During a panel discussion on Sunday, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights honoured two men who fought for human rights in the boxing ring.
When Pardeep Singh Nagra first stepped into the ring in Ontario, he was told that beards were not allowed in boxing.
Nagra is Sikh, and his beard is part of his religion.
He felt the rule infringed on his human rights.
“So I investigated and there was a rule prohibiting beards in boxing, so I pursued to get the rules changes,” said Nagra.
Nagra continued to fight in the ring and in the courts. In 1999, he won the right to represent Ontario in the National Boxing Championship.
“Unfortunately, although I had a court order to allow me to box, they cancelled my weight class because the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association would not want me to compete,” said Nagra.
He pursued the case until he won the right to fight in the championships with his beard, paving the way for other Sikh boxers.
Another story at the panel highlighted discrimination in 1930s Germany.
Romani boxer Johann Trollmann was a rising star, but the Nazi regime sought to stifle his success due to his heritage.
An act of defiance during his final match forced Trollmann into hiding.
“He died his hair blonde, he powdered his body in flour, to look like a German. To look Aryan,” said Trollmann’s great-niece, Diana Ramos-Farina.
Ramos-Farina flew from Germany to attend the discussion and share her family’s story.
She said Trollmann was eventually captured and beaten to death in a concentration camp.
Ramos-Farina said she’s happy that her great uncle is getting recognized for his actions.
“It made me very proud because by the time he did that he knew he was going to put his life at risk. Going to have consequences for him and his family,” she said.
Trollmann’s story is featured in the CMHR’s “Examining the Holocaust” gallery.
