February Is Black History Month: John Howard

You may have read another of my Black History Month posts about Jesse Owens, so you'll be interested to know that our very own John Howard is the Canadian version of a person whose grit and perseverance prevailed against against prejudice and racism. 

John “Army” Howard was born in the U.S. but moved to Canada with his father in 1907, working for the railroad in Winnipeg. He was an outstanding athlete, particularly on the track, and in 1912 he became Canada’s first Black Olympian.

His selection to the Canadian Olympic Team was historic but also came with a list of issues, such as racist coverage in the newspapers, problems with the Olympic track coach, and the usual gamut of segregation, like being forbidden from staying in the same hotel as his white teammates when they gathered together in Montreal prior to boarding the boat that would take them across the Atlantic Ocean.

Howard was a top-ranked sprinter in the 100m and 200m, but a stomach ailment in Stockholm left him unable to race at his best and he did not advance to the finals in either of his individual events nor the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. A year after his Olympic debut, Howard became the Canadian champion in 100 yards and 220 yards. He served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War I and won 100m bronze at the 1919 Inter-Allied Games.

Howard was long and lean!

Receiving his medal at the Inter-Allied games

Though Howard had his troubles later in life, many due to racism, he left his mark and also his incredible athletic genealogy. His grandchildren, Harry and Valerie Jerome, would follow in his footsteps and become Olympians at Rome 1960. Harry Jerome would go on to win 100m bronze at Tokyo 1964.