Emery Oakland Barnes (December 15, 1929 – June 1, 1998) was a
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player and politician.
Background
Born in
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
and moved to
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
at the age of 12, Barnes was a gifted athlete, and was an alternate high jumper for the 1952 US Olympic Track and Field team. He played football at the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...
(from where he received his
B.Sc) He emigrated to Canada in 1957. received a He studied at the University of British Columbia, where he received a Bachelor of Social Work. Emery Barnes was selected by the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
's
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
in the
1954 NFL draft (10th round, 207th overall). He played two games for the
Packers in 1956, but had much more success in the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
with the
B.C. Lions. He played 3 years, from 1962 to 1964, for a total of 30 games and was a Grey Cup champion in 1964 (though an injury prevented him from playing in the
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...
game).
Political career
Barnes worked as a social worker before entering politics. An unsuccessful candidate in the 1969 provincial election, he was first elected to the
British Columbia legislature in 1972 along side former MLA Gary Lauk, and re-elected five consecutive times (1975,1979, 1983 etc.), he served the people of
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
until 1996. Barnes and fellow
NDP MLA Rosemary Brown were the first
black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
politicians elected to a legislative office in British Columbia in the 20th century. He was particularly concerned with issues relating to social justice, human rights, and poverty.
Special pages
Elected
Speaker of the Legislature in 1994, Barnes was also the first black person to hold this position in any Canadian province.
Special pages
The city of Vancouver has named a park after him in his memory, Emery Barnes Park at 1100 Seymour Street.
Barnes is buried in Robinson Memorial Park Cemetery, in Coquitlam, British Columbia. The headstone shows his full name as "Emery Oakland Barnes."
Constance Barnes, his daughter, was an elected member of the Vancouver Park Board and stood for the 2015 federal election with the NDP in the riding of
Vancouver Centre.
References
External links
Detailed Biography of Emery Barnes from University of Washington(wayback machine)
*Gail Ito
Barnes, Emery (1929-1998)at
blackpast.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Emery
1929 births
1998 deaths
Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
BC Lions players
Green Bay Packers players
American football defensive linemen
American emigrants to Canada
Black Canadian sportsmen
Black Canadian track and field athletes
Black Canadian politicians
Canadian people of African-American descent
Canadian Protestants
Canadian sportsperson-politicians
Canadian social workers
Canadian football defensive linemen
Canadian football people from Vancouver
Politicians from New Orleans
Politicians from Vancouver
Players of American football from New Orleans
Players of Canadian football from New Orleans
Players of American football from Oregon
Oregon Ducks football players
British Columbia New Democratic Party MLAs
University of British Columbia School of Social Work alumni
University of Oregon alumni
History of Black people in British Columbia
20th-century African-American sportsmen
20th-century American sportsmen
African-American history of Oregon
Players of Canadian football from Oregon
NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
Oregon Ducks men's track and field athletes
Canadian male high jumpers
20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
20th-century Canadian sportsmen