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Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Phi Beta Sigma welcomes celebrities as honorary members
During its 2025 International Conclave in Tampa, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. honored eight distinguished leaders with honorary membership, including rapper Special Ed, Gospel artist Fred Hammond, and actor Leon Robinson. Each inductee was recognized for their impactful contributions to their fields and their commitment to community uplift. The 2025 Honorary Inductees Are: Dr. Howard Fuller – Civil rights activist and education reform advocateEdward K. Archer – Hip-hop artist best known as Special EdLeon Robinson – Acclaimed actor (The Five Heartbeats, Cool Runnings)Dr. George Koonce – Former NFL player and university executiveFred Hammond – Grammy-winning gospel music iconDr. John K. Pierre – Chancellor of Southern University Dave Huie – Fashion entrepreneur and cultural marketing visionaryDr. DeForest Soaries – Former Secretary of State for New Jersey According to Phi Beta Sigma's official announcement, these distinguished men were extended membership not simply for their stature, but because their lives and legacies reflect the very ideals the fraternity holds sacred-Brotherhood, Scholarship, and Service. Through their impactful works and unwavering commitment to uplifting communities, they exemplify what it means to be a Sigma Man. Founded in 1914 at Howard University, Phi Beta Sigma champions the motto "Culture for Service and Service for Humanity." The fraternity's honorary membership tradition continues to highlight individuals whose achievements and leadership inspire excellence in education, music, public service, and the arts. This year's class showcases the fraternity's ongoing mission to celebrate those who serve, lead, and uplift others with integrity and purpose. The post Phi Beta Sigma welcomes celebrities as honorary members appeared first on HBCU Gameday. Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
Montreal Gazette
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
Jamaican men's hockey team pushing for more Black representation in hockey
Hockey By Most have heard of the Jamaican bobsled team that stunned the world by making it to the Calgary winter Olympics in 1988, an unlikely tale that inspired the hit Hollywood comedy Cool Runnings. The next improbable Jamaican winter-sports success story might just be their hockey team. Jamaica's senior men's national ice-hockey team is in Montreal this week participating in the Challenger Series, playing games against teams from three other countries: Greece, Puerto Rico and Lebanon. That's right, we are not talking natural hockey hotbeds here. The tournament takes place through the weekend at the Sportplexe Pierrefonds. Don Anderson, president of the Jamaican Olympic Ice Hockey Federation, says Jamaicans knows a thing or two about dreaming big, and if the Caribbean island nation could send a bobsled team to the Olympics, he doesn't see any reason why they couldn't do the same thing in hockey. But even he admits that possibility is still a long way off. The team was only founded at the end of 2010 and it still doesn't meet the stringent requirements to compete at the Olympics. So international hockey powerhouses like Canada and the U.S.A. don't need to worry about Jamaica for the moment. The players are mostly Jamaican-Canadians, the majority from the Toronto area, and they are one of the only all-Black national hockey teams in the world. Avery Grant, a 19-year-old defenceman with the team who hails from Oshawa, is proud to be wearing the Jamaican colours of black, green and gold on the ice. 'It's amazing to have players of Jamaican descent come together to play the game that we love, it's just a great feeling to have for all of us,' said Grant, in an interview Thursday morning shortly after the team's practice. 'It's definitely not something you see every day, when you see an all-Black hockey team thriving in a sport that isn't really known on the island. It's definitely a good experience for all of us. With hockey, you don't think of Black players or minority players being its strong suit. You'd think more of soccer, track and field, basketball, stuff like that. So just to have us be as good as we are and play at this level definitely means something not only for us but for future generations to come.' Anderson has been a key figure in Jamaican international sports for decades. He was a vice-president of the Jamaican Olympic Association for over 30 years before moving over to the hockey federation. In fact, he was at the very first meeting back in the '80s when the notion of a Jamaican bobsled team was discussed. 'I was the first member of the Olympic executive to even open the door literally to the creation of the bobsled movement,' said Anderson. 'There was a gentleman from the American embassy who kept sending us letters to set up a bobsled federation and we laughed at them. We said – 'Is this something you play on ice?' We thought it was a joke. We said, we can't get money for track and field, much less something on ice, that's totally foreign to us. We just threw the letters away. Then he said, what if you guys don't have to raise the money?' The Jamaican Olympic Association finally agreed to set up a meeting and there were 54 people there, 'and the rest is history,' said Anderson. 'Then he did it again with the ice hockey team,' said Ed Phillipps, who is vice-president of the Jamaican Olympic Ice Federation. When the Jamaican minister of sport asked Anderson to represent the Olympic association at a meeting in Kingston with the delegation of Jamaican-Canadian and American hockey players back in 2010, Anderson agreed to do it. Willie O'Ree, former Boston Bruins winger and the first Black player to make it to the National Hockey League, was a member of that delegation. 'But I'd never heard about ice hockey,' said Anderson. There still isn't a single rink in all of Jamaica. 'Ice hockey was easier because bobsledding paved the way,' said Anderson. 'When the ice hockey thing came to the fore, there were naysayers and I said: 'If we did it in bobsledding, we can do it in ice hockey'.' And it's starting to come together, say Anderson and Phillipps. The team is having more success in international tournaments and now it's easier to watch NHL games on TV in Jamaica, so the awareness of the sport is increasing. They're doing all this for Jamaican sports, but both are also aware that it's a great way to boost the profile of Black players in hockey everywhere. They say they're seeing more Black players on other national teams since they began competing internationally. They're literally breaking the ice for more visible representation in hockey. 'We're spearheading Black representation within international ice hockey,' said Phillipps.
