As we approach the one-year anniversary of the shooting that took place during last year’s Africville Reunion, BlackNovaScotia.ca stands with the entire community, especially the families, elders, youth, and organizers whose spirits were tested that day and in the months since.
Five people were injured that evening when two individuals exchanged gunfire near a crowd during the reunion. Among those harmed was 17-year-old Chrishia Carvery, a young woman who had been helping to care for her little cousins as they played nearby. She was struck while holding a toddler in her arms. A bullet remains lodged in her spine. The injury has left her paralyzed. And yet, in the days that followed, she was described by loved ones as comforting others in the hospital, telling them not to cry.
Chrishia was doing what our communities have always done: looking out for one another.
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In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, members of the faith community and local leaders came together to organize circles of lament and healing. These gatherings were not only an expression of our collective grief, they were also a reaffirmation of who we are. That even in our most painful moments, we still choose to show up for one another.
The Africville Reunion is more than just an event. For over 30 years, it has been one of the largest and longest-running Black gatherings in Atlantic Canada. It is where stories are shared, memories made, and traditions passed down. It is a space that represents belonging and love in a world that too often denies us both. That hasn’t changed, and it won’t.
We also acknowledge what hasn’t happened.
Despite the presence of hundreds of people, no one has yet been arrested or charged in connection with the shooting. In April of this year, Nova Scotia’s Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program took the unprecedented step of offering up to $150,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction, marking the first time such a reward has been offered for a non-homicide case in the province’s history.
We understand that some may still carry fear. We also understand that others may carry knowledge they feel conflicted or afraid to share. That conflict is real. But so too is the cost of silence when justice remains unmet.
This year, as we return to the reunion grounds, we do so with a deepened understanding of both our vulnerability and our resilience. We come not just to enjoy ourselves, but to uphold the legacy of those who fought to keep this space sacred. We encourage everyone attending to look out for one another, to care for one another, and to honour the spirit of the reunion by protecting the safety and joy it was built on.
Our hearts remain with Chrishia, her family, and with everyone whose peace was shaken that day. We urge anyone with knowledge that could bring healing or accountability to come forward – not out of fear or pressure, but out of love for what this community is and what it continues to strive to be.
The Africville Reunion has always been an act of resistance. Let this year’s be no different.
