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Following is an excerpt from a review of William Boardman's Circling the Drain: Trump's Assault on America in the August 21, 2025 issue of The Vermont Standard
Boardman’s latest work, “Circling the Drain: Trump’s Assault on America,” published by Toronto-based Yorkland Publishing, focuses on what he describes as an unprecedented assault on American democratic institutions. The 332-page book emerged from his conviction that the constitutional crisis began on Day One of Trump’s current term.
“[Trump] just asserted the right to rewrite the Constitution, all by himself and issued a whole lot of executive orders, many of which were illegal,” Boardman, a Woodstock resident, explained during a phone interview with the Standard this week.
The veteran reporter, who moved to Vermont in 1971, brings decades of journalistic experience to his analysis. After working as a reporter and editor, Boardman served as an elected non-lawyer judge for 20 years and spent 10 years writing articles warning of American decline for Reader Supported News.
“Circling the Drain” dissects what Boardman called Trump’s “deluge of lies, criminality, cruelty, and ultimate aim: to replace America’s 250-year-old democracy with autocratic rule.” The book analyzes three key events to illustrate broader patterns: the Oval Office meeting where Ukrainian President Zelensky was “ambushed by Trump and his cabinet and sent packing,” Trump’s virtual State of the Union speech about America’s “golden age,” and his address to the Justice Department that preceded arrests of a congresswoman and a judge. Boardman argued these events demonstrate the “chaos and immorality” of current American foreign policy and domestic governance.
“[Trump] just asserted the right to rewrite the Constitution, all by himself and issued a whole lot of executive orders, many of which were illegal,” Boardman, a Woodstock resident, explained during a phone interview with the Standard this week.
The veteran reporter, who moved to Vermont in 1971, brings decades of journalistic experience to his analysis. After working as a reporter and editor, Boardman served as an elected non-lawyer judge for 20 years and spent 10 years writing articles warning of American decline for Reader Supported News.
“Circling the Drain” dissects what Boardman called Trump’s “deluge of lies, criminality, cruelty, and ultimate aim: to replace America’s 250-year-old democracy with autocratic rule.” The book analyzes three key events to illustrate broader patterns: the Oval Office meeting where Ukrainian President Zelensky was “ambushed by Trump and his cabinet and sent packing,” Trump’s virtual State of the Union speech about America’s “golden age,” and his address to the Justice Department that preceded arrests of a congresswoman and a judge. Boardman argued these events demonstrate the “chaos and immorality” of current American foreign policy and domestic governance.
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Aug. 18, 2025 — American author and reporter William Boardman has a new book coming out soon: Circling the Drain: Trump’s Assault on America by Toronto-based Yorkland Publishing. The 332-pager "dissects the words and actions of the [United States] president and his MAGA cohorts," laying "bare [Donald] Trump’s deluge of lies, criminality, cruelty, and his ultimate aim: to replace America’s 250-year-old democracy with autocratic rule." The book also provides the reader with "12 Rules for Surviving Trump 2.0."
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Does Trump’s rampant lawlessness mean that America is ‘Circling the Drain’?
New book exposes his lies, cruelty, and push toward autocratic rule
TORONTO, August 5, 2025 – Will the Trump administration's MAGA-fueled onslaught destroy the world’s oldest democracy?
In searching for an answer, William Boardman’s latest book, Circling the Drain: Trump’s Assault on America, analyzes the chaos created by Trump’s hundreds of illegal executive orders, thousands of illegal deportations, and dozens of illegal assaults on law firms, universities, media companies, and other traditional pillars of civil society.
“Our constitutional crisis began on Day One – January 20, 2025 – when Trump claimed the authority to rewrite the Constitution by executive order,” Boardman writes. “As of mid-2025, all three branches of government are controlled by radicals planning a totalitarian America.”
With surgical precision, Boardman dissects the words and actions of President Donald Trump to lay bare his deluge of lies, criminality, cruelty, and ultimate aim: to replace America’s 250-year-old democracy with autocratic rule. All this derives from Trump’s frequent claim: “I was saved by God to make America great again.”
In response, Boardman says “Circling the Drain is my urgent contribution to the struggle for democratic resistance – a call to action that arms readers with the most potent weapon against tyranny: truth.”
He achieves this with a scathing analysis of Trump’s: • Oval Office meeting where he assaults Ukrainian President Zelenski and demonstrates the diplomatic incompetence that underlies his failure to end the Russian war in a day, as promised in his campaign. • Virtual State of the Union speech where he blatantly lies about his election “mandate,” the immigration “emergency,” DOGE “savings,” and other fantasies of his new “golden age of America.” • Speech in the Great Hall of the Justice Department where he shamelessly lies about following the rule of law even as his administration deports innocent immigrants with no due process of law.
Circling the Drain also examines in detail Trump’s assault on Harvard University, quasi-military attack on Los Angeles, defiance of court orders, and arrest of a judge and provides the reader with “12 Rules for Surviving Trump 2.0.”
Veteran reporter Boardman grew up in Manhattan, graduated from Yale, wrote for television, and moved to Vermont in 1971. He worked as a reporter and editor, then served as an elected non-lawyer judge for 20 years. For 10 years, he wrote articles warning of American decline for Reader Supported News, the best of which were collected in his 2019 book, EXCEPTIONAL: American Exceptionalism Takes Its Toll.
The 338-page Circling the Drain: Trump’s Assault on America, published by Toronto-based Yorkland Publishing, retails for C$34.99 (US$24.99). It will soon be available in bookstores everywhere and on Amazon and other social media sites. It can also be purchased directly from the publisher at www.yorklandpublishing.com. -30-
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Following is the Canadian Paralympic Committee's review of Jason Dunkerley's autobiography, Visions of Hope: Running Towards My Own Truth:
Jason Dunkerley turns rain into sunshine with powerful autobiography Visions of Hope
OTTAWA – Jason Dunkerley was primarily a middle distance runner in his long national team career, which included five medals over five Paralympic Games, but his new book Visions of Hope: Running Towards my Own Truth was a marathon project.
As he was on the track, the visually impaired runner was determined to reach the finish line, in this case the last line.
It was another objective reached for Dunkerley, who never let his lack of sight diminish his drive to live life to the fullest or prevent him from developing his multifaceted talent and inspiring others to achieve personal fulfillment through music and sport.
And it was well worth the wait. Dunkerley has produced a riveting account of his extraordinary life on and off the playing field.
Visions of Hope: Running Towards my Own Truth is currently available at Amazon, Indigo and Yorkland Publishing. ‘’I’ve been thinking about writing a book for years really,” Dunkerley told CPC last week from Ottawa, where he resides. “I had a story that I wanted to share. Some people connected to me through running, some through music, others through work, and of course personally. I wanted to bring that together.”
In the 232-page autobiography published by Yorkland Publishing, Dunkerley delves behind the scenes in the world of high performance sport: the rigours of intensive training, the rapport between athletes, and in Dunkerley’s case his relationship with his guides. He transforms injuries, competitive heartbreaks and uncertainty into triumphs – and we are not necessarily talking medals here.
But the heartbeat of the story is Dunkerley’s life outside the playing field. Topics include immigration, marriage breakup, suicide, and ultimately a life-saving decision, and throughout Dunkerley wields his wisdom and philosophies. It ultimately leads to a universal message.
‘’It was important for me first, that my story shows younger people who are visually impaired, and their parents especially, that they could realize that blindness doesn’t put you on the sidelines, especially in regard to physical activity and education,” said Dunkerley, whose brother Jon is also a visually impaired Paralympian.
‘’With the right support and encouragement, it is possible to follow your passion like I did with running and music.”
The book is dedicated to Dunkerley’s mother Rae, who passed away in 2019: “who gave me life, love, self-belief. Your light guides me forward.”
‘’She was such a profound influence,” he said. ‘’I try to tell my story but also relate her story as well.”
Dunkerley said it took about four and half years to complete the project and just like the last few hundred metres of a 5000-metre race it took every ounce of energy to pound that final period on the keyboard. As a visually impaired runner, Dunkerley competed with a guide. In the book writing process, Dr. Joannie Halas in some sort filled that role.
‘’There were some stops and starts for sure,’’ he said. ‘’Joannie was a friend from university, and she would encourage me to keep at it and she really helped me with the manuscript and always asking me when she can expect the next chapter.’’
‘’She was the voice in my head encouraging me not to give up. There were certainly moments where I was wondering whether I really did have this in me, and whether it is a story worth telling – with all those insecurities that pop up when you’re trying to be vulnerable, I’m just very grateful to her.’’
Anyone who attempts to be published in this day and age knows all too well the challenges in the business. More and more publishers pay greater attention to your level of influence on social media rather than the quality of the story.
But it was obvious Visions of Hope: Running Towards my Own Truth went beyond the regular sports story.
‘’Visions of Hope is an insightful at times poetic account of the life of a Canadian Paralympian,’’ wrote legendary Canadian Olympic runner Bruce Kidd in the foreword. ‘’Right off the top you’re caught up in the stresses and adventures of the sport and the efforts he had to make to manage the relationships and environments around him.
‘’It’s a moving and courageous story.”
Dunkerley is also a talented musician and songwriter and he sprinkles some of his poetry throughout the book.
‘’Those poems really convey a lot of deep feelings and reactions about my life,” said Dunkerley. ‘’I’m proud of them and I was happy to include them in the book. Poetry is a different way of expressing ourselves.”
Jason Dunkerley will officially launch his biography on Thursday May 1 at at Ottawa’s Red Bird (1165 Bank St.) at 8 p.m. At the launch he will also perform songs from his latest CD Out of the Blue.
As he was on the track, the visually impaired runner was determined to reach the finish line, in this case the last line.
It was another objective reached for Dunkerley, who never let his lack of sight diminish his drive to live life to the fullest or prevent him from developing his multifaceted talent and inspiring others to achieve personal fulfillment through music and sport.
