Inclusion discussion, performances, gala all part of Africa society Black History Month events
Seven months after holding its largest Africa Festival of Arts and Culture on the Halifax waterfront, the Africa Festival of Arts and Culture Society is hosting a series of Black History Month activities. The activities include a panel discussion on inclusion and diversity in the workplace, a series of elementary school presentations throughout Truro, Dartmouth, and Halifax, […]
Angela Simmonds resigns as Preston MLA, deputy Speaker
Angela Simmonds, the Liberal MLA for Preston, will be stepping down as a member of the provincial legislature. Her last day will be on April 1.
Simmonds made the announcement Wednesday afternoon in an open letter to her constituents.
“There are many different reasons people get into politics. For me, it has always been about the people. I wanted to help others believe in change and feel inspired to find the courage to make those changes a lasting part of our community. I wanted people to look at me and see opportunity within themselves,” Simmonds wrote in the letter.
“For me, this decision is necessary to stretch out the legacy of changemakers, lifting up new voices while also preserving my own. This experience has taught me a great deal, and I’m ready to take that knowledge into our community, create opportunities and make change — now.”
‘Mission accomplished:’ home of Nova Scotia’s first Black doctor gets heritage designation
Halifax regional council voted unanimously Tuesday to designate the former home and clinic of the late Dr. Clement Ligoure, the province’s first Black doctor, an official heritage property. Earlier Tuesday morning, prior to the vote, a rally was held outside City Hall in support of preserving the property. The rally was co-organized by members of […]
Migrant worker facing bill from Nova Scotia after insurance for cancer treatment cancelled
A migrant worker from Jamaica who learned she had cervical cancer shortly after she started working at a farm in Nova Scotia says she owes the province nearly $65,000 after her private insurance was cancelled. Kerian Burnett, 42, recently completed chemotherapy treatment, but she said she’s yet to receive a CT scan needed to track […]
Council downzones historic Black community to stop ‘Wild Wild West of development’
HRM’s sign at the entrance to Upper Hammonds Plains. Credit: HRM Halifax Examiner — Limits have been placed on development in a historically Black community outside of Halifax after a vote at Halifax regional council this week. Community members from Upper Hammonds Plains packed council chambers for a public hearing Tuesday night, where many spoke after an […]
Festival for Black Nova Scotian filmmakers back on stage for this spring
A film festival created for Black Nova Scotian filmmakers is now open for submissions and its organizer hopes the event will go ahead without COVID restrictions for the first time since 2019.
The Emerging Lens Film Festival is now in its 13th year. Co-founder Shelley Fashan said the idea for the festival first came about in 2010 when she attended the screening of a documentary by East Preston filmmaker Tara Taylor, who eventually became Emerging Lens’ other co-founder.
[VIDEO] – SIRT’s first director of African descent welcomes questions from Black community
One of the longest-tenured Black senior crown prosecutors in Nova Scotia’s history recently appointed as director of Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) is encouraging and welcoming questions from the Black community about cases in his new role.
Alonzo Wright becomes the fourth director of SIRT since its 2012 launch. He’s SIRT’s first director of African descent.
YouTube series helps African immigrants find connections, community in Nova Scotia
A team of African immigrants in Halifax have created a YouTube web series to help keep other African immigrants informed on issues specific to their new community.
The show, which is called Community Update, was created by Gbenga Akintokun. Promise Akoi is the current host.
Black advocacy group concerned about consultations with province after Bill 225 passes
The leader of a Black advocacy organization says she wants to know the goal of future consultations between the province and the Black community with respect to land allocation, expropriation, or development in the province’s Black communities. Those concerns about consultations come after recent amendments to Bill 225. “Is it just for them to inform […]
Community land trusts could mean more affordable housing for Preston, advocates say
“I don’t know that they’re entirely interested in community land trusts for all the community support benefits that come along with it. They’re really interested in it as a way to get affordable housing built. As long as you set yourself up to give government confidence, I think there very likely could be community investments in community land trusts to make these things happen.”