Simmonds proud of African Nova Scotian heritage

SMU running back talks about his family's culture and the family business

HALIFAX, N.S. (Feb. 9, 2024) - Adré Simmonds knows who he is and where he comes from.

In fact, the running back from Saint Mary’s University grew up learning everything he could about his African Nova Scotian heritage from his family, and when asked to speak to Atlantic University Sport (AUS) about Black History Month, Simmonds was quick to agree.

“Both my parents have always taught me to be prideful in who I am. I can’t go anywhere without telling people I’m African Nova Scotian; it’s a pride thing to be able to say that,” said Simmonds, who promptly added. “For me, Black History Month is every day. It’s a time to celebrate our ancestors and those who came before us, and to acknowledge the hardships and trails they had to blaze for us today.

“Our history is so rich, especially being African Nova Scotian. It should be celebrated more than just one month of the year.”

Simmonds is set to graduate this spring with a degree in Social Justice and Community Studies, thus wrapping up a post-secondary football career that, he admits, had its share of ups and downs.

He spent a year out west in 2018-19 before transferring back home, resulting in him having to sit out the entire 2019-20 season. Then COVID cost the product of North Preston, N.S., his 2020-21 campaign. Once he finally put on the maroon and white in the fall of 2021, he suffered a serious knee injury that limited him to just three games.

Simmonds returned for his final two seasons, suiting up in 15 of 16 regular season games between 2022 and 2023. His final season saw him finish fourth in the league in yards rushing (460) with a pair of touchdowns.

“Honestly, after the injury I didn’t care how I ran. I was like: “I’ve already had one of the worst injuries you can have, what else can happen?” Simmonds replied when asked if the injury caused any doubts about his ability to play again. “I’d felt it. I’d been through it. And now that I was back, I thought I might as well run with no limits now.”

And while his fellow soon-to-be wearers of the cap and gown scroll through Indeed.ca looking for jobs, Simmonds already has a head start in his career – working within in his family’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consulting business, A Team Coaching.

He works alongside his mom, Angela, who is the CEO and founder of the business, as well as his sister, Angelina, and brother, AJ.

Like Adré, Angelina and AJ also played post-secondary sports. AJ played basketball at Acadia University, while Angelina did the same at Mount Saint Vincent University. It’s their combined experiences on and off the playing surface that they bring to the team.

“We know what it’s like to be different and diverse in a sport so we’re really trying to bring our personal experiences forward so we can help the next generation,” Simmonds offered.

As stated on their website, A Team helps organizations and employees build understanding in cultural competency, equips teams with strategies to recognize the importance of healthy relationships, and to build more inclusive, safe work environments.

Simmonds says the importance of DEI has grown in the past few years with companies looking to become more inclusive and acknowledge any conscious or unconscious biases.

“Right now, businesses are really investing in it because the time we are in today is a very sensitive time,” he said. “It’s very sensitive about what you can say and how you can treat people.”

Their approach, Simmonds continued, focuses on educating rather than scolding.

“We’re human. We’re going to make mistakes. It’s not about being perfect, but rather it’s about willing to learn and educate yourself about issues that not only affect you, but other genders, other races,” he said. “How do we go about fixing things or the criticism that comes when you mess up. . . Knowledge is the one thing that is going to help us grow as a society.”

He shares that it wasn’t until he started learning more about DEI while growing up that he came to understand how much it impacted him, and consequently, how to deal with it.

“If you ever met our mom, you’d know she taught us to have a voice, so for me I never had a problem speaking up when there was something I felt uncomfortable with,” Simmonds said. “If you said something to me I didn’t like or that was a little bit off I wasn’t scared to speak up against it and I think that is the only way to nip it in the bud. If you see it happen, you can’t just laugh it off or think about it as just a joke. You have to let them know that it made you uncomfortable or that they need to go about things a better way. If you’re a teammate or a co-worker, you should be allowed to do that in that space. We’re here to make each other better, not just on the field but off the field as well.”

His sentence is barely finished before he acknowledges that speaking up can be a very hard thing to do. Some choose not to out of fear of losing their job, or out of fear they’ll be retaliated against.

“It’s a lot easier said than done when people are put in that uncomfortable position of whether or not they should speak up and how can they say it. But I think the more we address it and make it public, the more people will feel safe to do just that,” he said.

Simmonds works as a consultant but would like to add personal training and coaching to the list of services A Team provides to work with and mentor young black athletes in the area.

“I see a lot of myself in these young black athletes. For me, I want to be there for them because I know what the hard times are going to be. When I was growing up, I didn’t see a lot of people who looked like me playing football,” said Simmonds, who already lends a hand with Insight Football Academy and Football Nova Scotia. “African Nova Scotians played a lot of basketball when I was growing up, not a lot of football – so I didn’t see a lot of myself in my teammates. I want to be someone that these young athletes can come and talk to because there’s a good chance I’ve been through some of the same things they have been through.”

With another question about coaching football thrown his way, Simmonds points out that the book on his playing career may have a few chapters left and that he is looking into the possibility of continuing his football dream overseas.

“I may be done at SMU, but I love the game a little bit too much to quit right now,” he said.

Until then, Simmonds will finish off his degree and continue his work with A Team – a place he knows he’ll always have a home at.

“A-Team is going to be around my whole life and we want this to only grow,” Simmonds said proudly. “This is a family business – I have nephews and we want them to be able to be part of it, so I plan on staying with A-Team forever.”