Canadian football legend Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons explores Halifax’s Black history

Michael “Pinball” Clemons kicks-off Black History Month in Halifax and makes a $250k donation to historic Africville.

Before Tuesday, Canadian-American icon Michael “Pinball” Clemons didn’t have many ties to Nova Scotia,

But on a mission to explore Black history, the sports executive and former football star found himself in the city coated with it.

He chartered members of his Pinball Foundation from Toronto to Halifax Tuesday, making stops at Pier 21, Canada’s National Museum of Immigration, as well as a tour of the historic Africville site.

“It’s something that we’ve always had a passion for. We’ve always wanted to come out and visit Africville and take that whole experience in,” says Clemons.

“It is a piece of our culture that is known but unknown. We are familiar with it, but the details are often lost, and so with that, that is something that we hope to begin the journey today.”

His wife Diane says the visit to Halifax was more than just a trip.

“We’re hoping to go back to Toronto to share everything that we’ve learned here in effort to spread the word and to get people to come and see how beautiful it is here. This trip for me is more than just a trip. They’re roots and they’re deep,” she says.

After their tour of Africville, the Clemons will head back to Toronto, but not before making a sealed commitment to the historic African-Nova Scotian community.

The Pinball Foundation announced a $250,000 donation to the Africville community that will also help students of Africville descendants attend a post secondary school of their choosing.

“The fact that (the Clemons) saw the Africville Museum and the Africville community as an important piece to invest in is so extraordinary.,” says Juanita Peters, executive director of the Africville Museum.

“Their influence to bring other people here to hear the story as well, and to see what’s going on in Nova Scotia…we are just so thrilled. Like, I could hardly sleep last night.”

Though his foundation and humanitarian efforts are highly regarded, Clemons says it’s not about him.

“Life is not an ‘I’ story, it’s a ‘we’ story. And that’s really what we want to communicate today, is that we’re really excited to be here. And we hope that it doesn’t just build the Black community, but that we affect all communities and that we come together more rather than be separated,” he says.

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