In May 2021, following the Oilers elimination from the playoffs, Ethan Bear fell under scrutiny over a giveaway in the dying seconds of an Oilers playoff game vs the Winnipeg Jets that led to a game-tying goal that sent the game into overtime. The Oilers would lose the game in OT and Ethan faced much discrimination via social media. This initiative was in support of not only Ethan but all Indigenous athletes and youth!

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After witnessing how Ethan was being treated, I sent out a Tweet and Instagram post calling on everyone in support of Ethan and other athletes of Indigenous descent by wearing a jersey of an Indigenous athlete on May 28th 2021. This initiative was a response to the racism and lateral violence Ethan Bear was receiving online and to bring attention to what was happening as well as uplifting our communities. However, I did not anticipate the support it would receive as I found there was support from all over North America after my social media posts were shared and CBC did a news article on the movement.

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Through the hashtag #IndigenousJerseyDay on social media platforms, I found hundreds of people wearing their jerseys proudly in support of Ethan and other athletes. Unfortunately, we only did Indigenous Jersey Day for another year as I was quite busy the following years and did not have capacity to do any social media reminders. Maybe something to pick up the next year?