DOCSLIB.ORG

Layout 1 (Page 1)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Layout 1 (Page 1) George Portia Walter BORDEN WHITE BORDEN P O E T & G O S P E L A C T O R & O P E R A S I N G E R S O N G W R I T E R P L A Y W R I G H T halifaxpubliclibraries.ca halifaxpubliclibraries.ca halifaxpubliclibraries.ca WALTER BORDEN PORTIA WHITE GEORGE BORDEN Actor & Playwright Opera Singer Poet & Gospel Songwriter Walter Borden was born in New Glasgow, Portia White was born in Truro, Nova Scotia in George Borden was born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. He has been a school teacher and 1911. Her father was the minister at Nova Scotia. He spent 32 years in the a community worker with the Black United Cornwallis Street Baptist Church, where she Canadian Armed Forces where he eventually Front, but his true passion has always been herself was a choir member from the age of rose to the rank of Captain. He retired from acting. Since the 1960s Borden has appeared six. During the Depression her father would military service in the mid 1980s and since in numerous stage dramas, radio, television organize concerts at the local theatre to sup- that time has been involved with the Black and film productions. His roles have ranged port the church - thus giving White the oppor- United Front for Nova Scotia and the Black from the lead in Shakespeare’s Hamlet to the tunity to perform publicly. White earned her Cultural Centre, where he served on the board preacher in James Weldon Johnson’s God’s teaching degree from Dalhousie University of directors.He has also worked as a provincial Trombones. In 1985, Borden performed his and went on to teach in Lucasville, Nova literacy coordinator for local Black communi- semi-autobiographical piece Tightrope Time, Scotia. She continued her musical training at ties. George has been a columnist for several which became a signature piece catapulting the Halifax Conservatory of Music and gave local Black newspapers, including the Ebony his career to new national and international her first recital in June of 1939. collection and The Jet. heights. Borden played a detective opposite Parker Posey in Thom Fitzgerald’s film The In the summer of 1941, Portia made her Works: Event and appeared at Stratford in various Toronto debut at the Eaton Auditorium, the A Mighty Long Way (2000) productions including, Agamemnon, The Flies, first of many appearances in the Toronto area. Footprints, Images and Reflections (1993) Elektra and The Swan. In 2005, Borden was In 1944 Edith Read, a principal from Toronto, Canaan Odyssey (1988) honoured with a lifetime membership by the assisted Portia in getting an audition in New Alliance of Canadian Cinema Radio and York. This first shot at “The Big Apple” result- Awards: Televison Artists (ACTRA) and received a ed in a sold out concert at the New York Town - National Black Poetry Competition Heritage Award from the African Nova Scotian Hall. She continued to perform between 1945 (1997) Music Association (ANSMA). and 1948, eventually settling in Toronto to teach music. White gave rare performances Works: after that time, the most notable being a com- Tightrope Time (1986) mand performance for Queen Elizabeth II at Featured in Testifyin’: Contemporary African the Confederation Centre in Charlottetown, Canadian Drama P.E.I. White, for all her fame, also had to deal with the racism of the day, and as such, was Performance Highlights: often refused entry to concert halls and hotels God’s Trombones in many Canadian provinces. Shakespeare’s Hamlet Tightrope Time In 1998 The Nova Scotia Arts Council estab- Gospel at Colonus lished the Portia White Prize and Canada Post Agamemnon issued a stamp in her honour. The Flies The Swan Works The Adventures of a Black Girl in First You Dream [sound recording] (1999) Search of God.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Musicandmeaning Homeland Stories
    HOMELAND STORIES: Music and Meaning Character Education • To discern how music influences character development • To appreciate the diversity of contributions that individuals might make • To develop a balanced view of the positive and negative influences of the arts industry Facts HOMELAND MINUTES • Canadian composer Ruth Lowe’s song I’ll Never Smile Again became a war time hit when performed by the On White Being Black in WWII Tommy Dorsey Orchestra with Frank Sinatra. It has been She grew up with good role recorded more than 100 times models. Her father served in the No. 2 Construction • Nine Canadian Victory Bond Campaigns raised 12 Battalion in WWI. He grad- billion dollars during WWII uated from Acadia University as the first black • Canada’s full time Army had 4,261 officers and men graduate in 1906. Rev. Portia May White at the beginning of WWII. Over the course of the war, www.blackpast.org William White served with the rank of Captain, the only black chaplain in the the Army enlisted 730,000, the Air Force 260,000 and British Army in WWI. During the Depression, Rev. the Navy 115,000 personnel White helped raise funds to establish vocational schools within churches in Nova Scotia. Before the Reading Her mother Izie Dora White raised 12 children sup- porting her husband’s Cornwallis Street Baptist • Recently the music industry supported recovery in Church and its choir where her children sang. One daughter was the organist; another daughter the Haiti. List other causes the industry has supported. choir director. The latter daughter Portia May White • Young people often model their personal look on became an international celebrity.
