‘I didn’t know I was Black’: February has extra meaning for former Blue Jay discovering his roots

February 15, 2025 Canuck

Former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Paul Hodgson has a couple of reasons to celebrate Family Day — and Black History Month, for that matter.

Hodgson grew up in the 1960s in Fredericton, where only a handful of Black families lived.

He made it onto the Jays in September 1980, only the second Canadian to play for the team.

That was around when his adoptive father took him aside, letting him in on a family secret.

“He says, ‘Your mother doesn’t know I’m doing this, but I feel that I have to tell you. You’re getting married and there’s a chance you could have a Black child.’ I didn’t know I was Black, I didn’t know I was anything.”

An older man in a beige suit, left, an older woman in a pinkish-purple outfit, middle, and a younger man with a suit jacket and jeans, right. — Hodgson, pictured with his adoptive parents, Paul Hodgson Sr. and Vonnie Hodgson. (Submitted by Paul Hodgson)

Living in the small town of Marysville, later part of Fredericton, Hodgson had always known he was adopted but hadn’t asked many questions.

He had a darker complexion, and he’d get taunted.

“There were a bunch of kids in elementary school who were always calling me (the N-word). I thought they were just stupid, because I had a darker skin. My dad used to say to me that I had a dark complexion.”

As far as he and almost everyone else thought, he was white.

“I grew up watching sports on TV, and watching Black players, I always thought, ‘Wow, it would be cool to grow up with those genes.'”

A young man wearing a red baseball uniform pictured outside a storefront — Hodgson is pictured in 1976 as a teenager outside his dad’s store. (Submitted by Paul Hodgson)

Hodgson was signed by the Blue Jays in 1977, at 17.

The next three years in the minors, he’d meet and befriend Black and Latino players, including future Jays stars Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield.

“I always got along fine with them, I didn’t have a problem. Did I look Black? I dunno, maybe, some. [Former Jay] Boomer Wells said he wasn’t sure what I was, he just knew I wasn’t a pure white guy.

“Jesse, Lloyd, it didn’t matter to those guys, they didn’t care what you were.”

Hodgson got his shot at the big leagues in 1980, proving himself defensively in the outfield, hitting a home run off all-star Dennis Martinez and a clutch three-run triple in another game.

The 1981 season saw him tear his rotator cuff, and despite surgery, he couldn’t gain enough strength back in that shoulder to make it back to the big leagues.

He was out of baseball by 1985.

At the same time, he was coming to grips with the family secret.

“It was good to finally know why I was a little different. I guess I was like those guys I watched on TV. I had some of those genes in me. I was glad my [adopted) father told me.”

A man in a Blue Jays uniform batting — When Hodgson made it onto the Jays in September 1980, he was only the second Canadian to play for the team. (Submitted by Paul Hodgson)

Still, it wasn’t openly discussed, because nobody wanted to upset the complicated family dynamics.

His birth mother’s name was Elaine, and she lived nearby in Marysville, a woman Hodgson had thought was a cousin.

It all started in 1959 in Montreal, where Elaine lived.

She had been dating a U.S. Air Force member from the nearby base in Plattsburgh, N.Y., for a couple of years. Then she got pregnant.

Two men standing side-by-side and pointing at each other — Hodgson, pictured here with Blue Jays teammate Lloyd Moseby, said it never seemed to matter to his friends what race he was. (Submitted by Paul Hodgson)

“Her father was not happy, and he even went as far as to drive to Plattsburg to tell the highest-ranking officer he could find that he didn’t want my birth father to see Elaine again, and if he did, big trouble.

“One of the sergeants grabbed him and said, ‘You could lose your career, pension, everything.’ This was 1959, and he was a Black man. Very different times.”

Elaine asked her beloved uncle and aunt in Marysville to adopt the baby.

Soon she moved there too, married and had a family.

All stayed quiet until 2017, at a family reunion.

“The day of the big gathering, my uncle emailed the group with a family genealogy,” Hodgson said.

A black and white photo of a young lady holding a baby in her arms — Hodgson, shown here with his birth mother Elaine, who lived nearby in Marysville. Hodgson knew Elaine to be his cousin, but later in life, he was able to get the full story from her. (Submitted by Paul Hodgson)

In the email, Elaine’s children were listed as his sisters.

“Chaos and hilarity ensued,” Hodgson says.

With everything out in the open, he talked to Elaine about it for the first time and got the whole story.

His birth father was Jerry Arceneaux, from Lake Charles, La.

Encouraged by his partner, Lisa, they were able to track down one of Jerry’s daughters.

A middle age man, left, sitting next to an older man, right. — After learning more about his family genealogy in 2017, Hodgson was able to meet his birth father, Jerry Arceneaux, in Georgia. (Submitted by Paul Hodgson)

She put Hodgson in touch with his father, now living in Georgia and retired from a distinguished military and human resources career.

Hodgson and Lisa went to Georgia, meeting two of Paul’s new sisters, and his birth father for the first time.

He found out where he got his athletic genes from.

“He’s six foot seven, a Black Belt in several styles, and played on the all-world basketball team for the U.S. Air Force. He is a very calming influence, a very intelligent man.”

Paul also has two new brothers elsewhere in the U.S., and he’s been welcomed into the family without reservation. Through texts and social media, Paul’s father, siblings, nephews, nieces, and new friends all stay close and connected.

He’s just as close with his birth mom Elaine, and his sisters and family in Fredericton.

“It’s as good as it could be,” Hodgson said. “I’m so happy that that all happened. It’s frustrating that it didn’t happen earlier, because it would have been super nice to have those people in my life. Just the perspective of being part of a southern Black family — they’re all good people, they’re all smart people.”

A selfie of a smiling woman, left, and a smiling man wearing sunglasses, right — Hodgson, pictured here with his sister Rene Arceneaux, whom he met later in life. (Submitted by Paul Hodgson)

Paul’s birth parents, Elaine and Jerry, have even been able to speak, too, for the first time since 1959.

After baseball, Paul returned to Fredericton for a few years, including a stint as a sports announcer and reporter for CBC TV. He now lives in Toronto, working for the Ontario government.

Fredericton has changed a lot since the ’60s.

It’s multicultural, as a large influx of immigrants and foreign students has changed the face of the city.

It’s well-known as the birthplace of Willie O’Ree, the first Black NHL player.

Now the city has another Black sports star to celebrate.

“I don’t think most people in Fredericton even know,” Hodgson said.

A text-based banner image with the words 'Being Black in Canada'. — (CBC)

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.

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