1934 : The Chatham Coloured All-Stars’ Barrier-Breaking Year

The true story of the first Black team to win an Ontario Baseball Amateur Association championship. The pride of Chatham’s East End, the Coloured All-Stars featured a roster of players who drew fans to the field with their high energy, no holds-barred style of play while they confronted challenges both on and off the field. Drawing heavily on scrapbooks, newspaper accounts, and oral histories from members of the team and their families, 1934: The Chatham Coloured All-Stars’ Barrier-Breaking Year tells the story of the first Black team to win an Ontario Baseball Amateur Association championship. More than a baseball story, this is a book about a neighbourhood, its citizens, and their pride in an astonishing team. Until recently, this vital story of Canada’s racial history and the team’s indefatigable spirit was preserved only in family stories, scrapbooks, and ephemera. 1934 introduces readers to these players and to the people who have worked to preserve and celebrate their legacy.