    [Show full text]
  • National Historic Sites of Canada System Plan Will Provide Even Greater Opportunities for Canadians to Understand and Celebrate Our National Heritage
    PROUDLY BRINGING YOU CANADA AT ITS BEST National Historic Sites of Canada S YSTEM P LAN Parks Parcs Canada Canada 2 6 5 Identification of images on the front cover photo montage: 1 1. Lower Fort Garry 4 2. Inuksuk 3. Portia White 3 4. John McCrae 5. Jeanne Mance 6. Old Town Lunenburg © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, (2000) ISBN: 0-662-29189-1 Cat: R64-234/2000E Cette publication est aussi disponible en français www.parkscanada.pch.gc.ca National Historic Sites of Canada S YSTEM P LAN Foreword Canadians take great pride in the people, places and events that shape our history and identify our country. We are inspired by the bravery of our soldiers at Normandy and moved by the words of John McCrae’s "In Flanders Fields." We are amazed at the vision of Louis-Joseph Papineau and Sir Wilfrid Laurier. We are enchanted by the paintings of Emily Carr and the writings of Lucy Maud Montgomery. We look back in awe at the wisdom of Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir George-Étienne Cartier. We are moved to tears of joy by the humour of Stephen Leacock and tears of gratitude for the courage of Tecumseh. We hold in high regard the determination of Emily Murphy and Rev. Josiah Henson to overcome obstacles which stood in the way of their dreams. We give thanks for the work of the Victorian Order of Nurses and those who organ- ized the Underground Railroad. We think of those who suffered and died at Grosse Île in the dream of reaching a new home.
    [Show full text]
  • Our Heritage Our Future
    7TH INTERNATIONAL AFRICAN DIASPORA HERITAGE TRAIL CONFERENCE 2011 7TH INTERNATIONAL AFRICAN DIASPORA HERITAGE TRAIL CONFERENCE 2011 PROGRAM OUR HERITAGE OUR FUTURE PRESERVE. PROMOTE. PROTECT. 1 WORLD TRADE AND CONVENTION CENTRE FLOOR PLAN DOWNTOWN HalifaX 7TH INTERNATIONAL AFRICAN DIASPORA HERITAGE TRAIL CONFERENCE 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome from the Honourary Chair . 2 Welcome from the Lieutenant Governor . 3 Welcome from the Premier . 4 Welcome from the Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs . 5 Welcome from the African Diaspora Heritage Trail Foundation Chair . 6 Program at a Glance . 7 General Information . 8 Detailed Program . 14 Social Events . 22 Companion Tours . .. 24 Cultural Events . 25 Conference Presenters . 28 Conference Planning Committee . 55 Sponsors . 57 Cover image: Portia White, Contralto (June 24, 1911– February 13, 1968) Portia White was a Nova Scotian classical concert performer who was born in Truro, Nova Scotia and raised in Halifax by her parents, Rev. William and Izzie White. A former schoolteacher who taught in segregated schools, Portia catapulted to international stardom after triumphant debuts in Toronto (1941) and New York (Town Hall, 1944). White’s bel canto technique, mastery of languages and three-octave range drew accolades from audiences and critics alike. She performed memorably throughout Canada, the US, the Caribbean and South America. Though health and management issues sidelined her brief but groundbreaking career, her achievement was rare in a period when race and gender defined women’s place in society. She has been recognized as a person of Canadian National Historic Significance and commemorated on a Canadian postage stamp. The Portia White Prize, one of Nova Scotia’s premier arts awards, was created in her memory.