And it was well worth the wait. Dunkerley has produced a riveting account of his extraordinary life on and off the playing field.
Visions of Hope: Running Towards my Own Truth is currently available at Amazon, Indigo and Yorkland Publishing. ‘’I’ve been thinking about writing a book for years really,” Dunkerley told CPC last week from Ottawa, where he resides. “I had a story that I wanted to share. Some people connected to me through running, some through music, others through work, and of course personally. I wanted to bring that together.”
In the 232-page autobiography published by Yorkland Publishing, Dunkerley delves behind the scenes in the world of high performance sport: the rigours of intensive training, the rapport between athletes, and in Dunkerley’s case his relationship with his guides. He transforms injuries, competitive heartbreaks and uncertainty into triumphs – and we are not necessarily talking medals here.
But the heartbeat of the story is Dunkerley’s life outside the playing field. Topics include immigration, marriage breakup, suicide, and ultimately a life-saving decision, and throughout Dunkerley wields his wisdom and philosophies. It ultimately leads to a universal message.
‘’It was important for me first, that my story shows younger people who are visually impaired, and their parents especially, that they could realize that blindness doesn’t put you on the sidelines, especially in regard to physical activity and education,” said Dunkerley, whose brother Jon is also a visually impaired Paralympian.
‘’With the right support and encouragement, it is possible to follow your passion like I did with running and music.”
The book is dedicated to Dunkerley’s mother Rae, who passed away in 2019: “who gave me life, love, self-belief. Your light guides me forward.”
‘’She was such a profound influence,” he said. ‘’I try to tell my story but also relate her story as well.”
Dunkerley said it took about four and half years to complete the project and just like the last few hundred metres of a 5000-metre race it took every ounce of energy to pound that final period on the keyboard. As a visually impaired runner, Dunkerley competed with a guide. In the book writing process, Dr. Joannie Halas in some sort filled that role.
‘’There were some stops and starts for sure,’’ he said. ‘’Joannie was a friend from university, and she would encourage me to keep at it and she really helped me with the manuscript and always asking me when she can expect the next chapter.’’
‘’She was the voice in my head encouraging me not to give up. There were certainly moments where I was wondering whether I really did have this in me, and whether it is a story worth telling – with all those insecurities that pop up when you’re trying to be vulnerable, I’m just very grateful to her.’’
Anyone who attempts to be published in this day and age knows all too well the challenges in the business. More and more publishers pay greater attention to your level of influence on social media rather than the quality of the story.
But it was obvious Visions of Hope: Running Towards my Own Truth went beyond the regular sports story.
‘’Visions of Hope is an insightful at times poetic account of the life of a Canadian Paralympian,’’ wrote legendary Canadian Olympic runner Bruce Kidd in the foreword. ‘’Right off the top you’re caught up in the stresses and adventures of the sport and the efforts he had to make to manage the relationships and environments around him.
‘’It’s a moving and courageous story.”
Dunkerley is also a talented musician and songwriter and he sprinkles some of his poetry throughout the book.
‘’Those poems really convey a lot of deep feelings and reactions about my life,” said Dunkerley. ‘’I’m proud of them and I was happy to include them in the book. Poetry is a different way of expressing ourselves.”
Jason Dunkerley will officially launch his biography on Thursday May 1 at at Ottawa’s Red Bird (1165 Bank St.) at 8 p.m. At the launch he will also perform songs from his latest CD Out of the Blue.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Famed Canadian Paralympic runner launches autobiography OTTAWA, April 22, 2025 – Jason Dunkerley, an iconic blind Canadian middle-distance runner and musician, will launch his acclaimed autobiography, Visions of Hope: Running Towards My Own Truth, at Ottawa’s Red Bird on Thursday, May 1, at 8 pm. An accomplished guitarist and songwriter, Dunkerley will perform some of his compositions, read passages from Visions of Hope, and discuss details of his extraordinary accomplishments. The audience will have ample opportunity to ask questions, mingle with the author, and purchase a copy of Visions of Hope, which Dunkerley will be happy to sign. Blind from birth with a congenital eye condition, Dunkerley achieved international acclaim as a five-time Paralympic medalist and world champion. Visions of Hope, published by Toronto-based Yorkland Publishing, introduces the reader to the behind-the-scenes intricacies of top-tier athletics: the drudgery and painful rigours of intensive training; the building of rapport among athlete, guide, and coach; the development and implementation of winning strategies; the never-ending struggle to excel; the searing letdown of defeat, and the euphoric triumph of victory. Bruce Kidd, a fabled Canadian Olympian and Professor Emeritus of Sport Politics and Policy at the University of Toronto, calls Visions of Hope “an insightful, at times poetic, account of the life of a Canadian Paralympian.” Dunkerley, born in Northern Ireland, emigrated to Canada with his family in 1991 when he was thirteen. He never let his lack of sight diminish his drive to live life to the fullest or prevent him from developing his multifaceted talent and inspiring others to achieve personal fulfillment through music and sport. Red Bird, a combination concert stage, licensed cafe, and music school, is situated at 1165 Bank St. Tickets for the launch are free and can be reserved on Showpass (https://www.showpass.com/jason-dunkerley). -30-
Famed Canadian Paralympic runner launches autobiography OTTAWA, April 22, 2025 – Jason Dunkerley, an iconic blind Canadian middle-distance runner and musician, will launch his acclaimed autobiography, Visions of Hope: Running Towards My Own Truth, at Ottawa’s Red Bird on Thursday, May 1, at 8 pm. An accomplished guitarist and songwriter, Dunkerley will perform some of his compositions, read passages from Visions of Hope, and discuss details of his extraordinary accomplishments. The audience will have ample opportunity to ask questions, mingle with the author, and purchase a copy of Visions of Hope, which Dunkerley will be happy to sign. Blind from birth with a congenital eye condition, Dunkerley achieved international acclaim as a five-time Paralympic medalist and world champion. Visions of Hope, published by Toronto-based Yorkland Publishing, introduces the reader to the behind-the-scenes intricacies of top-tier athletics: the drudgery and painful rigours of intensive training; the building of rapport among athlete, guide, and coach; the development and implementation of winning strategies; the never-ending struggle to excel; the searing letdown of defeat, and the euphoric triumph of victory. Bruce Kidd, a fabled Canadian Olympian and Professor Emeritus of Sport Politics and Policy at the University of Toronto, calls Visions of Hope “an insightful, at times poetic, account of the life of a Canadian Paralympian.” Dunkerley, born in Northern Ireland, emigrated to Canada with his family in 1991 when he was thirteen. He never let his lack of sight diminish his drive to live life to the fullest or prevent him from developing his multifaceted talent and inspiring others to achieve personal fulfillment through music and sport. Red Bird, a combination concert stage, licensed cafe, and music school, is situated at 1165 Bank St. Tickets for the launch are free and can be reserved on Showpass (https://www.showpass.com/jason-dunkerley). -30-
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Chris White and Carolyn Sutherland interviewed Jason on Canadian Spaces on Ottawa’s CKCU on January 25, 2025. They played the title track from Jason’s 'Out of the Blue' album, he performed his song 'Walk Away' live, and they chatted about Visions of Hope: Running Towards My Own Truth. To listen to the interview, click here. Once on the site, press 'Listen Now.' The interview starts at 49:15 and goes to 1:07:00.
