A History of BGHC
“I had never seen two black women at a hockey game before. So I made it my mission this year to make that happen.
- Renee Hess, December 2018 -
Original Black Girl Hockey Club logo
First Tweet: July 31, 2018
Dec. 14, 2018: ‘Capitals Welcome Black Girl Hockey Club for Inaugural Outing’
“The Black Girl Hockey Club's inaugural outing turned out to be bigger than founder Renee Hess dreamed.
What began a few months ago as a callout on social media for other black female hockey fans turned into a gathering of more than 40 attending the Washington Capitals' 4-3 shootout win against the Buffalo Sabres at Capital One Arena on Saturday. Hess, 39, traveled from Riverside, California to be with a group that ranged in age from 6 to 91. Several were hockey moms who brought their hockey-playing sons and daughters.
"I personally, living in California, have never seen two black women at a hockey game besides me and my daughter," said Hess, an associate professor of English at La Sierra University in Riverside and a freelance pop culture writer. "I kind of just put out a call out there saying, 'Any black girl hockey fans out there? Let's make a group chat.' And we started there and then I said, 'Let's meet up. Let's go to a game together. That would be so much fun.'"
READ MORE VIA NHL.COM >
Feb. 3, 2019: ‘The Black Girl Hockey Club road show continues with N.Y. Rangers visit’
“It’s really just fun to see women who look like me, especially women who are older than me, who like hockey. I’ve not seen that,” said Fatou Bah, an events/marketing/social media entrepreneur and die-hard Washington Capitals fan, who attended the weekend’s festivities…
The group also did a walk-through of the American Legacy Black Hockey History Tour – a 525 square-foot mobile museum that will tour six U.S. cities as part of the league’s and the National Hockey League Players’ Association’s celebration of Black History Month…
The women also spoke with Anson Carter, the hockey analyst for New York’s MSG Network, NBC Sports Network, and veteran of 674 NHL games.
“We’re trying to diversify our fan base, right? And it’s not just with men, it’s women, too.” Carter said. “To see the Black Girl Hockey Club coming and the momentum that they’re getting, it’s getting parents to see other black women that are down with hockey, too. It’s all about the parents, as far as I’m concerned. If you can get the parents convinced and hooked, then the kids are going to play.””
Feb. 16, 2020: ‘Black Girl Hockey Club bolsters fan inclusivity’ (NBC Sports)
At the beginning of the 2018 NHL season, Renee Hess founded the Black Girl Hockey Club to create a comfortable atmosphere for black women to watch hockey games together.
Hess became interested in hockey years ago after running into a crowd of excited Penguins fans while she was working in Pittsburgh. The first game left Hess hooked, but she noticed that there weren’t a lot of people like her in the stands.
READ MORE & WATCH VIDEO VIA NBC SPORTS >
Aug. 11, 2020: First Scholarship Awarded
Sept. 17, 2020: New York Times Article
“Hess said her initial idea for the B.G.H.C was merely to create a support network for women of color who are hockey fans.
“Now,” she said, “it’s more than just a fan club. We’ve been able to have an impact on the hockey community because we’ve learned we’re stronger together. We’re trying to gather enough voices so we can be loud enough to be heard, and focus on initiatives to advance social change.”
Floyd’s death and the police shooting of Blake have intensified B.G.H.C.’s activism. Hess said the B.G.H.C. will announce specific initiatives in the coming weeks to address hiring disparities and financial barriers that inhibit diversity in hockey.
“More important” she said, “we want to make sure that those who are feeling marginalized know that at least there’s this space for us.””
READ MORE VIA THE NEW YORK TIMES >
Sept. 23, 2020: Black Girl Hockey Club Launches the ‘Get Uncomfortable’ Pledge to Disrupt Racism in Hockey
“The Black Girl Hockey Club is bringing together BIPOC players, fans, media members, executives, sponsors, allies and other stakeholders to explore the necessary steps the sport must take to disrupt racism on and off the ice and make hockey welcoming for EVERYONE.
The Get Uncomfortable Campaign is developing a comprehensive set of recommendations on how all entities involved in hockey, at all levels, can meaningfully contribute to the movement against discrimination and oppression of BIPOC communities in society.
We welcome collaboration with any interested stakeholder and strongly invite allies to join us, as we cannot continue to bear the burden of disrupting racism alone. However, this Campaign is committed to centering Black women, women of color, BIPOC communities, and all others who are impacted by prejudice and injustice both inside and outside of hockey.
