The book called “1934:The Chatham Coloured All-Stars’ Barrier-Breaking Year” has been named the winner of the 2024 Speaker’s Book Award.
The book by Heidi LM Jacobs was published in June 2023 by Biblioasis, a literary press based in Windsor.
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Ted Arnott made the announcement at a ceremony at the Legislative Building at Queen’s Park on Monday.
Biblioasis said the book features scrapbooks, newspaper accounts, and oral histories from members of the team and their families and it shines a light on a largely overlooked chapter of Black baseball and the story of one group of men who fought for the respect that was too often denied them.Jacobs is a librarian at the University of Windsor and one of the researchers behind the award-winning Breaking the Colour Barrier: Wilfred “Boomer” Harding & the Chatham Coloured All-Stars project.
Promoting Ontario’s literary talent, the Speaker’s Book Award recognizes non-fiction works that highlight the province’s history and celebrate its diverse stories. Special consideration is given to books focusing on Ontario’s parliamentary heritage and on provincial political discourse.