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Click here to check it out.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Celebrated Canadian Paralympic athlete writes autobiography
TORONTO, October 16, 2024 – Yorkland Publishing today announced the upcoming publication of Jason Dunkerley’s Visions of Hope: Running Towards My Own Truth, an autobiography of an iconic blind Canadian middle-distance runner who won five Paralympic medals and numerous other laurels during his storied career. In telling his story, Dunkerley introduces the reader to the behind-the-scenes intricacies of top-tier athletics: the rigours of intensive training; the building of rapport among athlete, guide and coach; the development and implementation of winning strategies; the never-ending struggle to excel; the searing letdown of defeat, and the euphoric triumph of victory. Bruce Kidd, a fabled Canadian Olympian and Professor Emeritus of Sport Politics and Policy at the University of Toronto, called Visions of Hope “an insightful, at times poetic, account of the life of a Canadian Paralympian.” Visions of Hope will soon be available from bookstores everywhere, but prepublication orders can be placed immediately at Yorkland Publishing’s website (www.yorklandpublishing.com). Yorkland Publishing plans to release Visions of Hope in a large-type edition and as an eBook by mid-November and is partnering with the CNIB to produce an audiobook for release early next year. -30-
Celebrated Canadian Paralympic athlete writes autobiography
TORONTO, October 16, 2024 – Yorkland Publishing today announced the upcoming publication of Jason Dunkerley’s Visions of Hope: Running Towards My Own Truth, an autobiography of an iconic blind Canadian middle-distance runner who won five Paralympic medals and numerous other laurels during his storied career. In telling his story, Dunkerley introduces the reader to the behind-the-scenes intricacies of top-tier athletics: the rigours of intensive training; the building of rapport among athlete, guide and coach; the development and implementation of winning strategies; the never-ending struggle to excel; the searing letdown of defeat, and the euphoric triumph of victory. Bruce Kidd, a fabled Canadian Olympian and Professor Emeritus of Sport Politics and Policy at the University of Toronto, called Visions of Hope “an insightful, at times poetic, account of the life of a Canadian Paralympian.” Visions of Hope will soon be available from bookstores everywhere, but prepublication orders can be placed immediately at Yorkland Publishing’s website (www.yorklandpublishing.com). Yorkland Publishing plans to release Visions of Hope in a large-type edition and as an eBook by mid-November and is partnering with the CNIB to produce an audiobook for release early next year. -30-
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Heather Reisman’s Indigo supports Canadian author Sheila White with GTA book tour
TORONTO, May 23, 2024 – Indigo Books & Music founder and CEO Heather Reisman is fulfilling her pledge to support Canadian authors by kickstarting a multi-store book tour by Sheila White. Details are at www.indigo.ca/events. White’s acclaimed biographical novel, The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, recounts the courtship and marriage of the author’s white mother and Black father. Set in 1940s Halifax and Toronto, The Letters is the inspiring, Canadian story of the author’s parents: Vivian Keeler, who courageously bucked ingrained taboos and a stringent letter-writing campaign urging her “not to marry outside her race,” and Bill White, a multi-talented member of a prominent Black family. White and The Letters’ publisher Ed Shiller, founder of Yorkland Publishing (www.yorklandpublishing.com), approached Reisman with a proposal to host “meet the author” events at Indigo stores in the Greater Toronto Area. She readily accepted, proclaiming that “we want to support local authors” and “are committed to supporting Canadian voices.” White’s first stop is Indigo - Yonge & Eglinton, 2300 Yonge Street in Toronto, on Saturday, May 25, beginning at 2 pm. This will be followed by:
• Indigo - Bay Bloor, 55 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Saturday, June 1 at 2 pm
• Indigo - Yorkdale Shopping Center, 3401 Dufferin Street, North York, Saturday, June 8 at 2 pm
• Indigo - Square One, 100 City Centre Driver #1-706, Mississauga, Saturday, June 15 at 2 pm
• Indigo - Ajax, 90 Kingston Road East, Ajax, Saturday, June 22 at 2 pm
• Indigo - Oshawa Centre, 419 King Street West, Unit #1135, Oshawa, Saturday, June 29 at 2 pm
• Chapters - Woodbridge, 3900 Hwy 7 #1, Woodbridge, Saturday, July 6 at 2 pm
White will regale Indigo patrons with a behind-the-scenes account of The Letters, including descriptions of several historical characters who appear in the book. Among them are famous concert singer Portia White, the author’s aunt; trailblazing First World War hero Rev. Capt. Dr. William Andrew White, the author’s grandfather who served as chaplain of the segregated No. 2 Construction Battalion, and David Lewis, national secretary of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), the precursor of the NDP. Cinema legend Sidney Poitier and Canadian civil rights icon Viola Desmond are also woven into The Letters’ narrative. White will also bring samples of the actual letters that inspired her biographical novel, and sign copies of the book, which has received rave reviewers from several prominent readers. Jack Lakey, former Toronto Star city hall reporter and Fixer columnist, called The Letters “a fascinating read, particularly for those who don’t recognize the contributions of people like Sheila White’s parents to a more egalitarian society today.” Sylvia D. Hamilton, a filmmaker and writer who produced and directed the documentary Portia White: Think on Me, said “Vivian Keeler and Billy White’s triumphant inter-racial love story is truly one for our time.” And PEI reader Lynn Ellsworth summed up The Letters with a single word: “Unputdownable!” -30-
Heather Reisman’s Indigo supports Canadian author Sheila White with GTA book tour
TORONTO, May 23, 2024 – Indigo Books & Music founder and CEO Heather Reisman is fulfilling her pledge to support Canadian authors by kickstarting a multi-store book tour by Sheila White. Details are at www.indigo.ca/events. White’s acclaimed biographical novel, The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, recounts the courtship and marriage of the author’s white mother and Black father. Set in 1940s Halifax and Toronto, The Letters is the inspiring, Canadian story of the author’s parents: Vivian Keeler, who courageously bucked ingrained taboos and a stringent letter-writing campaign urging her “not to marry outside her race,” and Bill White, a multi-talented member of a prominent Black family. White and The Letters’ publisher Ed Shiller, founder of Yorkland Publishing (www.yorklandpublishing.com), approached Reisman with a proposal to host “meet the author” events at Indigo stores in the Greater Toronto Area. She readily accepted, proclaiming that “we want to support local authors” and “are committed to supporting Canadian voices.” White’s first stop is Indigo - Yonge & Eglinton, 2300 Yonge Street in Toronto, on Saturday, May 25, beginning at 2 pm. This will be followed by:
• Indigo - Bay Bloor, 55 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Saturday, June 1 at 2 pm
• Indigo - Yorkdale Shopping Center, 3401 Dufferin Street, North York, Saturday, June 8 at 2 pm
• Indigo - Square One, 100 City Centre Driver #1-706, Mississauga, Saturday, June 15 at 2 pm
• Indigo - Ajax, 90 Kingston Road East, Ajax, Saturday, June 22 at 2 pm
• Indigo - Oshawa Centre, 419 King Street West, Unit #1135, Oshawa, Saturday, June 29 at 2 pm
• Chapters - Woodbridge, 3900 Hwy 7 #1, Woodbridge, Saturday, July 6 at 2 pm
White will regale Indigo patrons with a behind-the-scenes account of The Letters, including descriptions of several historical characters who appear in the book. Among them are famous concert singer Portia White, the author’s aunt; trailblazing First World War hero Rev. Capt. Dr. William Andrew White, the author’s grandfather who served as chaplain of the segregated No. 2 Construction Battalion, and David Lewis, national secretary of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), the precursor of the NDP. Cinema legend Sidney Poitier and Canadian civil rights icon Viola Desmond are also woven into The Letters’ narrative. White will also bring samples of the actual letters that inspired her biographical novel, and sign copies of the book, which has received rave reviewers from several prominent readers. Jack Lakey, former Toronto Star city hall reporter and Fixer columnist, called The Letters “a fascinating read, particularly for those who don’t recognize the contributions of people like Sheila White’s parents to a more egalitarian society today.” Sylvia D. Hamilton, a filmmaker and writer who produced and directed the documentary Portia White: Think on Me, said “Vivian Keeler and Billy White’s triumphant inter-racial love story is truly one for our time.” And PEI reader Lynn Ellsworth summed up The Letters with a single word: “Unputdownable!” -30-
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Canada's History contributing editor Nelle Oosterom interviewed Sheila White, author of The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White.
The interview is published in the June-July 2024 issue. Or click here to read it online.
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Sheila White's The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White gets rave review on Goodreads.
ByJoyce MacPheeit was amazing
This ambitious book tackles relevant issues including racism and the changes needed to overcome it in Canada following World War II. Sheila White wanted to tell the compelling story of the romance of her parents, Bill and Vivian White, a biracial couple in the late 1940s whose attitudes were clearly ahead of their time.
White had the meticulous diaries and scrapbooks of her mother, the testimony of family and friends and historical sources to draw on. Yet she felt she had not gleaned enough information from her parents during their lives to create a non-fictional account. So White filled in the gaps with well-researched but fictional details and created a biographical novel. This genre has been defined as a novel that “provides a fictional account of a contemporary or historical person's life”.
The result is a fascinating read that paints believable depictions of rural, traditional Nova Scotia as well as the bustling, progressive metropolis of Toronto. The book chronicles how the couple met, fell in love, and moved from the Maritimes to Toronto to marry while meeting with considerable resistance.
The author incorporated detailed descriptions of everyday life that made the story seem real and relatable. The book was also rich in historical references, especially the depictions of the changing social and political elements in Toronto that advocated for social justice and racial equality. My interest was maintained for the more than 430 pages.
The path of true love never did run smoothly. Vivian Keeler received outright condemnation for wanting to marry a black man named Bill White. Her mother, other relatives and friends of the family wrote several scathing letters roundly condemning their impending union. The reasons against the upcoming nuptials ranged from supposedly religious evidence to false genetics arguments to predictions that they were condemning their future children to lives of misery. The opposition also took other forms that were even more troubling.
There were also many attempts to make Vivian feel guilty for her brave choice. The fact that her mother was a widow who raised her two young children alone following the death of her husband was emphasized.
Bill came from a well-known Nova Scotia family that included his father William “Andrew” White, a beloved minister who served in World War I and his sister Portia White, a renowned classical singer. Yet this charismatic and caring man, who ran for political office, loved to help people in his community and lead groups in song was criticized for being divorced, older and worst of all, coming from another race.
It was impossible not to root for this plucky couple, who faced not only family and societal opposition but financial and career hurdles. They even found difficulty finding a landlord who would rent to a “mixed” couple. Faced with the ugly realities of racism, the author’s parents chose to rise above it all and this book describes myriad ways in which they did so. Vivian displayed fierce courage, kindness and loyalty before and during her marriage. Bill remained upbeat, positive and devoted to his family and those around him.
Both of the author’s parents went on to make enormous volunteer contributions to their church and community. They were publicly recognized for their efforts with Vivian being awarded a Queen’s Jubilee Award for Voluntarism and Bill receiving the Order of Canada.
This is not only a story of romantic love and personal transcendence, it is a reflection of the evolution and progression of Canadian society. Many friends, relatives, associates and organizations supported Bill and Vivian’s marriage. This helped them on their way to a long marriage that resulted in five happy and successful children. Most of all, their story is an expression of hope in a world where intolerance and racism appear to be on the rise.
“There is no place for racism in our world and we must do everything in our power to end it,” says the author in the epilogue. “I’d like this book to be part of the solution to countering nonsensical, race-based conspiracy theories and the poison hate that flows from them.” White says her book was an attempt to share her parents’ race relations success story, “their positive experience with the Toronto community and the exciting spirit of race relations they helped to fuel.”
The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White is a softcover book with an attractive cover, and pleasing typography and layout. The 40 photos, many of them from the White and Keeler families, add interest and context. The book was published by Yorkland Publishing and is available in bookstores everywhere or directly from yorklandpublishing.com.
White had the meticulous diaries and scrapbooks of her mother, the testimony of family and friends and historical sources to draw on. Yet she felt she had not gleaned enough information from her parents during their lives to create a non-fictional account. So White filled in the gaps with well-researched but fictional details and created a biographical novel. This genre has been defined as a novel that “provides a fictional account of a contemporary or historical person's life”.
The result is a fascinating read that paints believable depictions of rural, traditional Nova Scotia as well as the bustling, progressive metropolis of Toronto. The book chronicles how the couple met, fell in love, and moved from the Maritimes to Toronto to marry while meeting with considerable resistance.
