm X and his teachings, his books and philosophies, as well as Nelson Mandela, of course, and more recently Barack Obama.”

Anderson said he’s enjoyed the events offered by Lethbridge Polytechnic during Black History Month.

“I’m very happy with the way they celebrate it here with the opportunities they offer. It’s like two sides of a coin where it’s good to celebrate how far we’ve come but it’s also good to know there’s more to learn.”

Black History Month in Canada was officially recognized by the House of Commons in December 1995, which carried the motion anonymously. Canada’s Senate followed in February 2008 when Senator Donald Oliver, the first Black man appointed to the Senate, introduced the Motion to Recognize the Contributions of Black Canadians and February as Black History Month, which received unanimous approval.