MAR Talks Presents: Beyond Winning: Black Athletes, Belonging, and Allyship in Canadian Sport
MAR is thrilled to welcome Valerie Jerome this February for an inspiring conversation that goes beyond athletic success to centre belonging, allyship, and the lived realities of navigating Canadian sport as a Black athlete. Drawing from her memoir, Races: The Trials & Triumphs of Canada’s Fastest Family, Valerie reflects on growing up in a family of trailblazing Black athletes, illuminating both the challenges and triumphs of carving out space in Canadian sport while navigating a society shaped by racial barriers.
Valerie will explore the personal, historical, and social dimensions of her story, reflecting on what belonging has meant to her within Canadian sport and beyond, the role of allyship throughout her journey, and how these experiences have shaped the way she navigates life, relationships, and community. Together, we will reflect on her story and consider how practices of belonging and allyship can guide and strengthen our individual and collective anti-racism work.
Date: Sunday, February 8
Time: 10:00 am – 11:00 am PST
Introducing Valerie Jerome
Valerie was born in St Boniface, Manitoba, in 1944, to Harry Sr and Elsie Jerome. In 1951, their family of five children settled in North Vancouver, where they endured harsh racism at every turn in an all-white community.
In 1959, her life got much better as her brother and she (age 15) became Canadian National Track and Field Champions. Both of them competed in the Pan American Games, where she won a bronze medal as part of Canada’s 4 x 100 m relay team, and she placed 4th in the 100 m. The next year, Valerie earned a berth on Canada’s 1960 Rome Olympic team. After a 6-year hiatus, she returned to track to compete in the 1966 British Commonwealth Games team.
A successful and satisfying 35-year teaching career started in 1964, which was also the same year she married a fellow athlete, Ron Parker. Continual coaching at her various schools and track clubs was one of her passions. Starting in 1973 at our nation’s first Canada Summer Games and then for over 30 years, Valerie worked as a chief official at countless track meets as a Long and Triple Jump official, including the 1976 Montreal Olympics, the 1978 and 1994 Commonwealth Games, the 2001 World Championships, as well as world indoor and world youth championships.
Valerie’s son, Stuart, was born in 1972, and she raised him as a single parent from the time he was four. When her son became leader of the BC Green Party, she ran as a candidate in civic, provincial, and federal elections, as well as managing fundraising for the party. Valerie’s passion for the environment contributed to her being honoured by the city of Vancouver with a Heritage Award for work on behalf of saving city trees, and she was awarded the Canada 125 Award for advocating on behalf of the environment.
Throughout her lifetime, she has been involved on many boards, including Athletics, Performing Arts, Anti Racism, and Health.
Valerie’s engagement with The Junior Black Achievement Awards was one of the few events each year that brought members of her community together. Beginning in 1996, Valerie has done countless Black History Month Talks in schools and service clubs.
Valerie retired from teaching in 2002 and has since worked on teaching projects in Namibia.
In 2022, she published a family memoir entitled RACES, for which she won the 2023 Track and Field Writers of America Award, and for which she has completed over 110 speaking engagements across the province and across Canada in relation to this.
In 2025, Valerie proudly received the King Charles Coronation Medal and was honoured to be a recipient of both the BC Achievement Award and the Keith Mitchell Award.
MAR Talks Zoom Link / How to Join
Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email and reminder emails for the event. The Zoom link will be sent on the day of the event.
A recording of the event will be sent to attendees and may be made available on our social media channels at a later date.