Penguins defense prospect Pierre-Olivier Joseph opened up about the racism he's faced in hockey in a French interview with Quebec newspaper L'Express de Drummondville.
Joseph's father is of Haitian descent and his mother is white. Joseph said that he's been called racial slurs on the ice, and been told to go back to his 'own country,' despite being born and raised in Laval, Quebec.
"Each time, I felt sad for the person in question," Joseph said in the French interview. "I hoped that they would feel bad afterwards, thinking about what they said."
"My parents instilled very good values in me," Joseph said. "They taught me not to respond with violence. Often, I just look at the person in disgust. They are ignorant people who have never been made aware of equality between humans."
Joseph, who turns 21 next month, said that he has been fortunate to have friends who speak up when moments like that arise.
"Often, they are the ones who intervene," he said. "I remember one time in school where I was called the N-word. I'm a peaceful guy, so I wanted to let it go, but my hockey team had rallied around me. It was a beautiful movement to see. It raised the awareness of the person who had passed this comment on to me."
Joseph has been at home in Quebec since the AHL season shut down in March, but has been following the events unfolding in the United States since George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis on May 25.
“I saw that people destroyed their own neighborhood in Atlanta," he said. "It was a community that had been built from generation to generation. At the same time, I understand people's anger. This movement is their only way to express themselves. People are more than tired. They have had enough.
"It's not the first time we've seen such a movement. It makes people aware of what we experience every day as black people. I'm curious to see where it will lead us. I hope that we will see less and less racist gestures, until it disappears. But how long will it take? It is impossible to answer this question."