Undoubtedly these conversations are difficult, as they can challenge one’s perspectives and approach to our roles in hockey and society at large. But progress is rarely easy, and often requires being open minded and vulnerable, and making a genuine commitment to improve one’s impact on others. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that ALL members of our community can truly enjoy hockey – the greatest sport in the world. To get there, though, we may need you to Get Uncomfortable.”
READ MORE VIA BARDOWN >
Black women are tired. We don't want to carry the burden of racism on our own any longer. In life, in sport, in our neighborhoods and in our country. #GetUncomfortable and sign the pledge. https://t.co/Y4BVXigjcU
— Black Girl Hockey Club (@BlackGirlHockey) September 23, 2020
October 2020: Fall Scholarship Recipients
February 2021: Winter Scholarship Recipients
June 16, 2021: Renee Hess Named Finalist for NHL’s Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award
“The National Hockey League (NHL) announced Renee Hess (founder of the Black Girl Hockey Club), Kevin Hodgson (executive director of HEROS), and Howard Smith (co-founder of Pittsburgh I.C.E.) have been named the three finalists for the 2020-21 Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award presented by MassMutual, which is given to an individual who - through the sport of hockey - has positively impacted their community, culture or society.”
READ MORE VIA NHL >
Nov. 11, 2022: ‘Bauer Hockey Commits $100,000 To Black Girl Hockey Club’s Equipment Grant’
“Hockey equipment company Bauer will commit $100,000 over the next four years to the Black Girl Hockey Club’s new equipment grant. These grants will help fully equip hockey players identified through BGHC’s scholarship program…
“The impact that the Bauer equipment grant will have on Black girl hockey players allows BGHC to build an even stronger presence and celebrate Black girl hockey excellence developing across North America. I'm looking forward to helping grow our BGHC community as we develop new programming, different partnerships, and an even stronger commitment to the local players," said R. Renee Hess, founder of Black Girl Hockey Club and BGHC Canada board member.
Bauer first announced their $100,000 commitment to BGHC in March as a way to honor Dayton O’Donoghue’s barn story.
“We are proud to expand our partnership with Black Girl Hockey Club and extend our reach into Canada through our scholarship program,” said Mary-Kay Messier, VP of Global Marketing for Bauer Hockey.”
READ MORE VIA FORBES >
Nov. 12, 2022: Black Girl Hockey Club Canada Launch
“Over the weekend, Tinker presided over the official launch of Black Girl Hockey Club Canada at an event in Toronto that saw a number of BIPOC kids take to the ice for a leisurely skate. Even better, the event and the new charity have the support of Canadian Tire's Jumpstart program right off the hop.
"We see hockey as Canada's national sport and we want to promote the game to our BIPOC communities," Tinker said. "We want to build a safe space for them and I'm super-excited to partner with Jumpstart because we can implement so many programs due to their great access and what they have going on. Their support for BGHC has been unwavering since the very beginning and we're excited to move forward with them."
BGHC was founded by Renee Hess in the United States back in 2018 and has quickly drawn the admiration of many in the hockey community for its grassroots efforts. Tinker is the founder and executive director of BGHC Canada and Hess has been key as co-founder.
"It's been imperative," Tinker said. "With myself, I devote all my time outside of playing with the Toronto Six to BGHC and with Renee's help – and now being my business partner in this – it's been incredible. We have a blueprint, we knew what we wanted to do in Canada and we were able to implement that. It's been super-helpful having that leadership come from Renee."“
READ MORE VIA THE HOCKEY NEWS >
February 2023: Winter Scholarship Recipients
June 2023: Summer Scholarship Recipients
February 2024: Winter Scholarship Recipients
October 8, 2024: ‘Blackness Is a Gift I Can Give Her’ Book Release
From the founder of Black Girl Hockey Club, a collection of deeply insightful and piercing essays shedding light on the history of Black excellence in hockey, the future of Black joy within the sport, and the ways we can all do better when it comes to recognizing—and upheaving—systemic and institutionalized racism.
In this collection, Hess shares her hockey origin story and how she came to recognize hockey culture’s lack of authentic engagement with Black communities, tracing her journey to becoming a true game changer. But, as an academic, Hess knows that her singular viewpoint can’t tell the full story, so she reached out to former hockey players, league executives, activists, fans, media, and to the parents and youth shaping the future of the game. We hear directly from players such as Sarah Nurse and Saroya Tinker; from trailblazers like Bernice Carnegie and Kim Davis; and from the collective of Black Girl Hockey Club scholarship awardees and their families, emphasizing the importance of community and support for marginalized players. The result is a hockey book truly unlike any other.
READ MORE VIA PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE >
