Family and friends are celebrating the life of the late activist Harry Gairey, who helped today’s hockey greats by fighting to open Toronto’s ‘whites only’ public skating rinks to Black residents yearning to skate.
“We don’t sell tickets to Negroes,” a young Gairey Jr., was told back in 1945 as he and his friend, Don Jubas, tried to enter the then Icelandia indoor arena on Yonge St., north of St. Clair Ave. “We don’t let them in here.”
The refusal of ice time to his young son led to Gairey’s historic fight for the opening of Toronto’s skating rinks for use by all citizens.
Gairey, who was affectionately dubbed “the Godfather of the West Indian Community” or the “Grand Old Man,” was born in Jamaica in 1894 and passed away in October 1993 at the age of 99.
He migrated to Cuba at an early age and arrived in Canada in 1910 at the age of 16. Gairey worked for several years as a porter with the Canadian Pacific Railways, and with Stanley Grizzle and others, helped organize the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, which obtained changes that would allow for Blacks to be treated and promoted fairly.
I got to know Gairey a little in the 1980s and can recall him regularly dressed in his finest visiting Contrast Newspaper where I worked as a reporter. He was always advocating for coverage of more community events or trying to help someone undergoing a hard time.
His fight for racially-friendly rinks began at the Icelandia, which was off-limits to Blacks and Jews at the time. Back then, certain beaches and restaurants in the city also banned Blacks, or in most cases they had to wait a long time for service.
That Monday morning, a frustrated Gairey went to see his alderman, who got him an appointment to address city council and Mayor Robert Saunders, a populist known as “Grassroots Bob,” who was similar to John Tory today.
Gairey told council that if Blacks cannot skate at the Icelandia, they should be exempt from fighting in the next war.
“You’re going to say he’s a Canadian and you’ll conscript him,” he warned councillors. “And if so, I would like my son to have everything that a Canadian citizen is entitled to.”
The Toronto Star heard of the plight and carried a story of 25 University of Toronto students who picketed the Icelandia carrying signs saying, “Color Prejudice Must Go” and “Racial discrimination should not be tolerated.”
By 1947, Gairey had successfully lobbied council to change its discriminatory practices based on race, creed, colour or religion in its recreation facilities. In doing so he laid the foundation for accessibility to all programmes and services.
The by-law led to the use by all citizens of Toronto’s public skating rinks which led to future and aspiring Black professional hockey players developing their skills.
National Hockey League stars like P.K. Subban, Jarome Iginla, Mike Grier, Donald Brashear, Ryan Reaves, Wayne Simmonds, Mark Fraser, Derek Joslin, Johnny Oduya and many others will not be here today if not for Gairey’s efforts.
A follower and friend of Marcus Garvey, Gairey founded the Negro Citizenship Association and went to Ottawa with other community leaders in 1954 to lobby for changes to the immigration laws, which discriminated against West Indians.
Gairey was friends and mentor to many of us in the community and was a charter member of the United Negro Improvement Association.
“Harry loved and always looked out for the youth, knowing that they are the future of our people,” said he great-grand-nephew, Michael Gairey. “We can only hope that in this day and age that some of these youth learn about veterans like Harry and pick up the reins and carry on.”
Gairey for his untiring service to the Black community was bestowed the Order of Jamaica Award, the Order of Good Citizens of Ontario Award, the Harry Jerome Award, and the Order of Canada among others.
Harry was well-liked, well-respected and his many unselfish deeds to aid others will never be forgotten by many of us in the community.
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