The Montreal Canadiens will wear a special jersey designed by an artist of Haitian origin to celebrate Black History Month on Tuesday.
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The team’s players will wear the new jerseys as they warm up before the game at Bell Center against the Chicago Blackhawks.
“Black History Month is a great opportunity for our organization to reaffirm our commitment to building an inclusive, safe and welcoming hockey community free from any form of racism or discrimination. This month and throughout the year, we are excited to support organizations that serve Montreal’s black communities and work to reduce inequalities in our society,” said a press release from the club’s vice president of community engagement, Geneviève Paquette.
Artist Franco Égalité was commissioned by CH to design these black uniforms. There the Canadian’s logo appears full of flowers and silhouettes of black people. The hibiscus, Haiti’s symbolic flower, is introduced. Players’ names and numbers are written in yellow, with subtle touches of blue and red, reminiscent of the colors and embroidery of West Indian art.
“This layout also allows Franco Égalité to pay tribute to the role hockey played in building his identity as a first-generation Canadian and Haitian growing up in Montreal,” he said.
The vests will then be signed and auctioned off. The profits are donated to the Pour 3 Points and La Maison d’Haïti foundations. The first is an organization focused on “the positive impact of sports coaches on young people from disadvantaged backgrounds”, while the second works in the Saint-Michel neighborhood of Montreal, helping in particular with the integration and training of newcomers.