home
Sat, Oct. 12 | 7PM
Live on
AHL TV 
The Chicago Wolves’ mission in the community is to be a megaphone for compassion and positivity, to acknowledge and honor our local heroes and trailblazers, to raise the level of knowledge regarding the issues of race, diversity and inclusion and to do our best to create opportunities for cross-cultural dialogue.
Player Activist: Scooter Vaughan
Born and raised in California, Vaughan moved to the Midwest during high school in search of the best combination of education and junior hockey. He spent four years playing at the University of Michigan, where he earned a degree in Psychology. During his seven-year professional career – which featured three seasons with the Wolves – Vaughan launched businesses in a variety of fields. Those business pursuits continue to be his focus.
Best Book: “Between The World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Best Movie: “Finding Forrester”
Best Documentary: “I Am Not Your Negro”
Best person to follow on Instagram: @thefakepan
Charity I recommend: Kids for Camps
First time I dealt with prejudice: There has not been a year that I’ve played hockey and not experienced racism. 90% of it was from my own teammates and coaches.
What I want folks to know: If you avoid conflict to keep the peace, you start a war inside of yourself.
Player Activist: Brandon Pirri
Born in Toronto, Pirri attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for one year before launching his professional career in the Chicago Blackhawks organization. He joined the Wolves prior to the 2017-18 season and helped the team win two division titles and the 2019 Western Conference championship.
Best Book: “All Are Welcome” by Alexandra Penfold
Best Movie: “Remember The Titans”
Best Documentary: “13th”
Best person to follow on Instagram/Twitter: @ACLU
Charity I recommend: ACLU
What I want folks to know: Empathy. “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
Player Activist: Keegan Kolesar
Drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2015, this affable Winnipeg native was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights organization in 2017. That enabled him to spend most of the last three seasons with the Chicago Wolves, where he developed into a physical forward known for big goals and big hits.
Best Book: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
Best Movie: “American History X”
Best Person to follow on Instagram/Twitter: LeBron James (@kingjames)
First time I dealt with prejudice: I was at a hockey camp and a white kid called me the N word on the ice and I didn’t know what it meant at the time. Until I asked my dad and he explained everything to me then and there.
What I want folks to know: Don’t be afraid to have those awkward conversations with your family and friends. Bring light to these issues and become more educated and involved with these issues in your community.
Player Activist: Oscar Dansk
Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Dansk moved to Minnesota at the age of 13 to further his education and goaltending skills at Shattuck-St. Mary’s. After several years of junior and professional hockey in America and Sweden, Dansk joined the Wolves in 2017. He was the Wolves’ workhorse in goal when the team reached the 2019 Calder Cup Finals.
Best Book: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
Best Movie: “12 Years A Slave” or the TV series “Roots”
Best Person to follow on Instagram/Twitter: I like following LeBron James and The Rock. They are very influential and good symbols for both athletes and social equality.
What I want folks to know: I think it’s great that the Hockey Diversity Alliance was created to give everybody within the hockey community a symbol and leaders to “rally” around and keep this conversation going. My thought is that these strong leaders in the hockey community and every other social circle do a great job of raising this important topic.
For me, as a white male, I listen and read about their stories because I haven’t been exposed to racism. My parents raised my brothers and I well in what’s right and wrong. We are all part of this world together and love conquers all. I believe that spreading that love is bigger now than ever. As well as keeping the conversation going and educating constantly for us now and the next generations to come.
Player Activist: Curtis McKenzie
After attending Miami University in Ohio for four years, this British Columbia native launched a long professional career in the Dallas Stars organization. He joined the Wolves in 2018 and helped lead the team to the 2019 Calder Cup Finals — his third Finals appearance.
Best Book: “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson
Best Movie: “42”
Best Documentary: “13th”
Player Activist: Vince Dunn
This Ontario native made his professional hockey debut with the Chicago Wolves in 2016 at the age of 19. He needed just one full season with the Wolves to advance to the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, where he helped earn the Stanley Cup in 2019.
Best Book: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
Best Movie: “Shawshank Redemption”
Best Documentary: “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst”
Best Follow on Instagram/Twitter: Travis Scott @travisscott and @trvisXX
Charity I recommend: Smilezone Foundation
Player Activist: Jermaine Loewen
Loewen’s road from Jamaica to professional hockey is little short of amazing. When he was one, his birth parents gave him up in order for him to find a better life. Eventually, Stan and Tara Loewen visited him in a Jamaican children’s home, adopted him at the age of five and took him home to Manitoba. Jermaine didn’t start playing organized hockey until he was 11, but improved rapidly and in 2018 became the first Jamaican-born player to be selected in the NHL Draft. He joined the Wolves for the 2019-20 season and scored his first AHL goal in front of family and friends in Manitoba.