The author incorporated detailed descriptions of everyday life that made the story seem real and relatable. The book was also rich in historical references, especially the depictions of the changing social and political elements in Toronto that advocated for social justice and racial equality. My interest was maintained for the more than 430 pages.
The path of true love never did run smoothly. Vivian Keeler received outright condemnation for wanting to marry a black man named Bill White. Her mother, other relatives and friends of the family wrote several scathing letters roundly condemning their impending union. The reasons against the upcoming nuptials ranged from supposedly religious evidence to false genetics arguments to predictions that they were condemning their future children to lives of misery. The opposition also took other forms that were even more troubling.
There were also many attempts to make Vivian feel guilty for her brave choice. The fact that her mother was a widow who raised her two young children alone following the death of her husband was emphasized.
Bill came from a well-known Nova Scotia family that included his father William “Andrew” White, a beloved minister who served in World War I and his sister Portia White, a renowned classical singer. Yet this charismatic and caring man, who ran for political office, loved to help people in his community and lead groups in song was criticized for being divorced, older and worst of all, coming from another race.
It was impossible not to root for this plucky couple, who faced not only family and societal opposition but financial and career hurdles. They even found difficulty finding a landlord who would rent to a “mixed” couple. Faced with the ugly realities of racism, the author’s parents chose to rise above it all and this book describes myriad ways in which they did so. Vivian displayed fierce courage, kindness and loyalty before and during her marriage. Bill remained upbeat, positive and devoted to his family and those around him.
Both of the author’s parents went on to make enormous volunteer contributions to their church and community. They were publicly recognized for their efforts with Vivian being awarded a Queen’s Jubilee Award for Voluntarism and Bill receiving the Order of Canada.
This is not only a story of romantic love and personal transcendence, it is a reflection of the evolution and progression of Canadian society. Many friends, relatives, associates and organizations supported Bill and Vivian’s marriage. This helped them on their way to a long marriage that resulted in five happy and successful children. Most of all, their story is an expression of hope in a world where intolerance and racism appear to be on the rise.
“There is no place for racism in our world and we must do everything in our power to end it,” says the author in the epilogue. “I’d like this book to be part of the solution to countering nonsensical, race-based conspiracy theories and the poison hate that flows from them.” White says her book was an attempt to share her parents’ race relations success story, “their positive experience with the Toronto community and the exciting spirit of race relations they helped to fuel.”
The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White is a softcover book with an attractive cover, and pleasing typography and layout. The 40 photos, many of them from the White and Keeler families, add interest and context. The book was published by Yorkland Publishing and is available in bookstores everywhere or directly from yorklandpublishing.com.
- Joyce MacPhee is an experienced writer, editor and
communications professional who has worked in the
federal government, non-profit and private sectors.
* * *
Sheila White was a guest on
'The Agenda With Steve Paikin'
.jpg)
Click here to watch the interview, broadcast on February 26, 2024
* * *
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Postal workers central to The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White
TORONTO, January 12, 2024 – If Sheila White’s biographical novel about her parents’ interracial marriage had been around a decade ago, a reader then might have thought of it merely as a riveting love story that focuses on bygone racism, bigotry and hatred. But The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, is more relevant today than perhaps at any time since the author’s white mother and Black father married in Toronto in 1947.
As the title suggests, the Canadian Post Office, as it was known at the time, played a central role in this historically accurate book, which chronicles the venomous bigotry heaped upon Vivian Keeler and Bill White, Sheila’s white mother and Black father, during their courtship in Halifax and Toronto immediately following the Second World War. Most strident was the letter-writing campaign orchestrated by Vivian’s mother to persuade her daughter not to “marry outside your race.” The biographical novel also features the poetically tender love letters between Vivian and Bill during their turbulent courtship.
“Having inspired this book, the letters, all of which my mother saved, now have a higher purpose – promoting social justice and harmony at a time when racism, anti-Semitism and attacks on the LGBTQ2S+ community and other vulnerable groups are on the rise,” Ms. White explains.
“If there is anything that the significant increase in hate crimes teaches us, it is that the fight for social justice must never end, that complacency leads to regression, that legislation alone will not end to bigotry and that responsibility rests with each and every one of us.”
The Letters tells the story of Vivian Keeler, an intelligent, attractive and determined white woman from a traditional Nova Scotia family who falls in love with Billy White, a charismatic and gifted member of a celebrated Black family.
Bill’s father, the renowned Rev. Dr. William Andrew White, made history as the only Black officer in the Canadian army during the First World War, serving as chaplain and Honourary Captain of the segregated No. 2 Construction Battalion. Bill’s brother, labour union activist Jack White, became the first Black business representative of any union representing ironworkers in North America in 1944. He was also one of CUPE’s first national staff representatives from a minority background. A heritage plaque honouring him will be unveiled this coming April in Toronto. And sister, Portia White, a celebrated contralto, was the first Black Canadian concert singer to achieve international fame. Bill was a race relations trailblazer in his own right. He was the first Black person in Canada to seek federal office, running for a seat in Parliament under the C.C.F. banner in 1949, and was awarded the Order of Canada in 1971.
The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White is available from bookstores everywhere and can be purchased directly from the Yorkland Publishing website: www.yorklandpublishing.com. -30-
Postal workers central to The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White
TORONTO, January 12, 2024 – If Sheila White’s biographical novel about her parents’ interracial marriage had been around a decade ago, a reader then might have thought of it merely as a riveting love story that focuses on bygone racism, bigotry and hatred. But The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, is more relevant today than perhaps at any time since the author’s white mother and Black father married in Toronto in 1947.
As the title suggests, the Canadian Post Office, as it was known at the time, played a central role in this historically accurate book, which chronicles the venomous bigotry heaped upon Vivian Keeler and Bill White, Sheila’s white mother and Black father, during their courtship in Halifax and Toronto immediately following the Second World War. Most strident was the letter-writing campaign orchestrated by Vivian’s mother to persuade her daughter not to “marry outside your race.” The biographical novel also features the poetically tender love letters between Vivian and Bill during their turbulent courtship.
“Having inspired this book, the letters, all of which my mother saved, now have a higher purpose – promoting social justice and harmony at a time when racism, anti-Semitism and attacks on the LGBTQ2S+ community and other vulnerable groups are on the rise,” Ms. White explains.
“If there is anything that the significant increase in hate crimes teaches us, it is that the fight for social justice must never end, that complacency leads to regression, that legislation alone will not end to bigotry and that responsibility rests with each and every one of us.”
The Letters tells the story of Vivian Keeler, an intelligent, attractive and determined white woman from a traditional Nova Scotia family who falls in love with Billy White, a charismatic and gifted member of a celebrated Black family.
Bill’s father, the renowned Rev. Dr. William Andrew White, made history as the only Black officer in the Canadian army during the First World War, serving as chaplain and Honourary Captain of the segregated No. 2 Construction Battalion. Bill’s brother, labour union activist Jack White, became the first Black business representative of any union representing ironworkers in North America in 1944. He was also one of CUPE’s first national staff representatives from a minority background. A heritage plaque honouring him will be unveiled this coming April in Toronto. And sister, Portia White, a celebrated contralto, was the first Black Canadian concert singer to achieve international fame. Bill was a race relations trailblazer in his own right. He was the first Black person in Canada to seek federal office, running for a seat in Parliament under the C.C.F. banner in 1949, and was awarded the Order of Canada in 1971.
The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White is available from bookstores everywhere and can be purchased directly from the Yorkland Publishing website: www.yorklandpublishing.com. -30-
* * *
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Meet the Author of The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White
TORONTO, November 7, 2023 – There’s a good chance it would be banned in many parts of the United States, but on Friday, November 10 at 7 pm, Sheila White’s The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White will be celebrated at the Neighbourhood Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 310 Danforth Avenue. The “Meet the Author” event is free to the public.
Based on a true story, White’s biographical novel centres on the controversial, interracial marriage in 1947 of her parents, their early anti-racism efforts and the role Toronto’s churches and progressives, including Unitarians, played in fostering diversity.
Vivian White (1925-2016) risked it all to marry a Black man. For seven months prior to her marriage, she was the target of a letter-writing campaign instigated by her mother aimed at stopping it.
Bill White (1915-1981) was the first Black person to seek office in Toronto when he ran for a seat in Parliament in 1949. A uniquely talented song leader and musician, he went on to win many awards and honours for humanitarianism, including the Order of Canada. Vivian won awards for voluntarism, including a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal.
White’s parents became Unitarians in 1950 and she was raised in the faith in Scarborough.
"Their story reflects Unitarian principles," White says, "in particular Principle Number One, the inherent dignity and worth of every person, and Principle Number Eight, the elimination of systemic racism and barriers to inclusion."
The author will share her perspective on race relations, read from The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, present a slide show illustrating some of its themes and sign copies. The event will also feature a display of historical artifacts, among them the actual letters, Vivian’s diary, photographs and other items related to events depicted in the book.
“Having inspired me to write about my parents’ own struggle against bigotry, the original letters, all of which my mother saved, now have a higher purpose – to promote social justice and harmony at a time when racism, anti-Semitism and attacks on the LGBTQ2S+ community and other vulnerable groups are on the rise,” White says.
“I am particularly concerned that so many schools and libraries in the United States are now banning books that examine the roots of racial discrimination or champion basic human rights for all people, regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or abilities.”
The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White is available for purchase at Friday’s event and at bookstores everywhere. You can also order a copy from Yorkland Publishing (yorklandpublishing.com). -30-
Meet the Author of The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White
TORONTO, November 7, 2023 – There’s a good chance it would be banned in many parts of the United States, but on Friday, November 10 at 7 pm, Sheila White’s The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White will be celebrated at the Neighbourhood Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 310 Danforth Avenue. The “Meet the Author” event is free to the public.
