Timed to coincide with the beginning of Black History Month, participants on Monday met Givani Smith, the only black player for the Grand Rapids Griffins.
”It’s really important,” Smith told 24 Hour News 8 at the event. “They’re having fun. They’re experiencing ice hockey, which many kids don’t get the chance to.”
”Seeing someone that … just letting us know that we can play, too,” Lavonta Crump, one of the black students participating in the program, said, explaining why he enjoyed meeting Smith and getting to ask him questions.