Documentary: “13th”
Best person to follow Twitter/Instagram: Malala Yousafzai @malala
Charity I recommend: Advancement Project
First time I dealt with prejudice: Happened at a hockey tournament when I was a young kid. It was a lot to take in, but knowing what you stand for — and the people who are close to me — helped me through the difficult time.
What I want folks to know: It’s in all of us to help stop social inequality by educating ourselves first, so we can help others out and they don’t have to go through that pain. It’s a long process, but being aware what’s going on will help move things into a positive place for the future.
Player Activist: Jordan Schmaltz
Schmaltz grew up in Wisconsin and attended the University of North Dakota for three years. Drafted in the first round by the St. Louis Blues in 2012, Schmaltz started his professional career with the Wolves in 2015.
Best Book: “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by Robin DiAngelo
Best Movies: “Remember The Titans” and “Just Mercy”
Best documentary: “13th”
Best people and organizations to follow on Twitter: Steve Kerr, Hockey Diversity Alliance, LeBron James, Mark Cuban.
Charity I recommend: Time to Dream Foundation
Player Activist: Jordan Binnington
Before he backstopped the St. Louis Blues to the 2019 Stanley Cup championship, this suburban Toronto native honed his trade during three full seasons with the Wolves from 2014-17.
Best Movie: “Crash”
Best Documentary: “13th”
Best person to follow on Instagram/Twitter: Kurtis Gabriel @kurtisgabriel_ or @kurtisgabriel
Charity I recommend: 360 Kids
Player Activist: Mackenzie MacEachern
Born in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, MacEachern attended Michigan State University for three years before launching his professional career with the Wolves in 2016. He spent two years with the team and helped win two division titles before making his NHL debut with the St. Louis Blues in 2019.
Best Book: “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo
Best Movie: “12 Years A Slave”
Best Documentary: “The House I Live In”
Best Instagram follow: @goodhumansonly
Player Activist: Brett Sterling
Sterling grew up in California and graduated from Colorado College before starting his professional career with the Wolves in 2006. After playing professionally for 12 years, Sterling retired in 2018 as the No. 2 goal-scorer in Wolves history. He and his family live in Chicago.
Best Book: “How To Be An Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi
Best Movie: “Get Out”
Best Documentary: “13th”
Best person to follow on Instagram/Twitter: @msfoundation
Charity I recommend: Southern Poverty Law Center
What I want folks to know: It is time to treat all people as equals regardless of race, religion, gender or orientation. Regardless of whether we have personally dealt with racism or prejudice, we need to try to empathize and join the fight with others for equality.
Player Activist: Crisoval “Boo” Nieves
Nieves was born in Baldwinsville, New York, and spent his youth pursuing education and hockey at the highest levels. After attending the Kent School in Connecticut, he moved to the University of Michigan and graduated with a degree in Music. Nieves played four years at Michigan before making his NHL debut with the New York Rangers on Nov. 15, 2016.
Best Movie: “Remember The Titans”
Best Documentary: “Breaking the Huddle: The Integration of College Football”
Best follow on Twitter/Instagram: @LewisHamilton
Charity I recommend: Ice Hockey in Harlem
First time I dealt with prejudice: Told to “Go back to Africa” playing in Massachusetts summer hockey by a player from Fairfield, Connecticut.
SUGGESTED CHARITIES
Equity and Transformation (EAT)
Founded and established for and by post-incarcerated and marginalized Black people in Chicago, Equity And Transformation (EAT) strives to uplift the faces, voices and power of the vast disenfranchised and excluded Black workforce in Chicago. We organize with individuals who operate outside of the formal economy.
Visit Website
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
The ACLU of Illinois has been the principal protector of constitutional rights in the state since its founding in 1926. It is comprised of two organizations: the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation. The ACLU of Illinois (ACLU), and its affiliated Roger Baldwin Foundation (RBF), are non-partisan, non-profit organizations dedicated to protecting the liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, the state Constitution, and state/federal human rights laws. The ACLU accomplishes its goals through litigating, lobbying and educating the public on a broad array of civil liberties issues.
Visit Website
Assata’s Daughters
Assata's Daughters ("AD") is a Black woman-led, young person-directed organization rooted in the Black radical tradition. AD organizes young Black people in Chicago by providing them with political education, leadership development, mentorship, and revolutionary services.