Based on a true story, White’s biographical novel centres on the controversial, interracial marriage in 1947 of her parents, their early anti-racism efforts and the role Toronto’s churches and progressives, including Unitarians, played in fostering diversity.
Vivian White (1925-2016) risked it all to marry a Black man. For seven months prior to her marriage, she was the target of a letter-writing campaign instigated by her mother aimed at stopping it.
Bill White (1915-1981) was the first Black person to seek office in Toronto when he ran for a seat in Parliament in 1949. A uniquely talented song leader and musician, he went on to win many awards and honours for humanitarianism, including the Order of Canada. Vivian won awards for voluntarism, including a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal.
White’s parents became Unitarians in 1950 and she was raised in the faith in Scarborough.
"Their story reflects Unitarian principles," White says, "in particular Principle Number One, the inherent dignity and worth of every person, and Principle Number Eight, the elimination of systemic racism and barriers to inclusion."
The author will share her perspective on race relations, read from The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, present a slide show illustrating some of its themes and sign copies. The event will also feature a display of historical artifacts, among them the actual letters, Vivian’s diary, photographs and other items related to events depicted in the book.
“Having inspired me to write about my parents’ own struggle against bigotry, the original letters, all of which my mother saved, now have a higher purpose – to promote social justice and harmony at a time when racism, anti-Semitism and attacks on the LGBTQ2S+ community and other vulnerable groups are on the rise,” White says.
“I am particularly concerned that so many schools and libraries in the United States are now banning books that examine the roots of racial discrimination or champion basic human rights for all people, regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or abilities.”
The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White is available for purchase at Friday’s event and at bookstores everywhere. You can also order a copy from Yorkland Publishing (yorklandpublishing.com). -30-
* * *
Ottawa Launch, October 21, 2023
Nathanael Newton created this marvelous video of the Ottawa Launch of Sheila White's The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black at White at the Riverside United Church. You can view it on YouTube.
* * *
Minister at Ottawa's Riverside United Church
in conversation with Sheila White
October 22, 2023
You can view the conversation with the Rev. Paul Dillman on YouTube, staring at the 24:45 time marker.
* * *
Radio Interview, October 18, 2023
Chris White interviewed his sister, Sheila White, author of The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, on CKCU 93.1 FM. Click here to listen. When the program begins to play, move the slider to the 37:20 time marker.
* * *
Radio Interview, October 16, 2023
Sheila White was interviewed on CKCU 93.1 FM's "Special Blend Monday" about her recently published biolgraphical novel, The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black an White. Click here to listen. When the program begins to play, move the slider to the 19:16 time marker.
* * *
The Caribbean Camera, October 12, 2023
* * *
Radio Interview, October 7, 2023
Sheila White, author of The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and Whtie, was interviewed on CBC radio's "Fresh Air with Ismaila Alfa." To listen, click here.
* * *
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Meet the Author of The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White A biographical novel chronicling an interracial marriage and the strength to overcome bigotry and hatred
TORONTO, October 4, 2023 – If Sheila White’s biographical novel about her parents’ interracial marriage had been around a decade ago, a reader then might have thought of it merely as a riveting love story that focuses on bygone racism, bigotry and hatred. But the recently released book, The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, is more relevant today than perhaps at any time since the author’s white mother and Black father married in Toronto in 1947.
The author, a decorated fighter for social justice, will share her perspective on race relations at four upcoming “Meet the Author” events in Toronto, Ottawa and Peterborough:
• Saturday, October 7, 2023, from 7 pm - 9 pm at Take Cover Books, 59 Hunter Street East, Peterborough
• Friday, October 13, 2023, from 6 pm – 8 pm at A Different Booklist, 779 Bathurst Street, Toronto
• Saturday, October 21, 2023, from 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm at Riverside United Church, 3191 Riverside Drive, Ottawa
• Friday, November 10, 2023, from 7 pm – 9 pm at the Neighbourhood Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 310 Danforth Avenue, Toronto.
Ms. White will also read from The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, present a slide show illustrating some of the book’s themes and sign copies, which will be available for purchase. In Ottawa a rare display of vintage artifacts pertinent to the storyline will be on view. Please visit the Yorkland Publishing website (https://yorklandpublishing.com) for more information.
The Letters was inspired by a strident letter-writing campaign by family and friends to pressure the author’s mother not to marry outside her race.
As Ms. White explains: “Having inspired this book, the letters, all of which my mother saved, now have a higher purpose – promoting social justice and harmony at a time when racism, anti-Semitism and attacks on the LGBTQ2S+ community and other vulnerable groups are on the rise.”
Ed Shiller of Yorkland Publishing calls The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White “an uplifting affirmation that the goodness within any of us can overcome the evil perpetrated by the misguided and the malevolent.”
The Letters tells the story of Vivian Keeler, an intelligent, attractive and determined white woman from a traditional Nova Scotia family who falls in love with Billy White, a charismatic and gifted member of a celebrated Black family. He is the brother of world-renowned classical singer Portia White and the son of a Black minister who garnered fame as an officer during the First World War. Vivian and Billy meet at a lunch counter in Halifax. During the next several months their casual friendship blossoms into romance. But the courtship that follows unleashes a torrent of rants that exposes the pervasive racism of the late 1940s.
The Letters is available at Take Cover Books, A Different Booklist and bookstores everywhere. You can also order a copy from the Yorkland Publishing website. -30-
Meet the Author of The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White A biographical novel chronicling an interracial marriage and the strength to overcome bigotry and hatred
TORONTO, October 4, 2023 – If Sheila White’s biographical novel about her parents’ interracial marriage had been around a decade ago, a reader then might have thought of it merely as a riveting love story that focuses on bygone racism, bigotry and hatred. But the recently released book, The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, is more relevant today than perhaps at any time since the author’s white mother and Black father married in Toronto in 1947.
The author, a decorated fighter for social justice, will share her perspective on race relations at four upcoming “Meet the Author” events in Toronto, Ottawa and Peterborough:
• Saturday, October 7, 2023, from 7 pm - 9 pm at Take Cover Books, 59 Hunter Street East, Peterborough
• Friday, October 13, 2023, from 6 pm – 8 pm at A Different Booklist, 779 Bathurst Street, Toronto
• Saturday, October 21, 2023, from 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm at Riverside United Church, 3191 Riverside Drive, Ottawa
• Friday, November 10, 2023, from 7 pm – 9 pm at the Neighbourhood Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 310 Danforth Avenue, Toronto.
Ms. White will also read from The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, present a slide show illustrating some of the book’s themes and sign copies, which will be available for purchase. In Ottawa a rare display of vintage artifacts pertinent to the storyline will be on view. Please visit the Yorkland Publishing website (https://yorklandpublishing.com) for more information.
The Letters was inspired by a strident letter-writing campaign by family and friends to pressure the author’s mother not to marry outside her race.
As Ms. White explains: “Having inspired this book, the letters, all of which my mother saved, now have a higher purpose – promoting social justice and harmony at a time when racism, anti-Semitism and attacks on the LGBTQ2S+ community and other vulnerable groups are on the rise.”
Ed Shiller of Yorkland Publishing calls The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White “an uplifting affirmation that the goodness within any of us can overcome the evil perpetrated by the misguided and the malevolent.”
The Letters tells the story of Vivian Keeler, an intelligent, attractive and determined white woman from a traditional Nova Scotia family who falls in love with Billy White, a charismatic and gifted member of a celebrated Black family. He is the brother of world-renowned classical singer Portia White and the son of a Black minister who garnered fame as an officer during the First World War. Vivian and Billy meet at a lunch counter in Halifax. During the next several months their casual friendship blossoms into romance. But the courtship that follows unleashes a torrent of rants that exposes the pervasive racism of the late 1940s.
The Letters is available at Take Cover Books, A Different Booklist and bookstores everywhere. You can also order a copy from the Yorkland Publishing website. -30-
* * *
The Spacing
Sheila White's biolgraphical novel, The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, is on display and for sale at Spacing, an amazing shop at 401 Richmond Street West that sells Toronto-centric books and memorabilia. Sheila recently visited Spacing to sign each copy of her book.
* * *
Ron Fanfair's All in News, August 15, 2023
Sheila White recounts the racism
her mother faced after marrying a Black man
Uncommon in the 1940s in some parts of Canada, interracial marriages were frowned upon and the daring couples knew the backlash would be harsh.
Vivian Keeler, a White woman from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and the daughter of a decorated World War 1 veteran, taking the bold step in 1947 to wed Haligonian social worker William ‘Bill’ White didn’t go down well with her own family and the community.
In a stack of letters she saved after making the decision to relocate to Toronto to be with White who got a job in Canada’s largest city, the wrath is evident.
“These letters were from her family and it was a campaign orchestrated by her mother, the community and people of the cloth all penning letters that my mom saved,” said her daughter Sheila White. “They told a story of attitudes that existed at the time. Maybe, she thought it would blow over and didn’t expect the intensity of the seven-month letter writing campaign. It did have an impact on her as we learn from the writings in her five-year diary.” White turned those letters into a biographical novel, ‘The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White’, that was launched on July 18.
She said her maternal grandmother’s letters were scathing.
“They stood out,” said White. “When you are about to be married, the one person you want at your side is your mother. At the juncture where the wedding is about to happen, she comes to Toronto and my mom gets the impression it would be the last time she would see her because she would be disowned from the family going forward. That didn’t happen and reconciliation took place.”
The letters and other family artifacts, including the diary chronicling the couple’s first few years in Toronto, are on display at the Don Heights Unitarian Church at 18 Wynford Dr.
“The diary provides an idea of the very progressive climate in this city that supported their marriage,” noted White. “So there is a lot of history woven in and it is all about their decision to get married.”
In the book’s afterword, educator Sandy Macdonald said she met Bill and Vivian White when they joined DHUC in 1960.
