Video: Valerie Jerome
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Image
Video
Audio
Activities
LOOK
Using the internet, look for other Black female athletes who competed for Canada in track and field events. How many can you find?
Who was the first Black Canadian woman to win an Olympic medal?
THINK
What do you think are some contributing factors to how little we know about not only Black Canadian athletes but Black female athletes? Do you think sports are racially segregated and gendered? Why or why not? What are some factors that might support that theory?
DO
Watch the following short clip of Valerie Jerome talking.
Discuss the following:
- What were her major achievements in her track and field career?
- What challenges did she face as a Black Canadian athlete?
- How do her struggles relate to larger themes of inclusion and erasure in the Canadian context?
Details
Date 2023
Materials - Film
Historical Context
Choose one of the three levels below to match your needs.
- This is an interview with Valerie Jerome, an educator, political activist, and renowned retired track and field athlete.
- Born in 1944, she made Canadian sports history by becoming the first Canadian woman to clear the seven-foot barrier in the high jump at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
- After retiring from competition, she received her teaching degree and worked as an educator for 35 years.
This is an interview with Valerie Jerome, an educator, political activist, and renowned retired track and field athlete.
Born in 1944, she made Canadian sports history by becoming the first Canadian woman to clear the seven-foot barrier in the high jump at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
After retiring from competition, she attended the University of British Columbia and graduated with an education degree. She worked as an educator for 35 years and led a successful campaign to establish a chair in Black Canadian studies at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.
She has run as a Green Party candidate a number of times, in municipal, provincial and federal elections.
This is an interview with Valerie Jerome, an educator, political activist, and renowned retired track and field athlete.
Born in 1944, she made Canadian sports history by becoming the first Canadian woman to clear the seven-foot barrier in the high jump at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
Jerome’s talent and dedication continue to inspire aspiring athletes in Canada and around the world, serving as a testament to the power of perseverance and breaking down barriers in sports.
After retiring from competition, she attended the University of British Columbia and graduated with an education degree. She worked as an educator for 35 years and led a successful campaign to establish a chair in Black Canadian studies at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.
She is a longtime champion of environmental issues and has run as a Green Party candidate a number of times, in municipal, provincial and federal elections.
- This is an interview with Valerie Jerome, an educator, political activist, and renowned retired track and field athlete.
- Born in 1944, she made Canadian sports history by becoming the first Canadian woman to clear the seven-foot barrier in the high jump at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
- After retiring from competition, she received her teaching degree and worked as an educator for 35 years.
This is an interview with Valerie Jerome, an educator, political activist, and renowned retired track and field athlete.
Born in 1944, she made Canadian sports history by becoming the first Canadian woman to clear the seven-foot barrier in the high jump at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
After retiring from competition, she attended the University of British Columbia and graduated with an education degree. She worked as an educator for 35 years and led a successful campaign to establish a chair in Black Canadian studies at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.
She has run as a Green Party candidate a number of times, in municipal, provincial and federal elections.
This is an interview with Valerie Jerome, an educator, political activist, and renowned retired track and field athlete.
Born in 1944, she made Canadian sports history by becoming the first Canadian woman to clear the seven-foot barrier in the high jump at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
Jerome’s talent and dedication continue to inspire aspiring athletes in Canada and around the world, serving as a testament to the power of perseverance and breaking down barriers in sports.
After retiring from competition, she attended the University of British Columbia and graduated with an education degree. She worked as an educator for 35 years and led a successful campaign to establish a chair in Black Canadian studies at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.
She is a longtime champion of environmental issues and has run as a Green Party candidate a number of times, in municipal, provincial and federal elections.
Summary
- This is an interview with Valerie Jerome, an educator, political activist, and renowned retired track and field athlete.
- Born in 1944, she made Canadian sports history by becoming the first Canadian woman to clear the seven-foot barrier in the high jump at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
- After retiring from competition, she received her teaching degree and worked as an educator for 35 years.
Essential
This is an interview with Valerie Jerome, an educator, political activist, and renowned retired track and field athlete.
Born in 1944, she made Canadian sports history by becoming the first Canadian woman to clear the seven-foot barrier in the high jump at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
After retiring from competition, she attended the University of British Columbia and graduated with an education degree. She worked as an educator for 35 years and led a successful campaign to establish a chair in Black Canadian studies at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.
She has run as a Green Party candidate a number of times, in municipal, provincial and federal elections.
In-Depth
This is an interview with Valerie Jerome, an educator, political activist, and renowned retired track and field athlete.
Born in 1944, she made Canadian sports history by becoming the first Canadian woman to clear the seven-foot barrier in the high jump at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
Jerome’s talent and dedication continue to inspire aspiring athletes in Canada and around the world, serving as a testament to the power of perseverance and breaking down barriers in sports.
After retiring from competition, she attended the University of British Columbia and graduated with an education degree. She worked as an educator for 35 years and led a successful campaign to establish a chair in Black Canadian studies at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.
She is a longtime champion of environmental issues and has run as a Green Party candidate a number of times, in municipal, provincial and federal elections.