Ottawa Citizen
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Jamaican men's hockey team pushing for more Black representation in hockey
Most have heard of the Jamaican bobsled team that stunned the world by making it to the Calgary winter Olympics in 1988, an unlikely tale that inspired the hit Hollywood comedy Cool Runnings. Article content The next improbable Jamaican winter-sports success story might just be their hockey team. Jamaica's senior men's national ice-hockey team is in Montreal this week participating in the Challenger Series, playing games against teams from three other countries: Greece, Puerto Rico and Lebanon. That's right, we are not talking natural hockey hotbeds here. The tournament takes place through the weekend at the Sportplexe Pierrefonds. Article content Article content Don Anderson, president of the Jamaican Olympic Ice Hockey Federation, says Jamaicans knows a thing or two about dreaming big, and if the Caribbean island nation could send a bobsled team to the Olympics, he doesn't see any reason why they couldn't do the same thing in hockey. But even he admits that possibility is still a long way off. Article content The team was only founded at the end of 2010 and it still doesn't meet the stringent requirements to compete at the Olympics. So international hockey powerhouses like Canada and the U.S.A. don't need to worry about Jamaica for the moment. Article content Article content The players are mostly Jamaican-Canadians, the majority from the Toronto area, and they are one of the only all-Black national hockey teams in the world. Article content Avery Grant, a 19-year-old defenceman with the team who hails from Oshawa, is proud to be wearing the Jamaican colours of black, green and gold on the ice. Article content Article content 'It's amazing to have players of Jamaican descent come together to play the game that we love, it's just a great feeling to have for all of us,' said Grant, in an interview Thursday morning shortly after the team's practice. 'It's definitely not something you see every day, when you see an all-Black hockey team thriving in a sport that isn't really known on the island. It's definitely a good experience for all of us. With hockey, you don't think of Black players or minority players being its strong suit. You'd think more of soccer, track and field, basketball, stuff like that. So just to have us be as good as we are and play at this level definitely means something not only for us but for future generations to come.' Article content Anderson has been a key figure in Jamaican international sports for decades. He was a vice-president of the Jamaican Olympic Association for over 30 years before moving over to the hockey federation. In fact, he was at the very first meeting back in the '80s when the notion of a Jamaican bobsled team was discussed.
Global News
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Global News
Changing the face of hockey at tourney featuring countries new to game
Don Anderson, president of the Jamaica Olympic Ice Hockey Federation, is under no illusions about the depth of hockey culture and history in Montreal. 'I know,' he said. 'They say if you cut a Canadian you'll find hockey blood running out of him.' He's in Montreal with members of Jamaica's senior men's ice hockey team, as well as three others representing non-traditional hockey nations for the 2025 Challenger Series, to prove that they too are capable of elite level hockey. This is the second year they're having the tournament. On Thursday morning, all four teams skated for an hour. 'Last year we kicked off the Challenger Series with the initial three founding members — Jamaica, Lebanon and Puerto Rico, and then Greece came in halfway through the year,' explained Scott Vargas, Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association founder. Story continues below advertisement 'We have all four teams for the full season this year.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The countries are associate members of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), but they can't compete in world championships since they lack proper ice hockey infrastructure, like rinks. With these competitions they hope to build skill in the meantime, and go even further. 'We're going to look at expanding a little bit more,' said Lebanon Men's National Ice Hockey team general manager Ricardo Tabet. 'Get more teams involved as well and grow the sport like that.' For this year's series, which started in Chicago, each team will play six games — twice against each team. It concludes this weekend in Montreal at the Pierrefonds Sportplexe. The championship game is on Sunday between the two top teams. Jamaica is the defending champion. 'Well, you know, we're a sport-mad country,' joked Anderson, 'and if we can make it in bobsled, why not ice hockey.' He has been at the forefront of the Caribbean island's bobsled development, serving on the board of the Jamaica Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation. Their 1988 Olympic bobsled team famously inspired the 1993 movie, Cool Runnings, about the challenges and the smashing of stereotypes. Story continues below advertisement Anderson points to well-known NHL players of Jamaican heritage as proof that they too can excel at winter sports. 'We have people like (former Montreal Canadiens) P.K. Subban and all those guys who are pioneers in this thing as far as we are concerned,' he reasoned. Vargas added that most, if not all the players on these teams live in Canada and the U.S., so this exercise is also about inclusion and proving that the game is theirs too. 'It's about the diaspora and it's about the nation,' he pointed out. 'We have to build hockey in our home nations.' He said that the more people from non-traditional hockey see themselves excel in the sport, the more youth will want to take on the sport, make it their own and take their place in hockey history.