“They quickly became very involved members, Vivian using her formidable secretarial and archiving skills for organizing and storing church records and Bill as Music Director, ever the contributor to dialogue and a facilitator of thoughtful and new approaches,” the widow of late Urban Alliance on Race Relations co-founder Dr. Wilson Head wrote. “It is remarkable to me that Bill White always said discrimination never personally affected him or held him back which his life bore out. If he were alive today, I know Bill would be leading workshops on how to address racism and I know his solution would involve the universal language of music.”
White said the book’s focus is on ‘change for the better and on the enlightened community of progressive change-makers who welcomed my parents and the move for world brotherhood, a call never more urgent than today’.
“There is no place for racism in our world and we must do everything in our power to end it,” the descendant of Virginian slaves and Mayflower Pilgrims added. “I’d like this book to be part of the solution to countering nonsensical race-based conspiracy theories and the poisonous hate that flows from them.
“Everything my parents stood for would have been lost if care hadn’t been taken to save the hard copies. I do wish I had asked them substantive questions and I would advise any person today to consider interviewing the older adults in the family for details about lives lived, highlights, turning points, challenges and lessons learned.”
Bill White was the first Black Canadian to run for federal office in 1949 when he stood as the Co-Operative Commonwealth Federation candidate in Spadina. Founded in 1932, the CCF merged in 1961 with the Canadian Labour Congress to form the New Democratic Party. Yorkland Publishing, led by Ed and Rosemary Shiller, published the book. “From the moment Sheila, my wife {Rosemary} and I first discussed the possibility of a book, the project promised to become a beacon of hope, especially today when bigotry is on the rise and democracy and social justice are under siege,” he said. “This book is an uplifting affirmation that the goodness within any of us can overcome the evil perpetrated by the misguided and the malevolent.
“It is a reminder that the struggle for social justice never ends, that any progress thus far attained, including Vivian and Bill’s contribution, can only be sustained through constant vigilance and that complacency inevitably leads to regression. ‘The Letters’ reassures us that we too can make a palpable contribution, regardless of how big or small that contribution might be, to meeting the existential challenges of our time. It exemplifies the golden rule – Vivian and Bill responded to those who perpetrated bigotry and hatred, not with anger or violence, but with compassion and understanding.”
White started writing the novel just before the COVID lockdown in early 2020.
“The early narrative from my childhood was all about these letters,” she noted. “None of my mother’s family wanted her to marry my father because of his colour. The fact that the evidence exists so tangibly enabled me to weave together what I think is a really interesting story about some incredible people like the Brewton’s.”
Community leaders in the 1920s and 30s, Oscar and Leona Brewton were Yonge St. business owners.
He was a podiatrist who provided debt relief to the British Methodist Episcopal and the Grant African Methodist Episcopal churches and she was a beauty counsellor and founder of a religious boys’ school.
The Brewton’s were close friends of the White’s whose family patriarch was the executor of their estate.
Co-founders of the High Park Emancipation Day Picnic, the couple who came from Ohio just after the First World War, resided in Rosedale.
“They were pillars in the community and had an incredible amount to offer as successful business people showing the way for others,” White said.
In addition to the lantern plates on display, there is a copy of Professor Merl Eppse’s book, ‘A Guide to The Study of the Negro in American History’, that he signed for the Brewton’s in 1937. There are also a hand-painted fan that’s a prop used in the all-Black production of ‘The Mikado’ by the Toronto Negro Choral Society in 1949, a World War II rejection slip issued on racial grounds and a book containing the first race relations course that the United Church of Canada developed in 1946 for young people.
Vivian Keeler, a White woman from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and the daughter of a decorated World War 1 veteran, taking the bold step in 1947 to wed Haligonian social worker William ‘Bill’ White didn’t go down well with her own family and the community.
In a stack of letters she saved after making the decision to relocate to Toronto to be with White who got a job in Canada’s largest city, the wrath is evident.
“These letters were from her family and it was a campaign orchestrated by her mother, the community and people of the cloth all penning letters that my mom saved,” said her daughter Sheila White. “They told a story of attitudes that existed at the time. Maybe, she thought it would blow over and didn’t expect the intensity of the seven-month letter writing campaign. It did have an impact on her as we learn from the writings in her five-year diary.” White turned those letters into a biographical novel, ‘The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White’, that was launched on July 18.
She said her maternal grandmother’s letters were scathing.
“They stood out,” said White. “When you are about to be married, the one person you want at your side is your mother. At the juncture where the wedding is about to happen, she comes to Toronto and my mom gets the impression it would be the last time she would see her because she would be disowned from the family going forward. That didn’t happen and reconciliation took place.”
The letters and other family artifacts, including the diary chronicling the couple’s first few years in Toronto, are on display at the Don Heights Unitarian Church at 18 Wynford Dr.
“The diary provides an idea of the very progressive climate in this city that supported their marriage,” noted White. “So there is a lot of history woven in and it is all about their decision to get married.”
In the book’s afterword, educator Sandy Macdonald said she met Bill and Vivian White when they joined DHUC in 1960.
“They quickly became very involved members, Vivian using her formidable secretarial and archiving skills for organizing and storing church records and Bill as Music Director, ever the contributor to dialogue and a facilitator of thoughtful and new approaches,” the widow of late Urban Alliance on Race Relations co-founder Dr. Wilson Head wrote. “It is remarkable to me that Bill White always said discrimination never personally affected him or held him back which his life bore out. If he were alive today, I know Bill would be leading workshops on how to address racism and I know his solution would involve the universal language of music.”
White said the book’s focus is on ‘change for the better and on the enlightened community of progressive change-makers who welcomed my parents and the move for world brotherhood, a call never more urgent than today’.
“There is no place for racism in our world and we must do everything in our power to end it,” the descendant of Virginian slaves and Mayflower Pilgrims added. “I’d like this book to be part of the solution to countering nonsensical race-based conspiracy theories and the poisonous hate that flows from them.
“Everything my parents stood for would have been lost if care hadn’t been taken to save the hard copies. I do wish I had asked them substantive questions and I would advise any person today to consider interviewing the older adults in the family for details about lives lived, highlights, turning points, challenges and lessons learned.”
Bill White was the first Black Canadian to run for federal office in 1949 when he stood as the Co-Operative Commonwealth Federation candidate in Spadina. Founded in 1932, the CCF merged in 1961 with the Canadian Labour Congress to form the New Democratic Party. Yorkland Publishing, led by Ed and Rosemary Shiller, published the book. “From the moment Sheila, my wife {Rosemary} and I first discussed the possibility of a book, the project promised to become a beacon of hope, especially today when bigotry is on the rise and democracy and social justice are under siege,” he said. “This book is an uplifting affirmation that the goodness within any of us can overcome the evil perpetrated by the misguided and the malevolent.
“It is a reminder that the struggle for social justice never ends, that any progress thus far attained, including Vivian and Bill’s contribution, can only be sustained through constant vigilance and that complacency inevitably leads to regression. ‘The Letters’ reassures us that we too can make a palpable contribution, regardless of how big or small that contribution might be, to meeting the existential challenges of our time. It exemplifies the golden rule – Vivian and Bill responded to those who perpetrated bigotry and hatred, not with anger or violence, but with compassion and understanding.”
White started writing the novel just before the COVID lockdown in early 2020.
“The early narrative from my childhood was all about these letters,” she noted. “None of my mother’s family wanted her to marry my father because of his colour. The fact that the evidence exists so tangibly enabled me to weave together what I think is a really interesting story about some incredible people like the Brewton’s.”
Community leaders in the 1920s and 30s, Oscar and Leona Brewton were Yonge St. business owners.
He was a podiatrist who provided debt relief to the British Methodist Episcopal and the Grant African Methodist Episcopal churches and she was a beauty counsellor and founder of a religious boys’ school.
The Brewton’s were close friends of the White’s whose family patriarch was the executor of their estate.
Co-founders of the High Park Emancipation Day Picnic, the couple who came from Ohio just after the First World War, resided in Rosedale.
“They were pillars in the community and had an incredible amount to offer as successful business people showing the way for others,” White said.
In addition to the lantern plates on display, there is a copy of Professor Merl Eppse’s book, ‘A Guide to The Study of the Negro in American History’, that he signed for the Brewton’s in 1937. There are also a hand-painted fan that’s a prop used in the all-Black production of ‘The Mikado’ by the Toronto Negro Choral Society in 1949, a World War II rejection slip issued on racial grounds and a book containing the first race relations course that the United Church of Canada developed in 1946 for young people.
* * *
Spacing, July 26, 2023
EXCERPT: THE LETTERS, POSTMARK PREJUDICE IN BLACK AND WHITE
Sheila White's memoir of her parents' inter-racial marriage in Toronto in the 1940s
BY SHEILA WHITE
The Letters is based on actual correspondence my mother received before her interracial marriage in Toronto in June, 1947. Her family implored her “not to marry outside her race.” Vivian Keeler, an intelligent and determined young white woman from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, had fallen in love with an older, Truro, Nova Scotia-born divorcee named Billy White — a charismatic and gifted member of a prominent Black family in Halifax. He was the brother of the celebrated classical singer Portia White and son of a renowned minister, Rev. Capt. Dr. William Andrew White, a maritime hero who garnered fame as an officer during the First World War. In this excerpt, set in Vivian’s rented room at 582 Oakwood Ave. in Toronto, she realizes her mother Jean is behind the letter-writing campaign._________________________________________________________________________________________
November’s flurry of disapproving letters had Jean’s fingerprints all over them.
To Vivian it was painfully clear now that all of the letters, including Mrs. Abbott’s were sparked by Jean’s maniacal determination to derail her daughter’s plans.
She was desperate to draw on the willing support of family, friends, associates and even the clergy to end a pending mixed marriage. Such a relationship was unthinkable. Of all the pains Jean had suffered – the loss of a husband, a baby, three siblings and both parents – all the injuries – multiple teeth extracted as a child, stitches to her mangled leg as a young woman, both without anaesthetic, the fall on her head at age two – nothing felt as excruciating as the wounding from Vivian’s fall from grace. Jean was prepared to do whatever it took to redeem her daughter’s previously unsullied reputation.
