THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY, IS NOTORIOUSLY KNOWN, FOR EXCLUDING, THE WORKS OF BLACK AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS, IN ITS COLLECTIONS. THE PROBLEM LIES WITH THE TPL'S RACISM, IN NOT RECOGNIZING THE RICHNESS AND DIVERSITY OF TALENTS, AMONG AFRO CANADIAN WRITERS.
 |
| Vickery Bowles, City Librarian. The systematic racism of her staff and other librarians has now landed the Toronto Public library, in some hot water. Her lack of direct answer to why there are so few books, in the TPL, by Afro Canadian writers and Publishers, seem to point to the most obvious answer, as well. That the lack of children books, especially, by Black authors, in regards to the TPL, has a direct correlation to the racism, aimed against Blacks in Canadian society. HERE IS ABSOLUTE PROOF, THAT THE VICKERY BOWLES IS A RACIST: THE CITY'S LIBRARIAN, VICKERY BOWLES, GAVE HER CONSENT TO HAVE THE RACIST WHITE NATIONALISTS, USE THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY, (SHOULD THEY NEED TO), TO GIVE VENOM TO THEIR HATE SPEECHES. BOWLES, ALSO, OBJECTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, BANNING THE RACIST GROUP, THE TORONTO NATIONALIST, FROM HAVING A RALLY, ON ITS DOWNTOWN CAMPUS. ACCORDING TO VICKERY BOWLES, "The library cannot deny access to people, based on their views and opinions...". FIRST OF ALL, HATE SPEECH, IS A VIOLATION OF THE LAW ITSELF. SECONDLY, VICKERY BOWLES, AS THE CITY LIBRARIAN, FOR TORONTO, REPRESENTS THE PUBLIC. THAT MEANS ALL OF THOSE GROUPS, THAT THE WHITE NATIONALISTS HATES. HOW CAN THE HEAD LIBRARIAN, FOR A MAJOR NORTH AMERICAN CITY, BE SO CARELESS IN HER SPEECH?. UNLESS, SHE ALSO SHARES THOSE SAME VIEWS. DO YOU THINK THAT SHE WOULD SAY THE SAME THING, ABOUT THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD? WHETHER IT IS THE CITY LIBRARIAN, OR THE TTC (TORONTO TRANSIT COMMISSION), RACISM IS OFTEN PROMOTED, BY THESE CITY DIVISIONS, AS IF CERTAIN GROUPS OF PEOPLE, STILL HAS TO FIGHT FOR THEIR PLACE, IN THIS SOCIETY. |
THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY AND ITS STAFF'S RACIST ATTITUDE HAVE NOW RESULTED IN A LAWSUIT, AIMED AT THE LIBRARY. THE LAWSUIT IS BEING FILED ON BEHALF OF DAFFODIL PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY, WHICHIS ALSO OWNED BY WRITER VAL GUILLAUME, WHEN THE TPL REFUSED TO INCLUDE BOOKS PUBLISHED BY THE SMALL PRESS, IN ITS LIBRARY COLLECTIONS. TO FURTHER MAKE A CASE AGAINST THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY, IT IS ALSO ACCUSED OF MAKING A DECISION TO EXCLUDE THE CHILDREN BOOKS, FOR ITS KIDSPACE ONLINE PROGRAM AND FOR OTHER GENERAL USE, AMONG ITS 100 BRANCHES ACROSS THE CITY,BECAUSE OF ITS STAFF'S PERSONAL ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE AUTHOR, HER PUBLISHING COMPANY, THAT SHE HAS CLAIMED, IS AN ATTACK AGAINST HER PERSONALLY AND WAS ALSO INTENDED, TO BLOCK HER PUBLISHING COMPANY, FROM CONDUCTING ANY BUSINESS WITH THE TPL, THAT WOULD ALSO GENERATE ANY FINACIAL GAIN, FOR EITHER HER, OR HER PUBLISHING COMPANY. THE AUTHOR IS SUING THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR DAMAGES AND FOR TORT, CLAIMING THAT IT ALSO DISCRIMINATED AGAINST HER, AS A PUBLICLY FUNDED AGENCY OF THE GOVERNMENT (THE TPL RECIEVES OVER 90% OF ITS FUNDING, FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, THE CITY OF TORONTO). THE AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER ALSO HOLDS THE AGENCY'S STAFF RESPONSIBLE, FOR SUBJECTING HER TO UNWARRANTED RACISM, IN THE PROCESS OF CONDUCTING BUSINESS WITH THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY. SHE IS CLAIMING DAMAGES IN THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, FOR INJURY SUFFERED AS A RESULT OF THE ACTIONS OF THE TPL AND ITS MANAGEMENT STAFF. MOST NOTABLY, AS A CO-DEFENDANT IN THE CLAIM ARE THE FOLLOWING TPL MANAGEMENT STAFF, MICHELE MELADY, SUSAN CARON AND VICKERY BOWLES.
