"How My Parents' Cross-Cultural Union Sparked a Global Controversy"

A love story that caused a racial scandal and made headlines around the world is being brought to life in a new book. The story begins in 1957 with Ruth Holloway, a white British missionary, who falls in love with John Kimuyu, a black Kenyan man. Ruth worked at a blind institute where John was a student, and when they announced their plans to marry, Ruth lost her job. Their daughter, Ndinda Kimuyu, is now writing a book about her mother's life, which took place during a significantly different time. Ruth left her hometown of Kirkby-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire at the age of 19 to move to Kenya. At the time, Kenya was in the midst of fighting for independence from British colonial rule, with the Kenya Land and Freedom Army, or Mau Mau, leading the struggle. The couple faced opposition when they decided to get married, with Ruth facing backlash from her bosses and parents. She even had to smuggle a wedding ring back to Kenya by hiding it in a cake. Their wedding was controversial, as Ruth was believed to be the first white European to marry a black Kenyan. The ceremony was interrupted by the registrar, who performed the marriage but expressed his disagreement with it. Media coverage of the wedding spread across the UK, Kenya, and the United States, with reports even suggesting a threat of race riots. Ndinda explains that the most intense opposition came from white colonialists in Kenya. The family was eventually separated when Ruth and Ndinda's two sisters were sent back to the UK in 1965 following Kenya's independence. John remained in Kenya, where he had a job with the police. Despite the distance, John and Ruth maintained their connection through reel-to-reel tape recordings until Ruth's passing about 30 years ago. John remarried twice and lived into his nineties before his recent death in November. Ndinda returned to Kenya after 30 years to speak at her father's funeral and was inspired to write a book about her parents' story. She describes her parents as pioneers who helped shape history, saying that love brought them together and motivated them to fight for their relationship.