November 8, 2017 by Simon Pollock in Livewire, News with 0 comments
Longtime Toronto ultimate player Hadiya Roderique published her essay “Black On Bay Street” in national newspaper The Globe And Mail this week. It’s a compelling and thoughtful examination of her identity as a first generation black Canadian (the daughter of working class immigrants), her law career in one of Canada’s more prestigious legal communities, and her dedication to ultimate. The essay is an 8,000-word deep dive into Roderique’s perspective on otherness, on what it means to belong, and how people choose to surround themselves.
Though her personal history and insight goes far beyond ultimate, the sport (which enjoys a vibrant and longstanding community in Toronto) makes key appearances as a pivot point in Roderique’s story, like facing an angry partner after a difficult weekend at 2011 Canadian Ultimate Frisbee Championships, just a few years into her career:
“I don’t think that the stern partner ever considered the possibility that given the choice between law and ultimate, I would choose the latter,” writes Roderique. The moment is a blip on her long career, spanning her captainship at McGill University, a long run with Capitals, and years competing with numerous other Canadian teams.
There’s much to consider in this well-written personal essay, well worth a lunch break or part of an afternoon.
Read all of “Black On Bay Street” via The Globe And Mail.