WITH AN ANNUAL BUDGET, OF OVER 200 MILLION DOLLARS. AND ITS BUDGET FOR 2018, IS $201,606,802.00. THE TPL'S 2017 BUDGET WAS JUST UNDER 200 MILLION DOLLARS. MOST OF WHICH GOES TOWARDS THE SALARIES OF ITS EMPLOYEES. YET, AT LEAST 20 MILLION DOLLARS OF THAT, OR ABOUT 9% GOES TOWARDS ACQUIRING MATERIALS FOR THE LIBRARY. THE PROBLEM LIES IN THE FACT, THAT MOST OF THAT BUDGET, IS ALSO SPENT ON FOREIGN TALENTS. BOTH FOREIGN AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS, GETS PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT AND THE MATERIALS FROM BOTH ARE ROUTINELY PURCHASED, BY THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY. ONLY WHAT IS LEFT OVER FROM THAT, IS SPENT ON CANADIAN AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS. AND JUST A FRACTION OF THAT IS SPENT ON LOCAL, OR REGIONAL WRITERS AND PUBLISHERS, MUCH LESS ON AFRO CANADIAN AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS.
THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY, HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF SYSTEMATICALLY, DISCRIMINATING, AGAINST BLACK AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS. BY REFUSING TO INCLUDE THEIR BOOKS IN ITS, LITERARY COLLECTIONS. ONE SUCH WRITER AND PUBLISHER, HAS ALSO DECIDED TO TAKE THE TPL TO COURT, OVER ITS RACIST ACTIONS. THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY AND ITS STAFF'S RACIST ATTITUDE HAVE NOW RESULTED IN A LAWSUIT, AIMED AT THE LIBRARY.
LOCAL BLACK TALENTS FOR INSTANCE, HAVE ROUTINELY BEEN DENIED ACCESS TO HAVING THEIR WORKS, IN THE LIBRARY. THE TPL CITES THAT IT LACKS THE BUDGET, TO ACCOMMODATE ALL OF THOSE BLACK LITERARY WRITERS AND THEIR WORKS. THE IS THAT THE TPL HAS A BUDGET OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, WHICH IT HAS SPENT ON MOSTLY AQUIRING THE WORKS OF FOREIGN AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS. WHEN IT COMES TO CANADIAN AUTHORS AND GETTING THEIR BOOKS INTO THE FACT TPL, FOREIGN AUTHORS STANDS A MUCH BETTER CHANCE, OF HAVING THEIR BOOKS IN THE TPL LIBRARY SYSTEMS, THAN AFRO CANADIAN WRITERS AND PUBLISHERS. YOU HAVE TO ASK WHY THIS IS THE POLICY, AND WHY NO ONE HAS CHALLENGE IT SO FAR,UNTIL NOW?.
