In the Black My Life

by Jolly, B. Denham

• ISBN13: 9781770413788
• ISBN10: 1770413782
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2017-03-14
• Publisher: ECW Press

Summary

A remarkable memoir about achieving prosperity in the face of relentless prejudice

In the Black traces B. Denham Jolly’s personal and professional struggle for a place in a country where Black Canadians have faced systematic discrimination. He arrived from Jamaica to attend university in the mid-1950s and worked as a high school teacher before going into the nursing and retirement-home business. Though he was ultimately successful in his business ventures, Jolly faced both overt and covert discrimination, which led him into social activism. The need for a stronger voice for the Black community fuelled Jolly’s 12-year battle to get a licence for a Black-owned radio station in Toronto. At its launch in 2001, Flow 93.5 became the model for urban music stations across the country, helping to launch the careers of artists like Drake.

Jolly chronicles not only his own journey; he tells the story of a generation of activists who worked to reshape the country into a more open and just society. While celebrating these successes, In the Black also measures the distance Canada still has to travel before we reach our stated ideals of equality.

Author Biography

B. Denham Jolly is an award-winning businessman, publisher, broadcaster, and civil rights activist. He was the founding president of the Black Business and Professional Association and later served as the publisher of Contrast and launched Flow 93.5, Canada’s first Black-owned broadcaster. He lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1 In the Lion’s Den
Chapter 2 Growing Up British in Industry Cove
Chapter 3 Company Clerk at the Sugar Estate
Chapter 4 Ontario Agricultural College and Violet’s Refuge
Chapter 5 Nova Scotia Blues and Montreal Delights
Chapter 6 Jamaican Exile
Chapter 7 Putting Down Canadian Roots
Chapter 8 Teaching and Learning
Chapter 9 Building a Family, Building a Business
Chapter 10 Stepping Up: Black Business and Professional Association
Chapter 11 Businessman, Publisher, Activist
Chapter 12 Losing Loved Ones and Losing a Battle
Chapter 13 We Believed and We Deserved
Chapter 14 Number One Contemporary Radio Station in Canada
Chapter 15 Sailing against the Wind
Chapter 16 Esse Non Videri — To Be, and Not to Seem