    [Show full text]
  • Portia White (1911–1968) Was Blessed with an Extraordinary Voice
    HOMELAND MINUTES On White Being Black in WWII She grew up with good role models. Her father served in the No. 2 Construction Battalion in WWI. He gradu- ated from Acadia University as the first black graduate in 1906. Rev. William White Portia May White www.blackpast.org served with the rank of Captain, the only black chaplain in the British Army in WWI. During the Depression, Rev. White helped raise funds to establish vocational schools within churches in Nova Scotia. Her mother Izie Dora White raised 12 children sup- porting her husband’s Cornwallis Street Baptist Church and its choir where her children sang. One daughter was the organist; another daughter the choir director. The latter daughter Portia May White became an inter- national celebrity. Portia White (1911–1968) was blessed with an extraordinary voice. She took voice lessons at the Halifax Conservatory and sang devotional songs on her father’s monthly radio program. Portia trained as a teacher at Dalhousie University and then took postings in schools in the Black communities of Africville and Lucasville. During the Depression she made $30 a month. Repeated outstanding showings in the Halifax Music Festival between 1935 and 1938 changed Portia’s destiny. Given a scholarship to study with the renowned baritone and teacher Ernesto Vinci who had fled Nazi Germany, Portia began to sing as a contral- to. In 1941 after a recital of European classics and Negro spirituals in Toronto’s Eaton Auditorium, Edward Wodson of the Toronto Evening Telegram described her voice as a gift from heaven. After the Eaton Auditorium coup Portia performed in concerts and on radio on programs, often in support of the war effort.
    [Show full text]
  • Roads Lead Family Publication Launched Zion Baptist Church Note Cards Available Articles and Topics Invited for Newsletter
    Wfate Volume 1 2003 Number 1 A "focus" is a center of activity or ALL ROADS LEAD attention. It is a point at which energy TO RICHMOND and interest are directed and from which JULY 24-27,2003 rays emerge. As such, members of the committee felt that the term was an All roads lead to Richmond, Virginia appropriate one for the title of the family for the Tenth Biennial White Family newsletter. It is hoped that the newsletter Reunion to be held July 24-27, 2003, at will be a family focus and will become the Omni Richmond Hotel. This will be central to the fabric of the family. the first White family reunion held in the United States since 1997. With less than The purposes of the newsletter are to five months to go until the reunion, the provide a forum through which family planning committee is hard at work to members can be informed and stay in make this one of the largest and most touch, to share family heritage and create engaging White family gatherings ever. connections, and to document family history as it is happening. These Among the activities planned is a purposes can best be served if all family screening of the film Honour Before members assert ownership and respon- Kyra Patterson, right, in the D.C. marathon Glory (based on the World War I diary of sibility for the newsletter by submitting . (See Relative Tidbits, page 5) William Andrew White) with a talk by articles and suggestions as requested filmmaker Anthony Sherwood. A myriad below.
    [Show full text]
  • PORTIA WHITE: STEPPING OUTSIDE of the “BOX” Taliya Wolfe Pacific Academy, Surrey, BC
    PORTIA WHITE: STEPPING OUTSIDE OF THE “BOX” Taliya Wolfe Pacific Academy, Surrey, BC $500 Winner Determined, educated, amazing. All words to describe Portia May White, a black Canadian musician born in the early twentieth century who inspired all, but, helped to pave the way for Canada’s future black musicians. By fighting adversity and learning to find her own voice in a world where her odds weren’t favoured, she cultivated her own legacy and left her imprint on Canadian heritage. Portia was born in 1911 in Truro Nova Scotia, and came from an accomplished family. Her mother was a descendant of the Black Loyalists and her father, a former slave from Virginia, was Acadia University’s first black graduate. Portia’s parents went on to become involved in their community church, Cornwallis Street Baptist Church as her father was the minister and her mother the musical director. This sparked Portia’s interest in music, and she began to sing in the choir at the age of six. By the age of eight, Portia was singing soprano parts from Lucia de Lammermoor, an opera composed of three acts, and walking over ten miles per week just to attend voice lessons. She later went on to attend Dalhousie University, and became a teacher, and taught in many different neighbourhoods, including Africville, a neighbourhood in Halifax largely populated by black Nova Scotians. However, a career in education didn’t stop Portia’s passion for music. She continued voice lessons at the Halifax Conservatory of Music, and sang on her father’s radio devotionals.
