Irish eyes to smile on first black parade queen

Montreal Gazette ^ | Monday, February 09, 2004 | RENE BRUEMMER

[twas]

The United Irish Societies of Montreal picked Tara Hecksher Saturday as queen of the 180th annual St. Patrick's parade.

The 21-year-old Montrealer of Irish descent is, in the words of one of the judges, "funny, intelligent and beautiful."

And, for the first time in the 49 years the UIS has been choosing a queen, the Irish lass is also black.

"I think this is great," UIS spokesperson Jolyon Ditton said yesterday. "Montreal is a mixed cultural society ... and I think this is nothing but good for the community."

Although Montreal's melting pot has produced several queens of mixed race - Irish-Italian, Irish-French Canadian and even Irish-Inuit - Hecksher is the first who is a member of a visible minority.

"Now, more and more, you find people of mixed race who are Irish, so it's great to be representing the 21st century Irish woman," she said. "I hope this is going to be just the beginning for others like myself."

Born to an Irish father and a Nigerian mother, Hecksher was raised in Nigeria till the age of 9, when she moved to London to attend boarding school.

Holidays and weekends were often spent with family in Dublin.

She chose McGill University for her international development and economics studies in large part because it has a good lacrosse program - she's an avid player - and for Montreal, which she calls her favourite city in the world.

"I love the fact that it's really multicultural, which it truly is, and so diverse," she said. "I find it's very accepting of people from everywhere."

Hecksher beat out 27 other candidates who had to give a speech on an Irish topic before seven judges and 700 people at the Delta Centre Ville hotel Saturday night.

Candidates must be at least partly Irish and between the ages of 18 and 25.

Hecksher spoke about Ireland's former president, Mary Robinson, who served as the United Nation's High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997-2002.

"The selection is based on public speaking, confidence and poise," Ditton said. "This young lady shows all of that. She is extremely well-spoken, well educated, she gave a very good speech and we're very happy to have her as our queen."

The four runners-up - Marie Lortie of Montreal; Theresa Casey of Pointe Claire; Melissa Proietti of Montreal and Jessica Early of Beaconsfield - were named princesses.

They will join Hecksher in representing the Irish societies and waving to the 600,000 or so who regularly turn out for North America's longest-running St. Patrick's parade on March 14.

After graduation, Hecksher hopes to work in international development, probably in Africa, but first she wants to spend some more time in her adopted city.

"London is more polarized, so it's multicultural but you still find that each culture is sticking together, whereas here you can see the interactions," she said.

"I mean, just the fact that I was chosen shows how diverse and accepting (Montrealers) are."

[twas]

Does anyone rember the story of the white African-American boy who was punished for promoting himself as an African-American?

[mattdono]

IT'S A MAN, BABY!

[mattdono]

She chose McGill University for her international development and economics studies in large part because it has a good lacrosse program - she's an avid player

Women's lacrosse.

Hmm, the plot...thickens.

[Jim Cane]

Does anyone rember the story of the white African-American boy who was punished for promoting himself as an African-American?

No, but I remember America's "First Black President" with some degree of personal annoyance.

[stainlessbanner]

White Student Calls self African American

[JohnnyZ]

And, for the first time in the 49 years the UIS has been choosing a queen, the Irish lass is also black.

As long as she's a redhead, who cares?

[RichInOC]

Hey, why not? If a black Irishman can lead a rock 'n' roll band (Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy) why not have a black Irishwoman be a St. Pat's parade queen?

[Kirkwood]

I always wondered what people of African decent call themselves in other countries. Do they even bother to have that distinction? Are there African-Germans, African-Irish, African-Brazilians? Is this something that is just a concern among African-Americans?

[Irene Adler]

"Although Montreal's melting pot has produced several queens of mixed race - Irish-Italian, Irish-French Canadian and even Irish-Inuit - Hecksher is the first who is a member of a visible minority."

Huh? Since when are Irish-Italian Canadians or Irish-French Canadians "mixed race"? The Irish-Inuit would qualify but certainly not the other two examples. Ignorant.

[Cronos]

Actually, I've been readinb up some defintions of race, thanks to Dan Evans! So, here's a dictionary definition of race from http://www.bartleby.com/61/39/R0003900.html

NOUN:

1. A local geographic or global human population distinguished as a more or less distinct group by genetically transmitted physical characteristics. 2. A group of people united or classified together on the basis of common history, nationality, or geographic distribution: the German race. 3. A genealogical line; a lineage. 4. Humans considered as a group. 5. Biology a. An interbreeding, usually geographically isolated population of organisms differing from other populations of the same species in the frequency of hereditary traits. A race that has been given formal taxonomic recognition is known as a subspecies. b. A breed or strain, as of domestic animals. 6. A distinguishing or characteristic quality, such as the flavor of a wine.

So, to answer Irene Adler's query :Huh? Since when are Irish-Italian Canadians or Irish-French Canadians "mixed race"? The Irish-Inuit would qualify but certainly not the other two examples. Ignorant.


Italians, Germans, Etc, would be different races according to definition 2.

Also, from the book "Kingdoms of the Celts" by John King:

"We have to be careful in all these discussion not to confuse culture with race. There is no Celtic race, not even the Iriah, who are hte most CEltic of nations. Studies of blood groups in Ireland show that about a quarter of the genes of the people in the REpublic are derived from Anglo-Norman and Englsish settlers. There is an unusually high incidence of blood group O in the western parts of IReland and a common trait of the unusual combination of dark hair and light eyes, both of which may be derived from pre-Celtic stock. The other common Irish attribute of red or fair-red hair is probably Nordic in origin, followign the invasions of the Vikings.