It shouldn't take this long to make progress.
On Tuesday morning, a day after the country was rattled by two mass shooting events, the San Jose Sharks once again tried to lighten the mood with some positive news.
The Sharks have a new general manager. He is the first black person to hold that position in the NHL. San Jose teased the announcement on social media a day earlier with a message, "What's everyone doing tomorrow at 11 a.m.?" If we could introduce someone to you all, we would. We'll have a live stream when you check back. It's time to sleep, besties!
I am here to let you know why this isn't a celebration you might think it is. It is a slap in the face to every black fan and black player in the NHL.
The NHL has finally hired a black person to be a general manager, 20 years after the NFL did it. The NBA and MLB did it in the 70s.
He played in the league for 14 seasons and retired in 2011. Chris Grier was the first black GM of the Miami Dolphins.
We don't discuss how much of a weight it is to carry. Being the first to cross that threshold is a great pride as there is great pride in making history. Many overlook and fail to understand that you are not the only one crossing that line, as you have now become the barometer for those that will hopefully follow you. Being the only one in the room is a great value. When you are in the room, you realize that you have to speak for everyone in the room, even if you don't agree with them.
It will be like this more often than not. He will be doing it for a team that made an embarrassment of itself last summer. The Sharks tried to hijack Juneteenth from African-Americans last year when a white team, in a white sport, in a white city, thought it was a good idea to release an image of their mascot biting the chains around a black person.
This is the first Black general manager in the history of the National Hockey League who will be working for both the league and the team.
Hockey's fan base and the league will look at this moment as some type of revolutionary change. Progress can be a strange thing. It takes a long time when you are a minority. It feels as if it is happening faster than it actually is if you are the majority.
While the team and league pat themselves on the back, I want to remind them that Mike Grier isn't the first "Mike" Many Black men were overlooked for the position because they were over qualified. It is more than likely that it set the league back further than it could have been, so there is not much to celebrate.
They will be the second or third black person to be a GM in the NHL eventually. He will be thanked for being the first at every press conference. They will think about why it took so long as they do it.
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