Barry Howson (born 17 June 1939) is a Canadian

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He competed in the men's tournament at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

, and was the first

Black Canadian Black Canadians () are Canadians of full or partial Afro-Caribbean or sub-Saharan African descent. Black Canadian settlement and immigration patterns can be categorized into two distinct groups. The majority of Black Canadians are descendants ...

member of Canada's Olympic basketball team.Norman De Bono
"At long last, Canada's first Black Olympic basketball player gets his due"
''

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'', February 27, 2024. He was the son of Frank Howson and Christine DeGroat Jenkins; his mother was the publisher of '' The Dawn of Tomorrow'', an important early Black Canadian community newspaper which had been founded by her first husband James Jenkins. He was also the half-brother of broadcaster and activist

Kay Livingstone Kathleen "Kay" Livingstone, née Jenkins (October 13, 1919 – 1975) was a Canadian social activist, actor and broadcaster. In 1973, her efforts led to the first National Congress of Black Women of Canada. The daughter of James and Christina ...

, his mother's daughter with James Jenkins.Eli Yarhi
"Kay Livingstone"
''

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'', March 5, 2019. He attended Sir Adam Beck Secondary School in

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Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, where played on the school basketball team which won the

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provincial basketball championship in 1957. He subsequently attended the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...

, playing basketball at the university level, before playing at the senior level for the Toronto Dow Kings, who served as Canada's Olympic basketball team in 1964. He subsequently completed a master's in education at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

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, and became a high school teacher and athletics coach in

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in his professional life. Because Canada had simply sent the Toronto Dow Kings to the Olympics rather than organizing an official national team, Howson's status as a pioneering Black athlete was overlooked for many years, with

Canada Basketball Canada Basketball is the governing body for basketball in Canada. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, the federation is a full member of FIBA and governs Canadian basketball at the international, professional, and amateur levels, including: the ...

incorrectly identifying somebody else as the first Black Canadian basketball player to compete at the Olympics in its

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materials. In February 2024, the error was rectified with the organization presenting him with a trophy and a special framed Olympic jersey to commemorate his achievement.

References

External links

* 1939 births Living people Basketball people from Ontario Black Canadian sportsmen Canadian men's basketball players Olympic basketball players for Canada Basketball players at the 1964 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from London, Ontario 1970 FIBA World Championship players Black Canadian basketball players University of Western Ontario alumni 20th-century Canadian sportsmen {{Canada-basketball-bio-stub