After reading the letters Vivian responded the same way each time. She read them not once, but several times. The first time through she felt like a shock absorber weathering the impact of content that made her gasp in places, some parts upsetting her with a breathy sickness that stuck like a pit in her throat or forcing an involuntary jump in her Adam’s apple. She swallowed hard before continuing.
On second read she deliberately dissected the diatribes and deadened herself to them. By the third time around she was carefully composing mental arguments to include in her written replies. She refolded the letters, storing them in the chocolate box that once held the Moirs that Dick had given her at the train station. Like a postmaster’s granddaughter, she dutifully answered all letters promptly with care and logic. Not once did she consider burning them or ripping them to bits in a bid to banish the anguish they caused her. Her natural inclination always leaned toward preservation and collections. Someday these letters would be archival relics of a bygone era, of this she was convinced.
Until then she’d be contending with naysayers using words like knives, performing cut and thrust from a distance, attempting to cut away at the fabric of her beliefs when there was no chance they could actually shred them.
Her perceptive landlady, Mrs. Phillips, who occupied the main floor with her husband, noticed an effect on Vivian when she brought her mail postmarked Nova Scotia. A cloud of hesitancy dusted the girl’s face when the second one came, and the landlady ventured to inquire. Thus began an open and trusting relationship between the two of them, Vivian being frank about the pressures her family was applying and Mrs. P. lending a sympathetic ear, on occasion inviting Vivian to talk in the downstairs kitchen. She could open up to her landlady, a stranger, more readily than she could to Billy, whom she didn’t want to burden with the distraction of her pitiful family situation. Margaret Phillips was a wonderful listener, and neutral; she dispensed advice only when asked and avoided passing judgment.
Besides renting furnished rooms, Mrs. Phillips taught Sunday school at the local Anglican Church, and hubby George was in the insurance business. Vivian’s room was a dormered room overlooking Oakwood Avenue, at the end of the upstairs corridor. A second bedroom off the hall belonged to Reg Walton, a loud, acne-scarred Albertan in his thirties, a machinist by trade, who hoped coming east would change his luck. There was a bathroom at the other end of the hall and a shared kitchenette – a sink, an icebox, a table and three chairs, a hotplate and toaster on the counter, cupboards above and below in addition to the real kitchen downstairs. Simon McNaughton, a shift worker who kept odd hours, lived in the basement. Vivian rarely saw him, but Reg was around a lot, talked too much and often smelled of booze.
Snow blanketed Toronto’s dirt the day Aunt Gladys’s letter arrived. On seeing the sender’s name Vivian was hopeful that this piece of mail would be different. She and Billy had been looking for Gladys’s unqualified backing and Billy worked hard on a letter to her pleading their case. It was understandable that Vivian’s heart was longing for comforting words from her only aunt on the Keeler side. There was a letter and a magazine clipping enclosed. Vivian set the enclosure aside for now and delved into the correspondence, seated on her bed in the privacy of her chilly room, a blanket covering her legs._______________________________________________________________________________________________________Sheila White is a writer, speaker and Unitarian lay chaplain. She wrote about her uncle Jack White’s role in the Bloor Viaduct strike action in Spacing previously. Heritage Toronto will be marking the location of the protest with a plaque co-sponsored by the Ironworkers Local 721 and CUPE.
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The Caribbean Camera, July 20, 2023
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE A book launch with a twistTORONTO, July 18, 2023 – Sheila White’s biographical novel, The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, launched here today with a twist: In addition to the traditional reception and reading by the author, the event featured a unique collection of vintage photographs and other rare items relating to Canadian Black history of the 1940s. The Letters tells the story of the controversial 1947 marriage in Toronto of Vivian Keeler, the author’s white mother, and Bill White, her Black father. Every artifact on display at the launch, at the Don Heights Unitarian Congregation at 18 Wynford Drive, is authentic and relates to the story. More than 80 people attended in person, with more than 50 from Canada, the United States, the UK and the Netherlands following on Zoom. Member of Parliament Shaun Chen and Toronto Councillors Jamaal Myers and James Pasternak sent their congratulations. “My mother received letters 75 years ago, all of which she saved. Family and friends were desperate to dissuade her from marrying outside her race,” White said. “Having inspired this book, the letters now have a higher purpose - promoting racial equality and harmony.” The actual letters were part of the display. Among other items were:• A book containing the first race relations course to be developed for young people by the United Church of Canada in 1946• “Lantern plates,” the precursor to photo negatives, portraying the co-founders of the Emancipation Day Picnic in Toronto ’s High Park, Black community pillars Dr. Oscar and Leona Brewton• A rare, groundbreaking book, A Guide to The Study of the Negro in American History by Professor Merl R. Eppse, 1937• A hand-painted fan, a prop from the all-Black production of The Mikado by the Toronto Negro Choral Society in 1949• The 1949 federal election campaign scrapbook of Bill White, the author’s father and the first Black in Canada to be a federal candidate• A Second World War military rejection slip issued on racial grounds “With our addition of an interactive showcase of items it’s an immersive, enlivened experience,” White said, “a different book launch.”
Since its publication last month, The Letters has garnered worldwide interest, with book sellers across North America and in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia promoting the book. Ed Shiller, whose Yorkland Publishing published The Letters, called the work “a beacon of hope, especially today when bigotry is on the rise and democracy and social justice are under siege. “It is also a reminder,” he said, “that the struggle for social justice never ends, that any progress thus far attainted – including Vivian and Bill’s contribution – can only be sustained through constant vigilance, and that complacency inevitably leads to regression.” The Letters is available through independent bookstores, Chapters, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and the Yorkland Publishing website: www.yorklandpublishing.com. -30-
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MEDIA ADVISORY
Exhibit of historic artifacts of Black history TORONTO, July 11, 2023 - The media are invited to preview a unique collection of vintage photographs and other rare items relating to Canadian Black history of the 1940s.
The collection will be on public display at the July 18 launch of Sheila White’s The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, a biographical novel that tells the story of the controversial 1947 marriage in Toronto of the author’s white mother and Black father. Every artifact is authentic and relates to the story.
The Letters was inspired by a letter-writing campaign orchestrated to dissuade the author’s mother, Vivian Keeler, from marrying out of her race. The actual letters are part of the display.
Among the other items on display are:• A book containing the first race relations course to be developed for young people by the United Church of Canada in 1946• “Lantern plates,” the precursor to photo negatives, portraying the co-founders of the Emancipation Day Picnic in Toronto’s High Park, Black community pillars Dr. Oscar and Leona Brewton• A rare, groundbreaking book, A Guide to The Study of the Negro in American History by Professor Merl R. Eppse, 1937• A hand-painted fan, a prop from the all-Black production of The Mikado by the Toronto Negro Choral Society in 1949• The 1949 federal election campaign scrapbook of Bill White, the author’s father and the first Black in Canada to be a federal candidate• A Second World War military rejection slip issued on racial grounds
WHEN Monday, July 17, 1:30 pm ET, or BY APPOINTMENT between July 14-17
WHERE 18 Wynford Drive, Suite 102, Toronto
CONTACT Ed Shiller, Publisher of Yorkland Publishing, at ed@yorklandpublishing.com or 647-407-2953
Exhibit of historic artifacts of Black history TORONTO, July 11, 2023 - The media are invited to preview a unique collection of vintage photographs and other rare items relating to Canadian Black history of the 1940s.
The collection will be on public display at the July 18 launch of Sheila White’s The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, a biographical novel that tells the story of the controversial 1947 marriage in Toronto of the author’s white mother and Black father. Every artifact is authentic and relates to the story.
The Letters was inspired by a letter-writing campaign orchestrated to dissuade the author’s mother, Vivian Keeler, from marrying out of her race. The actual letters are part of the display.
