Dartmouth, NS – Duan Ash and Channing Colley of East Preston organized the inaugural Black Lives Matter Golf Initiative at Grandview Golf and Country Club on Saturday, August 22, 2020. This event was created to bring the community together in solidarity for this movement through golf. The tournament saw 24 participants (12 teams of two), pairing “Mentors” with “Mentees” together, some of whom are new to the game, while others have played for years.
The objective of the Black Lives Matter Golf Initiative is to create awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement and to encourage Black youth to play golf. The goal is to make this an annual event as well as a fundraiser to promote golf mentorship in Black communities and attracted new men and women to the game. “We are excited about the support we have received from the staff and members from Grandview, this is one small step in the right direction. We hope to have more women from our community join us next year ”, said Duan Ash.
The host club, Grandview Golf and Country Club recognizes the health and social benefits golf can have on both an individual and their community. “The event was a positive experience from start to finish. The ownership and members of Grandview Golf and Country Club were in full support of the event and we are committed to seeing this initiative grow in the future with the goal of starting a grass roots program teaching youth the game of golf and providing a bursary for post-secondary education. We see as this an opportunity for the golfing community as a whole to create an inclusive atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.”, says James Rayner, Head Golf Professional and Assist General Manager of Grandview Golf and Country Club.
As the governing body for golf in Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Golf Association (NSGA) is putting full support behind these young men and the Black Lives Matter movement. “When anyone takes the incredible initiative that these young men have, it is our responsibility to support and empower them and our community,” said NSGA President, Wendy Sentner. Diversity and inclusion are mandates of both Golf Canada and NSGA.
The organizers plan to build on the success of this event to increase awareness and create more opportunities to introduce Black youth into the sport.
About the organizers:
Channing Colley – 27
Channing graduated with a Bachelor of Information Systems, majoring in Enterprise Systems, from St. Francis Xavier University in 2015. He is currently working as a Team Lead for the SAP Developers at IBM Canada at the Client Innovation Center in Bedford, NS.
Duan Ash – 25
Duan is a graduate of Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU), with a Double Major in Bachelor of Business Administration (Marketing & Management). While attending MSVU, he played on the Men’s Varsity Basketball Team for five years (last year being team captain). Upon graduating, he attended the Dalhousie Schulich School of Law and graduated in May of 2020. He is articling at BOYNECLARKE LLP in Dartmouth, NS