    [Show full text]
  • Tflfate Volume 2 2004 Number 1
    Tflfate Volume 2 2004 Number 1 WHITE FAMILY REUNION TO BE HELD IN OTTAWA FAMILY THEATRE PARTY JULY 28-31,2005 SET FOR JANUARY 15 Ottawa, Ontario is an excellent location for the next White Family On Saturday, January 15, 2005, Reunion! The capital of Canada is a picturesque, vibrant, welcoming city at 2:00 p.m., the White family will that is easy to reach by air, by land... even by water! sponsor a theatre party to Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. to see the The conference committee is working hard to make sure that this musical Hallelujah, Baby! Winner of first-ever Ottawa reunion is an extremely enjoyable experience for the 1968 Tony Award for Best everyone. Here are some of the activities being planned for your visit: Musical, Hallelujah, Baby! follows a young woman from decade to * opportunities to welcome new family members and salute our decade as she dreams of trading in elders her maid's mop for the excitement of * the Family History Seminar the stage. Along the way, she faces * an updated and expanded Family Tree head-on the challenges of a society * the return of the famous White Family Talent Show! struggling with segregation, * the ever-popular, always-exciting Family Auction! economic hardships, two world wars, * Game Night with Lome White and the momentous fight for civil * a celebration of the life of acclaimed concert singer rights. Living legend Arthur Laurents, Portia White who wrote the musical's book and * shopping and sight-seeing excursions directed the Broadway production, * visits to the National Archives and the Museum of will direct Arena Stage's production Civilization of this compelling and engaging * Family Quiz with prizes musical.
    [Show full text]
  • CELEBRATING PORTIA WHITE Posted on February 18, 2021
    BLACK HISTORY MONTH | CELEBRATING PORTIA WHITE Posted on February 18, 2021 Category: News Portia May White (1911–1968) | Agent of Change | Remembered as the first Black Canadian concert singer to achieve international fame and vocal instructor to some of Canada’s most famous performers. William Andrew White, the son of former slaves in Virginia, moved to Canada in 1900. He earned a bachelor degree in theology three years later from Acadia University as its second Black graduate. In 1906, while working as a minister in Truro, Nova Scotia, he married Izie Dora White (no relation) with whom he would raise 13 children. Many of William’s children and descendants grew up to become highly accomplished figures in music, literature and politics, not the least of which was his third daughter, Portia. From the age of six, Portia White was a member of the choir at the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church in Halifax (now the New Horizons Baptist Church) where her mother was musical director and her father was minister. When White was older, she became director of the choir and raised money for the church by singing in her father’s radio show. In 1929, White began studies at Dalhousie University with the goal of becoming a teacher. She taught primary school in two small, predominantly black Halifax communities, Africville and Lucasville, earning enough to pay for weekly vocal lessons a 10-mile walk away. Winning a scholarship in 1939, she continued her musical training at the Halifax Conservatory of Music. As her national debut, White performed at the Eaton Auditorium in Toronto in 1941 at age 30.
    [Show full text]
  • Défis Sur L'histoire Des Afro-Néoécossais De 2017
    Défis sur l’histoire des Afro-Néoécossais de 2017 Propositions acceptées du 15 octobre 2016 au 4 février 2017 Les prix d’excellence comprennent des bourses totalisant 3 000 $, des prix et des cadeaux. Les défis et les prix d’excellence sur l’histoire des Afro-Néoécossais sont une initiative du Delmore « Buddy » Daye Learning Institute (DBDLI) et de partenaires du domaine de l’éducation de partout dans la province. Le but des défis est d’encourager la discussion sur l’histoire des Afro-Néoécossais dans toutes nos écoles. Nous savons que les défis permettront de mobiliser tous les élèves et de les faire participer en éveillant la curiosité historique et la créativité artistique. Grâce à différents choix de médias, les élèves de tous les niveaux scolaires peuvent participer. J’invite tous les élèves et enseignants à participer aux défis sur l’histoire des Afro-Néoécossais et j’ai hâte de vous accueillir à la cérémonie de remise des prix du DBDLI en février 2017. Laissons place à la célébration et à l’éducation toute l’année. Salutations distinguées. Sylvia Parris, CPDG Delmore « Buddy » Daye Learning Institute Excellence en éducation africentrique Son Honneur Brigadier-général (retraité) l’honorable J. J. Grant, CMM, ONS, CD, lieutenant-gouverneur de la Nouvelle-Écosse, a remis les prix à l’école gagnante lors de la cérémonie de remise des prix DBDLI de 2016. Les prix d’excellence du DBDLI en histoire des Afro-Néoécossais sont remis aux élèves dont les présentations faites dans le cadre des défis illustrent le mieux les contributions apportées par les Afro-Néoécossais à l’histoire, au patrimoine et à la culture de notre province et de notre pays.