Among the other items on display are:• A book containing the first race relations course to be developed for young people by the United Church of Canada in 1946• “Lantern plates,” the precursor to photo negatives, portraying the co-founders of the Emancipation Day Picnic in Toronto’s High Park, Black community pillars Dr. Oscar and Leona Brewton• A rare, groundbreaking book, A Guide to The Study of the Negro in American History by Professor Merl R. Eppse, 1937• A hand-painted fan, a prop from the all-Black production of The Mikado by the Toronto Negro Choral Society in 1949• The 1949 federal election campaign scrapbook of Bill White, the author’s father and the first Black in Canada to be a federal candidate• A Second World War military rejection slip issued on racial grounds
WHEN Monday, July 17, 1:30 pm ET, or BY APPOINTMENT between July 14-17
WHERE 18 Wynford Drive, Suite 102, Toronto
CONTACT Ed Shiller, Publisher of Yorkland Publishing, at ed@yorklandpublishing.com or 647-407-2953
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New biographical novel tells an important Canadian story of love and race
Just in time for Juneteenth
TORONTO, June 14, 2023 – Yorkland Publishing today announced the launch of Sheila White’s debut biographical novel, The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, a riveting account of the challenges the author’s white mother and Black father faced during their turbulent and tender courtship immediately following the Second World War. Jack Lakey, former Toronto Star city hall reporter and Fixer columnist, calls The Letters “a fascinating read, particularly for those who don’t recognize the contributions of people like Sheila White’s parents to a more egalitarian society today.” Bev Salmon, a decorated community leader and former Toronto municipal politician, says “Sheila has brilliantly woven a beautiful tapestry of the letters, historical fact and fiction in her parents’ love story.” The launch of The Letters will be celebrated in Toronto on July 18, 2023 at 18 Wynford Drive, Suite 102. “You'll enjoy Sheila's dynamic personality, learn the uplifting back story to her remarkable family tale of love and triumph, and hear her read from The Letters,” says Rosemary Shiller, the book’s editor and Yorkland Publishing’s editorial director. The book launch will also feature a unique display of rare photos, a diary, artifacts and correspondence from the period, including the actual letters. For more information about The Letters and the launch celebration, visit the Yorkland Publishing website (www.yorklandpublishing.com). Click on the Events tab to be directed to the event registration website if you would like to attend in person or virtually. Set in Dartmouth, Halifax and Toronto, The Letters is the story of a love that transcended deeply rooted taboos and sparked an orchestrated letter-writing campaign to persuade the author’s mother “not to marry outside her race.” “The overt racism of that letter-writing campaign illustrates by way of contrast how far we have come. But the current resurgence of white supremacy, the attacks on the LGBQT+ community and other forms of bigotry send a stark warning that we must never be complacent,” White says. “As I reflect on this year’s approaching Juneteenth, I am reminded that the struggle for social justice never ends, that whatever progress my parents and others have made can only be sustained through constant vigilance, and that complacency invites regression.” Vivian Keeler was a young, intelligent and determined white woman from a traditional Nova Scotian family who fell in love with a Black man. Truro-born Billy White was a charismatic and gifted member of a prominent Black family – brother of celebrated classical singer Portia White and the son of a renowned minister, Rev. Capt. Dr. William Andrew White, a Maritime hero who garnered fame as an officer during the First World War. Along the journey through The Letters, the reader will encounter numerous luminaries – among them, Portia White, cinema icon Sydney Poitier, internationally acclaimed and controversial singer and actor Paul Robeson, and David Lewis, a key architect of the C.C.F., forerunner of the New Democratic Party. The Letters will soon be available in neighbourhood bookstores and can be purchased now directly from the publisher at www.yorklandpublishing.com. -30-
TORONTO, June 14, 2023 – Yorkland Publishing today announced the launch of Sheila White’s debut biographical novel, The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, a riveting account of the challenges the author’s white mother and Black father faced during their turbulent and tender courtship immediately following the Second World War. Jack Lakey, former Toronto Star city hall reporter and Fixer columnist, calls The Letters “a fascinating read, particularly for those who don’t recognize the contributions of people like Sheila White’s parents to a more egalitarian society today.” Bev Salmon, a decorated community leader and former Toronto municipal politician, says “Sheila has brilliantly woven a beautiful tapestry of the letters, historical fact and fiction in her parents’ love story.” The launch of The Letters will be celebrated in Toronto on July 18, 2023 at 18 Wynford Drive, Suite 102. “You'll enjoy Sheila's dynamic personality, learn the uplifting back story to her remarkable family tale of love and triumph, and hear her read from The Letters,” says Rosemary Shiller, the book’s editor and Yorkland Publishing’s editorial director. The book launch will also feature a unique display of rare photos, a diary, artifacts and correspondence from the period, including the actual letters. For more information about The Letters and the launch celebration, visit the Yorkland Publishing website (www.yorklandpublishing.com). Click on the Events tab to be directed to the event registration website if you would like to attend in person or virtually. Set in Dartmouth, Halifax and Toronto, The Letters is the story of a love that transcended deeply rooted taboos and sparked an orchestrated letter-writing campaign to persuade the author’s mother “not to marry outside her race.” “The overt racism of that letter-writing campaign illustrates by way of contrast how far we have come. But the current resurgence of white supremacy, the attacks on the LGBQT+ community and other forms of bigotry send a stark warning that we must never be complacent,” White says. “As I reflect on this year’s approaching Juneteenth, I am reminded that the struggle for social justice never ends, that whatever progress my parents and others have made can only be sustained through constant vigilance, and that complacency invites regression.” Vivian Keeler was a young, intelligent and determined white woman from a traditional Nova Scotian family who fell in love with a Black man. Truro-born Billy White was a charismatic and gifted member of a prominent Black family – brother of celebrated classical singer Portia White and the son of a renowned minister, Rev. Capt. Dr. William Andrew White, a Maritime hero who garnered fame as an officer during the First World War. Along the journey through The Letters, the reader will encounter numerous luminaries – among them, Portia White, cinema icon Sydney Poitier, internationally acclaimed and controversial singer and actor Paul Robeson, and David Lewis, a key architect of the C.C.F., forerunner of the New Democratic Party. The Letters will soon be available in neighbourhood bookstores and can be purchased now directly from the publisher at www.yorklandpublishing.com. -30-
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New biographical novel recounts the bigotry triggered by an inter-racial courtship
TORONTO, May 23, 2023 – Yorkland Publishing today announced the upcoming release of social justice activist Sheila White’s The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, a riveting biographical novel about the racism the author’s white mother and Black father faced during their turbulent courtship in the years following the Second World War. Jack Lakey, former Toronto Star city hall reporter and Fixer columnist, called The Letters “a fascinating read, particularly for those who don't recognize the contributions of people like Sheila White’s parents to a more egalitarian society today.” Vivian Keeler, White’s mother, was an intelligent, attractive and determined white woman from a traditional Nova Scotia family who fell in love with a Black man. Billy White was a charismatic and gifted member of a prominent Black family. He was the brother of internationally celebrated classical singer Portia White and the son of William Andrew White, a renowned minister and the first Black officer in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War, serving as chaplain with the rank of captain for the all-Black No. 2 Construction Battalion. Vivian and Billy met at a lunch counter in Halifax in 1944. During the following year their casual friendship blossomed into romance. But the courtship that followed unleashed a torrent of racist rants that exposed the pervasive bigotry of that time. The Letters is based largely on Vivian’s diary; a stack of heritage photo albums; Vivian’s scrapbooks; a shoebox full of poems, letters and telegrams Vivian and Billy exchanged, and the overtly racist letters written to Vivian as part a campaign orchestrated by her mother to dissuade Vivian from marrying a Black man. “Had my mother Vivian told the story here of her courtship, of coming from Nova Scotia to Toronto to marry my father, it would have been one hundred percent factual,” White wrote in the prologue to The Letters. “But because I didn’t ask many questions of my parents about the topic, I was left to guess and imagine the real circumstances in some situations….Some scenes and dialogue are pure fiction while others I extracted directly from my source materials.” The Letters exposes how oppressive the post-war years had been for non-whites, inspires hope for a brighter future, but also reminds us that the struggle for social justice continues to this day. “It was a shameful period of what we now categorize as systemic racism and colonial-driven white privilege. Minorities were stigmatized and faced almost insurmountable barriers to social and economic equality,” White writes. “The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black & White focuses on change for the better and on the enlightened community of progressive change-makers who welcomed my parents and the movement for world brotherhood, a call never more urgent than today.” Toronto-born Sheila White won an African Canadian Achievement Award for Politics in Toronto in 2014 and a Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in September 2022 from the Province of Nova Scotia for her work in anti-racism. She received a Canada 150 medal in 2017 and an Urban Hero Award in 2020. White was also an invited speaker at the July 2022 event in Truro, Nova Scotia at which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized for the blatant racism experienced by her grandfather and the other men of the all-Black No. 2 Construction Battalion during the First World War. White is currently lay chaplain and music director at Don Heights Unitarian Congregation. -30-
New biographical novel recounts the bigotry triggered by an inter-racial courtship
TORONTO, May 23, 2023 – Yorkland Publishing today announced the upcoming release of social justice activist Sheila White’s The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black and White, a riveting biographical novel about the racism the author’s white mother and Black father faced during their turbulent courtship in the years following the Second World War. Jack Lakey, former Toronto Star city hall reporter and Fixer columnist, called The Letters “a fascinating read, particularly for those who don't recognize the contributions of people like Sheila White’s parents to a more egalitarian society today.” Vivian Keeler, White’s mother, was an intelligent, attractive and determined white woman from a traditional Nova Scotia family who fell in love with a Black man. Billy White was a charismatic and gifted member of a prominent Black family. He was the brother of internationally celebrated classical singer Portia White and the son of William Andrew White, a renowned minister and the first Black officer in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War, serving as chaplain with the rank of captain for the all-Black No. 2 Construction Battalion. Vivian and Billy met at a lunch counter in Halifax in 1944. During the following year their casual friendship blossomed into romance. But the courtship that followed unleashed a torrent of racist rants that exposed the pervasive bigotry of that time. The Letters is based largely on Vivian’s diary; a stack of heritage photo albums; Vivian’s scrapbooks; a shoebox full of poems, letters and telegrams Vivian and Billy exchanged, and the overtly racist letters written to Vivian as part a campaign orchestrated by her mother to dissuade Vivian from marrying a Black man. “Had my mother Vivian told the story here of her courtship, of coming from Nova Scotia to Toronto to marry my father, it would have been one hundred percent factual,” White wrote in the prologue to The Letters. “But because I didn’t ask many questions of my parents about the topic, I was left to guess and imagine the real circumstances in some situations….Some scenes and dialogue are pure fiction while others I extracted directly from my source materials.” The Letters exposes how oppressive the post-war years had been for non-whites, inspires hope for a brighter future, but also reminds us that the struggle for social justice continues to this day. “It was a shameful period of what we now categorize as systemic racism and colonial-driven white privilege. Minorities were stigmatized and faced almost insurmountable barriers to social and economic equality,” White writes. “The Letters: Postmark Prejudice in Black & White focuses on change for the better and on the enlightened community of progressive change-makers who welcomed my parents and the movement for world brotherhood, a call never more urgent than today.” Toronto-born Sheila White won an African Canadian Achievement Award for Politics in Toronto in 2014 and a Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in September 2022 from the Province of Nova Scotia for her work in anti-racism. She received a Canada 150 medal in 2017 and an Urban Hero Award in 2020. White was also an invited speaker at the July 2022 event in Truro, Nova Scotia at which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized for the blatant racism experienced by her grandfather and the other men of the all-Black No. 2 Construction Battalion during the First World War. White is currently lay chaplain and music director at Don Heights Unitarian Congregation. -30-