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More than 60 years ago a Black teen from Malvern C.I. was told to stop dancing with a white girl on a Buffalo TV show. Toronto exploded. https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2021/02/14/more-than-60-years-ago-a-black-teen-from-malvern-ci-was-told-to-stop-dancing-with-a-white-girl-on-a-buffalo-tv-show-toronto-exploded.html?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=SocialMedia&utm_campaign=National&utm_content=stopdancing
The camera panned the dance floor onto Clayton Johnston partnered with 15-year-old classmate Patty Banks. That’s when things degenerated. Western New York viewers phoned in, appalled at the sight of Clayton, one of the few Black students with a white girl. https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2021/02/14/more-than-60-years-ago-a-black-teen-from-malvern-ci-was-told-to-stop-dancing-with-a-white-girl-on-a-buffalo-tv-show-toronto-exploded.html?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMedia&utm_campaign=National&utm_content=stopdancing
Cameras continued rolling as a student, instructed by host Pat Fagan, strolled into the mix, tapping Clayton on the shoulder and urging him to leave the dance floor. Clayton was humiliated and watched from the lounge.
Back home in Toronto, outrage grew. https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2021/02/14/more-than-60-years-ago-a-black-teen-from-malvern-ci-was-told-to-stop-dancing-with-a-white-girl-on-a-buffalo-tv-show-toronto-exploded.html?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMedia&utm_campaign=National&utm_content=stopdancing
Back home in Toronto, outrage grew. https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2021/02/14/more-than-60-years-ago-a-black-teen-from-malvern-ci-was-told-to-stop-dancing-with-a-white-girl-on-a-buffalo-tv-show-toronto-exploded.html?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMedia&utm_campaign=National&utm_content=stopdancing
"This is a slap in the face for democracy." A Provincial Member of Parliament where the collegiate was located requested a public inquiry. Canadian brewers threatened to boycott. Toronto editorial pages were inundated with letters of protest from readers. https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2021/02/14/more-than-60-years-ago-a-black-teen-from-malvern-ci-was-told-to-stop-dancing-with-a-white-girl-on-a-buffalo-tv-show-toronto-exploded.html?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMedia&utm_campaign=National&utm_content=stopdancing
A week later, Clayton received a letter of apology. His father accepted it, and wrote in the Star, thanking Canadians "for expressing their resentment against this discrimination." https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2021/02/14/more-than-60-years-ago-a-black-teen-from-malvern-ci-was-told-to-stop-dancing-with-a-white-girl-on-a-buffalo-tv-show-toronto-exploded.html?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMedia&utm_campaign=National&utm_content=stopdancing
After that incident, Clayton went on to become a jazz percussionist, garnering love from many fellow musicians. Now, at 77, he lives in an LTC in Toronto. Appreciative of the accolades, he responds with a simple “thank you.” https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2021/02/14/more-than-60-years-ago-a-black-teen-from-malvern-ci-was-told-to-stop-dancing-with-a-white-girl-on-a-buffalo-tv-show-toronto-exploded.html?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=SocialMedia&utm_campaign=National&utm_content=stopdancing
