Catherine Slaney was born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1951 to "white" parents. She presently lives in Georgetown, Ontario, with her family and, so far, has been blessed with five children and ten grandchildren. Her life is very full as she has been a full-time professor at Sheridan College for twenty-five years, teaching in the field of Animal Science and Ethics and, in her spare time, judging horse shows and grooming dogs.

Catherine developed an interest in Black history quite by accident when, in 1990, she decided to investigate a little family genealogy and came across the stories of her black ancestors. Her curiosity led her across the continent as she contacted distant cousins in an effort to seek the truth, for it quickly became apparent that certain Family Secrets had slipped out of reach. It became a personal quest for her to find a means to explain why some of her ancestors found it necessary pass as white.

Today she is able to share the many experiences of a very special family that now includes all shades of colour and yet are all related in blood. Although they are scattered across North America, they appear to retain some indefinable quality that connects them as family and thus their initial reunion became the first step in breaking down the barriers and revealing the family secrets.

Currently Catherine is pursuing a Doctorate Degree in Sociology and Equity Studies in Education at the Ontario Institute for Educational Studies at the University of Toronto (OISE/UT), where her current study focuses on racial/cultural identity, assimilation and the practice of passing.