Kwame Mason /// Diverse Representation in the game of Hockey /// Season5:E114

Cheering crowds, blinding lights, and electric energies that run through arenas create an insatiable love for the game amongst all sports fans. This type of love is what our guest, Kwame Mason, holds for the game of Hockey. Kwame found this love, not only through playing the sport, but in researching the unfamiliar history of talented black athletes in the game of hockey. 

 

His curious nature to learn more inspired the creation of his own documentary film, Soul On Ice: Past, Present & Future. He reveals the unfair past and lack of diversity in the hockey community regarding black athletes. This documentary creates a hope that one-day hockey can become a sport popularized among minorities just as basketball, football and baseball have been. His goal in spreading this insatiable love for hockey, and paying homage to those black hockey players, generate an episode full of engaging and passionate conversations 

 

"It’s a movement not a moment" -  Kwame Mason 
 

Kwame Damon Mason has been working in the Canadian entertainment industry since 1996. Kwame got his name out there thanks to popular radio stations like KISS 92.5 in Toronto where he hosted a 2 hour hip hop and R&B mix show Da Vibe and in 2001 Kwame became the weekend announcer on Toronto’s first urban radio station FLOW 93.5. He has used his experience and expertise to help launch countless radio stations across Canada. 

Kwame recently completed his first feature documentary film Soul On Ice: Past, Present & Future, a documentary about the history and contribution of black athletes in hockey. The film won best picture at the 2015 Edmonton International Film Festival and recently had its American television debut on the NHL Network.  

No stranger to hard work and perseverance, Kwame sacrificed everything he had to make his debut film, including selling his home and moving back from Alberta to Ontario. The time had come to invest in himself and pursue one of his biggest dreams.  

Kwame hopes to continue to create culturally vital documentary projects, showcasing diversity, history and the untold stories of those who need to be heard. 

 

Topics we discuss: 

• How he got into hockey 
  • Introducing His Son to Hockey 
• Barriers in hockey 
  • Lack of diversity amongst hockey players  
  • Hard to find multicultural group that skates  
• His Documentary 
  • The Negro Hockey League in the 1800s 
  • What he wants it to accomplish 
• Prejudice in hockey 
• What he's doing in hockey 
  • aside from still promoting the hockey film he's shooting content for the NHL  
  • normalizing black voices and faces in hockey  
  • podcast talking hockey from that perspective 
  • continuing to spread the movement not a moment and help plant the seed.  

 

References: 

• Soul on Ice  
• Black - White Wealth Gap 
• Prejudice Definition 
• Bigotry Definition 
• Racism Definition 
• Connor McDavid 
• P.K. Subban  
• Soul on Ice Podcast 
• Give a Gift Pod  

 

Credits: 

 

Lead editor + Producer: Ruf Holmes 

 

Music: 

Main Theme: "Eaze Does It" by Shye Eaze and DJ Rufbeats, a More In Common Podcast Exclusive. 

Guest theme:  "Black Skates" by DJ Rufbeats created as a More In Common Podcast Exclusive.