UNLESS YOU ARE A DEONNE BRAND, OR AN AUSTIN CLARKE, TO NAME A JUST A FEW, OF THE MORE PROMINENT BLACK AUTHORS, YOU WILL NOT GET TO SEE YOUR LITERARY WORKS, INCLUDED IN THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY. THERE IS A VAST AMOUNT OF TALENT, AMONG BLACK WRITERS IN CANADA, YET THE VAST MAJORITY OF THEM, WILL NEVER SEE THEIR WORKS INCLUDED, IN THE TPL'S COLLECTION OF LITERARY WORKS. I WAS KIND OF LUCKY, I SUPPOSED, AT ONE POINT, TO GET THAT LIBRARY TO INCLUDE, ONE OF MY PREVIOUS BOOKS, IN THE LIBRARY. SUSAN CARON, ONE OF THE MANAGERS AT TPL, IN CHARGED OF PURCHASING BOOKS FOR THE LIBRAY, HAD DENIED THE BOOK, INITIALLY, (AND SHE HAS DONE THE SAME THING IN REGARDS TO MY CHILDREN BOOKS BACK IN 2014. THE BOOK WAS EVENTUALLY PURCHASED FOR THE LIBRARY, FOR ITS SPECIAL BLACK AND WEST INDIAN COLLECTION. WHICH ARE LOCATED IN ONLY FIVE LIBRARIES BRANCHES, IN THE CITY OF TORONTO. GETTING THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY, OVER THE YEARS TO INCLUDE OTHER BOOKS BY ME, HAS NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL. BACK IN 2014, IT OUTRIGHT REFUSED TO INCLUDE ANY OF MY CHILDREN BOOKS, IN ITS LIBRARY COLLECTIONS. IN 2018, WITH ABOUT EIGHT NEW TITLES, I WAS TOLD THAT THE TPL, WOULD STILL NOT INCLUDE ANY OF MY CHILDREN BOOKS, IN THE LIBRARY. THIS MADE ME REALLY ANGRY, AND FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. FIRST OF ALL THE BOOKS ARE VERY GOOD. AND THIS IS BASED ENTIRELY ON THE REVIEWS, THAT I HAVE ALSO GOTTEN FOR THOSE BOOKS, BY THE PUBLIC. SECONDLY, THERE IS A NEED FOR THOSE CHILDREN BOOKS BY BLACK AUTHORS, LIKE MYSELF, BECAUSE IT ALSO MEET THE NEEDS OF A COMMUNITY, THAT SEE ALMOST NO REPRESENTATION, IN THE KINDS OF BOOKS THAT THE TPL HAS, FOR BLACK CHILDREN, IN ITS LIBRARIES. I HAVE SEEN, EVEN THIS PAST SUMMER, THAT CHILDREN BOOKS BY BLACK AUTHORS, WHO ARE ALMOST ALL AMERICAN WRITERS, WERE ALSO BEING GETTING RID OF BY THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY, THROUGH ITS BOOK SALES. THE AMESBURY PARK BRANCH, FOR INSTANCE, HAD A BOOK SALE THIS PAST SUMMER AND THERE WERE DOZENS OF CHILDREN BOOKS, BY AFRICAN AMERICAN BLACK AUTHORS, THAT WERE BEING THROWN OUT BY THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY. I HAVE ALSO SEEN THIS TREND AT OTHER LIBRARY BRANCHES ACROSS THE CITY. WHEN ASKED ( BY ME, OF COURSE), WHY THE LIBRARY WAS GETTING RID OF ALL OF THOSE CHILDREN BOOKS BY BLACK AUTHORS (AFRO AMERICAN AUTHORS), THE ANSWER WAS BECAUSE "NO ONE WAS BORROWING THOSE BOOS). I FOUND THAT TO BE A FILMSY EXCUSE ON THE PART OF THE TPL TO GET RID OF THOSE CHILDREN BOOKS,BY BLACK AUTHORS. IT WAS BAD ENOUGH THAT AFRO CANADIAN CHILDREN BOOK AUTHORS, ESPECIALLY, COULD ALSO NOT GET THEIR CHILDREN BOOKS, INTO THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARIES. ONE BLACK AUTHOR THAT I KNOW PERSONALLY AND HAVE ALWAYS ENCOURAGED HER TO GET HER (ALREADY PUBLISHED, CHILDREN BOOKS) INTO THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY, TOLD ME THAT SHE GAVE UP ON THE EFFORT OF TRYING TO DO SO. SHE TOLD ME THAT HER CHILDREN BOOKS WERE ACCEPTED IN ANOTHER LIBRARY SYSTEM, IN ANOTHER CITY AND THAT WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR HER. SHE DID NOT BELIEVE IN FIGHTING WITH THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY, IN TRYING TO GET HER CHILDREN BOOKS, INTO THE LIBRARY. THIS WAS UNFORTUNATE, FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITY (AND OTHERS), BECAUSE HER CHILDREN BOOKS, ARE ALSO VERY GOOD. JUDGIN ALSO, BY THE PUBLIC RECOGNITIONS, THAT SHE HAS ALSO GOTTEN FOR THEM. I, ON THE OTHER HAND, CHOSE NOT TO GIVE UP SO QUICKLY, NOR WAS I PLEASED AT THE OPEN RACISM, THAT IS A COMMON PRACTICE, AGAINST BLACK AUTHORS AND WRITERS IN GENERAL, BY THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY. BESIDES, IT ALSO HURTS A WRITER FINANCIALLY, AND WHENEVER THAT IS THE CASE, THEN YOU CAN ALWAYS GO AFTER THE SOURCE LEGALLY, FOR DISCRIMINATION IN SERVICES AND FOR OTHER DAMAGES. IN THIS CASE, NOT ONLY WAS THE TPL'S ACTIONS AIMED AGAINST ME PERSONALLY, (WHICH I WILL NOT TRY TO PROVE HERE), BUT IT WAS ALSO INTENDED, TO PREVENT MY PUBLISHING COMPANY, FROM HAVING A FOOTHOLD, IN THE VERY LUCRATIVE BOOK PUBLISHING INDUSTRY. ONE THAT IS ALSO FULL OF RACISM AND BIAS. THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY'S, MAJOR SUPPLIERS OF BOOKS FOR THE LIBRARY, ARE ALL WHITE AND FOR THE MOST PART, FOREIGN OWNED COMPANIES, LIKE OVERDRIVE, FOR ITS AUDIO AND OTHER BOOKS. FOR ACQUIRING CANADIAN BOOKS, IT PREFERS TO GO THROUGH ITS WHOLESALER (A WHITE OWNED COMPANY), AS MOST OF THEM ARE ANYWAYS. LEFT OUT OF THIS MULTIMILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS DEALS, WITH THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY, ARE THE SMALL PRESSES. PARTICULARLY, THOSE OWNED BY BLACKS. THERE ARE FEW OF THEM AROUND TODAY, AND NONE OF THEM HAVE EVEN A DECENT CHANCE, OF GETTING THE MAJORITY OF THEIR BOOKS, INTO THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY. ONE SHOULD VIEW THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY, AS NO DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER CITY DIVISION, WHEN IT COMES TO BIDDING FOR THEIR LUCRATIVE CONTRACTS. THE TPL OPERATES THE SAME EXACT WAY. (IT'S A WHITES ONLY THING). AND IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE BIG SHARKS, SWALLOWING UP THE SMALL FISHES. MORE THAN THAT IT IS ALSO ABOUT MAINTAINING A SYSTEM THAT IS ALSO INHERENTLY UNFAIR.
 |
| Susan Caron, Manager of the Collections Development Division, with the Toronto Public Library. She is a key figure, in who gets to have their books, included in the Toronto Public Library's collections. Along with other Managers, such as Michele Melady, Caron has been accused, of outright racism and other discriminatory practices, against visible minorities and in getting their book, into the TPL systems. |
IT IS A WELL KNOWN FACT AMONG CANADIAN TALENTS, THAT THE TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY, HAS A POLICY AGAINST INCLUDING THE WORKS OF AFRICAN CANADIAN WRITERS AND SOME OF THE SMALL PRESS BLACK PUBLISHING COMPANIES, OUT OF THE LIBRARY'S LITERARY COLLECTIONS. ALTHOUGH IT HAS A FEW SPECIFIC COLLECTION OF BOOKS, THAT ARE INTENDED FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITY, SUCH AS THE RITA COX COLLECTION, MOST NEW TALENTS, AS WELL AS THE MORE ESTABLISHED WRITERS, FINDS IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET THEIR BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY.