Visit Website
Black Girls Hockey Club
The mission of Black Girl Hockey Club is to inspire and sustain passion for the game of hockey within the Black community, specifically with our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends. To prevent exclusion in hockey based on race, gender, sexuality or ability in the face of institutional racism, financial gatekeeping and program access, the Black Girl Hockey Club provides education, scholarship opportunities and community spaces that will give Black women access to hockey.
Visit Website
Black Owned Chicago
Black Owned Chicago was created in 2016 to be a resource for citizens of Chicago and tourists who desire to support Black-owned businesses within the Chicago city limits. Since then BOC has evolved to being the No. 1 resource for all of your black-owned Chicago needs by creating original content that highlight Black establishments and movements, creating a digital space for consumers to rate businesses, and producing events that entertain, educate, and encourage people to consistently buy Black.
Visit Website
Black Visions Collective
Black Visions Collective (BLVC) believes in a future where all Black people have autonomy, safety is community-led, and we are in the right relationship within our ecosystems. Since 2017, Black Visions Collective has been putting into practice the lessons learned from organizations before us in order to shape a political home for Black people across Minnesota.
Visit Website
Block Club Chicago
Block Club Chicago is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, nonpartisan and essential coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods.
Visit Website
Campaign Zero
Campaign Zero encourages policymakers to focus on solutions with the strongest evidence of effectiveness at reducing police violence. Campaign Zero provides a comprehensive package of urgent policy solutions — informed by data, research and human rights principles — to change the way police serve our communities.
Visit Website
Chicago Hockey Initiative (CHI)
The Chicago Hockey Initiative endeavors to support youth health and education initiatives in Chicagoland through direct volunteerism, events fundraising, and community outreach. The Chicago Hockey Initiative was founded in 2011 and granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in 2014. The CHI Board of Directors is a working board staffed solely by volunteers who want to give back to the game that has given so much to them. The CHI is supported by private donations, corporate partnerships, and foundation grants. 100% of proceeds are invested in non-profit programming.
Visit Website
Chicago Youth Foundation
CHICAGO YOUTH FOUNDATION (501c3) is a minority and women-driven initiative that brings the joy of ice sports to Chicago area youth who would not otherwise gain this experience, improving their social and academic well-being and empowering them to find success through sportsmanship and teamwork. We are the proud home of Learn-To-Skate Chicago, Chicago Loop Figure Skating, Hockey On Your Block and After-The-Bell education enrichment programs.
Visit Website
Greater Englewood Chamber
Greater Englewood will become a vibrant commercial and retail area within the city of Chicago. This will happen through ongoing support and collaboration between the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce and the businesses within Greater Englewood.
Visit Website
Hockey On Your Block
We are a women-led initiative that introduces the game of hockey to Chicago youth. Promoting inclusion and fun! We focus on providing access to ice arenas in low-income neighborhoods, developing the next generation of athletes and fans.
Visit Website
Kids For Camps
Kids For Camps is about helping to build brighter futures for lower-income youth through sports. We believe all children deserve an equal opportunity to participate in sports regardless of their financial situation. It is our hope that by sending kids to camps, they will realize their true potential and develop the skills necessary to become collegiate student-athletes, professional athletes, and ultimately leaders who will drive social change.
Visit Website
Loveland Foundation
Loveland Foundation is committed to showing up for communities of color in unique and powerful ways, with a particular focus on Black women and girls. Our resources and initiatives are collaborative and they prioritize opportunity, access, validation, and healing. We are becoming the ones we’ve been waiting for.
Visit Website
My Block, My Hood, My City
My Block, My Hood, My City provides underprivileged youth with an awareness of the world and opportunities beyond their neighborhood. The organization leads students on explorations focused on STEM, Arts & Culture, Citizenry & Volunteerism, Health, Community Development, Culinary Arts, and Entrepreneurism. Its core values are interconnectivity, empathy, hope and civic responsibility.
Visit Website
The Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE)
We are a national nonprofit that educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations. Through partnerships and programs, we inspire leaders in sports to create positive change on matters of race and equality.
Visit Website
WE Cause
As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, WE Cause is purposed to stop food waste and eliminate child hunger altogether. Through God’s grace and the help of supporters, this mission will become an accomplishment. WE Cause is a Black-owned Nonprofit raising funds to support black-owned businesses. WE Cause urges you to rethink the face of giving and support a black-owned nonprofit that cares about ALL people at the heart of this country.
Visit Website
