TOMMIE SMITH & JOHN CARLOS 
Smith: “We had to be seen because we couldn’t be heard."
Carlos: “I wanted to do something so powerful that it would reach the ends of the earth, and yet still be nonviolent.”
At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, Tommie Smith and John Carlos won the gold medal and bronze medal in the 200-meter sprint final, respectively, but it was the statement the two Americans made afterwards that rocked the world. As Smith and Carlos walked to the podium, they took off their shoes to protest poverty. They wore beads and a scarf to protest lynchings. And when the national anthem was played, they lowered their heads in defiance and raised their fists in a Black Power salute that sought to bring attention to racial injustices in the United States.
ANGELA JAMES
“It was never about colour, race, gender or anything like that, it’s about being a human being.”
James was considered the Wayne Gretzky of women’s hockey throughout her career. She was one of the first of two women inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010, and only the second Black player in the Hall's history. Retiring before Women's Ice Hockey was approved as an Olympic sport in 1998, James was a member and captain of Canada’s women’s gold medal world championship teams in 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1997. She was also one of the first three women inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008.
DONOVAN BAILEY
“Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don’t let anyone limit your dreams.”
Bailey was considered at one point the fastest man in the world, breaking the Olympic world record in the 100 meter dash in 1996. He won a gold medal in both the 100 meter dash and 4 x 100 meter relay at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. The sprinter was inducted to the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004.
BARBARA HOWARD
“Barbara Howard was literally a trailblazer. There was a lot of racial intolerance, and the takeaway is that these people persevered and became trailblazers to make our country better.” – Tami Gabay, Author of Diversity in Canadian history.
Howard was the first Black female athlete to represent Canada in international competition. She won a silver in the 440 yard dash and a bronze in the 600 yard relay event at the 1938 British Empire Games. After her athletic career, she was the first visible minority hired as a teacher in the Vancouver School Board.
WILLIE O’REE
“One thing I learned from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is he said, ‘Don’t judge a person by the colour of their skin, but the content of their character.’ And there’s a lot of truth to that.”
O'Ree was the first Black athlete to play in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins in 1958. He’s referred to as the ‘Jackie Robinson of ice hockey’ for breaking the Black colour barrier in the sport. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.
SYLVIA SWEENEY
“You have to build bridges to understanding. Most people are not intrinsically racist, they are ignorant of the other, so that’s where education comes in.”
Sweeney was one of the first Black women to play on the Canadian national team, while being the captain of the 1976 & 1984 Olympic teams. She was inducted into the Canada Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994 and in the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1996.
JACKIE ROBINSON
“I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”
Robinson was a trailblazer when he became the first Black athlete to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1947. During his 10 seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers he batted .311, while recording 137 homeruns, 734 RBIs and 197 stolen bases. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
SERENA WILLIAMS
“The day I stop fighting for equality and for people that look like you and me will be the day I’m in my grave.”
Williams is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. She currently has 23 Gram Slam Single titles on her resume, which is the most by any player in the Open Era. She has also claimed 14 Gram Slam Doubles titles and a pair of Grand Slam Mixed Double titles.
MUHAMMAD ALI
“Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
Ali is one of the greatest American professional boxers of all-time. He was also widely known for being a champion for social justice and a civil rights activist. He was one of only three boxers to be named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, and was awarded the Presidential medal of Freedom in 2005.
WILMA RUDOLPH
“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.”
Rudolph was the first American woman to ever win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games. She won the 100 meter, 200 meter and 4 x 100 relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
JIM BROWN
“The power is between your ears. The power is in your heart.”
Brown is considered one of the greatest running backs and players in NFL history. In his career, he carried the ball 2,359 times for 12,312 rushing yards and 106 touchdowns, which were all records when he retired in 1965. The running back helped the Browns win the franchise's last NFL Championship in 1964, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. After retiring from football, he founded the Amer-I-Can Program, a national program that is focused on empowering individuals to “take charge of their lives and achieve their full potential.”
EARL LLOYD
“My parents taught me one thing to fit every situation, and that’s to never ever dignify ignorance.”
Lloyd was the first Black athlete to play a game in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He led the Syracuse Nationals to the 1955 NBA Championship and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.