    [Show full text]
  • Notable People of African Descent
    NOTABLE PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT: 1) The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander was born in 1922 in Toronto. He served with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War, between 1942 and 1945. He was educated at Hamilton’s McMaster University where he graduated in Arts, and Toronto’s Osgoode Hall School of Law where he passed the bar examination in 1965. Mr. Alexander was appointed a Queen’s Counsel and became a partner in a Hamilton law firm from 1963 to 1979. He was the first black person to become a Member of Parliament in 1968 and served in the House of Commons until 1980. He was also federal Minister of Labour in 1979–1980. In 1985, Lincoln Alexander was appointed Ontario’s 24th Lieutenant Governor, the first member of a visible minority to serve as the Queen’s representative in Canada. During his term in office, which ended in 1991, youth and education were hallmarks of his mandate. He then accepted a position as Chancellor of the University of Guelph. In 1996, he was chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and was also made Honorary Commissioner for the International Year of Older Persons Ontario celebrations. The Honourable Lincoln Alexander was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada and to the Order of Ontario in 1992, and in June 2006, he was named the “Greatest Hamiltonian of All Time.” Mr. Alexander died on October 19, 2012 at age 90. 2) Marie-Joseph Angélique While Canada did become a safe haven for runaway slaves, this country does have its own history of slavery.
    [Show full text]
  • The Centre for All Canadians
    THE CENTRE FOR ALL CANADIANS Confederation Centre of the Arts Five Decades of Inspiration and Excellence Harvey Sawler THE CENTRE FOR ALL CANADIANS Confederation Centre of the Arts Five Decades of Inspiration and Excellence Harvey Sawler The Centre for All Canadians © 2014 Confederation Centre of the Arts www.confederationcentre.com Images © Confederation Centre of the Arts For other photo credits please refer to page 188. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, or, in case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a license from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency. Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. This publication is not intended to document the full 50-year history of Confederation Centre of the Arts; rather it provides a view of the Centre and its rich range of experiences through the voices of those who have been part of its 50 years. Selections from this book are also available for viewing online at www.confederationcentre.com/centreforcanadians Aussi offert en français sous le titre Le Centre pour tous les Canadiens Permission requests and ordering information: Confederation Centre of the Arts 145 Richmond Street Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, C1A 1J1 [email protected] Text: Harvey Sawler Translation: Monique Lafontaine Design: Graphic Detail Printed in Canada ISBN 978-1-928128-00-7 Lemieux, Jean Paul Charlottetown Revisited, 1964 oil on linen 197.2 x 380.4 cm Collection of Confederation Centre Art Gallery Commissioned with funds from Samuel and Saidye Bronfman, Montreal This document is a digital sample of The Centre for All Canadians.
    [Show full text]
  • IAT4-22 Literacy for Black History
    “LITERACY FOR BLACK HISTORY” SUMMARY This project addresses Canadian Black History through the use of grades nine and ten literacy lessons. The research involved in creating these lessons began with a review of the Ontario curriculum documents, Ontario Literacy tests, online and library research, a teacher survey at St. Joseph Secondary School, and interviews with Canadian media figures. Once our research was completed, the project team created lessons for each subject area. Both grades nine and ten literacy lessons are catered to: Social Science, Religion, English, Math, Moderns and Art, Science and Business. The lessons focus on several literacy skills such as: a News Report, Reading Information Paragraphs, Writing a Series of Paragraphs, Reading Real-Life Narratives, and Reading Graphic Selections. These lessons will allow teachers to incorporate Canadian Black History in their subject area while preparing students for the literacy test. It is a teacher-friendly resource for teachers in all disciplines to use in their classroom. We hope this is a useful tool for teachers of all disciplines during Black History Month and throughout the school year. ENGLISH: Reading Information Paragraphs Dwight Drummond: Media Mogul Tia Duke and Renee Kerr, two teachers at St. Joseph Secondary School, sat down with CBC News Anchor Dwight Drummond to interview him and discuss his childhood, career and future goals. Tia Duke: What inspired you to enter Broadcast Journalism? Dwight Drummond: My fifth and sixth grade teacher really inspired me in school. He taught in the Jane and Finch area. He would listen to us complain about things being so hard in Jane and Finch, in the projects, and then he would tell us a story about apartheid in South Africa and we would be like okay this isn’t so bad.
    [Show full text]