Indian Express
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Animesh Kujur's Cool Runnings mark of 10.18 seconds, comes after working with renowned bobsleigh coach Chris Wolley
In a reverse of the movie plot of Cool Runnings where Jamaican sprinters turn into a bobsled team, India's brand new 100m track sensation Animesh Kujur availed the expertise of a bobsleigh coach, ahead of his momentous dipping under the 10.2 second mark for a 10.18s national record. While Indian fans were soaking in the excellence of their greatest individual Olympian at the Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru, another historic moment was unfolding in a quiet suburb of Greece, as Kujur became the fastest Indian man. Participating in the Dromia International Sprint and Relays meet in Vari, Greece, Animesh won the second final of the men's 100m and overall clocked the third best timing behind Benjamin Richardson (South Africa) who ran in 10.01s and Ali Al Balushi (Oman) who clocked 10.12. But it was what the sprinter did in the months leading up to this breakthrough, that riffs off the famous Jamaican tale. Animesh worked on his strength and conditioning with Chris Wolley – a renowned coach of winter Olympics sport, Bobsleigh. Martin Owens, coach of Animesh at Reliance Foundation, told The Indian Express from Greece, about how the association came about. 'One thing I have realized that a lot of technical improvements happen in the gym and with the physio. We worked with Chris at the Swiss Olympic Center and it paid off. He worked on movement patterns of Animesh when he starts and how he can be more dynamic while taking initial strides,' Owens mentioned. 'The initial strides sets him up for a better race. The first couple of strides aren't always as fast as they can be but they are better mechanically for setting him up for the race. So, we have worked on those first two strides,' he explained the technical adjustment. A post shared by RF Youth Sports (@rfyouthsports) // The work done has certainly paid off as Animesh shaved off nearly 0.09 seconds from his previous personal best of 10.27s which he clocked last year in Spain. He also ran 2.27s in 200m last month at Geneve Meet, fastest ever 200m by an Indian, but the timing was not counted, due to illegal windspeed of +2.3m/s Even as they head back to Switzerland pretty knackered, coach Owens was a happy man. 'I am elated at the National record for sure. It was a long day for us and now we are flying back but the timing he clocked makes it all worth it,' Owens said, audibly exhausted. The 22-year-old comes from the tribal Ghuitangar village of Kunkuri tehsil in Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh. Kujur rewrote the previous national record of 10.20s in 100m which was clocked by Gurindervir Singh at Indian Grand Prix earlier this March 2025. Racing in the second final of the men's 100, Kujur didn't start quick but shifted gears in the final 40m and a final push near the finish line resulted in him pipping the Greek runner Sotirios Garagganis to the finish line. 'I thought he ran a great race. He didn't give away anything in the first 10 or 20 meters, held his shape through the middle of the race, and finished perfectly at the end. It is due to the competition he gets here,' Owens said. 'In India, when he gets in the top speed, he is faster than everybody else. However, here everybody was matching him and he didn't panic in the end. If he would have been in the third final (where Benjamin and Balushi raced), he would have ended with a better timing,' he explained of the pacing dynamic further. The Indian group of sprinters — Animesh Kujur, Lalu Bhoi, Manikanta Hoblidhar, Gurindervir Singh, and Jayaram Dondapati — are on a European sojourn to participate in the World Athletics continental meets and also improve their timings. 'We are looking at him and the other sprinters to go faster on this tour. It is important to have quality competitions where the participants keep pushing each other,' said Owens. Besides training with the Winter Olympian coach, another reason that resulted in Animesh going faster is the conducive environment for sprint in Greece. 'We were afraid in morning as the tailwinds were very strong and it looked like we might get a good time but won't see the national record,' Owens said. 'However, as the evening came on, the winds dropped and the red&white wind sock that indicates the wind direction was barely moving and as the timings came, it was a satisfying race overall,' he added. When asked what's next for Animesh on the European tour, Owens confirmed that he will be racing at the Monaco Diamond League in the men's U23 200m race on 11th July. 'We are heading back to Switzerland for now and will rest. Animesh will race at the Monaco Diamond League. It is the U23 race for up and coming sprinters. A good initiative which will help someone like Animesh,' Owens said. The U23 Men's 200m at the Monaco Diamond League will be part of the one day programme and serve as the pre competition race for the men's 200m which will witness the Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana in action. It will be a great chance for Animesh, who also rewrote the 200m national record twice in the year, to have shared field with the best in the world. As of the now, with both 100m and 200m national records to his, Animesh has definitely earned the right to be called the fastest man in the country.
