THE ROOTS OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATIONS IN NOVA SCOTIA
Before Black History Month became a province-wide fixture in Nova Scotia, it was built through grassroots organizing, youth leadership, and public library programming. This historical account—originally shared by the Black Artists Network of Nova Scotia (BANNS / BANS)—documents the early origins of Black History Week and the community-driven efforts that helped expand it into what it is today. Preserved here as originally written, the text offers a reminder that Black History Month in Nova Scotia was shaped from the ground up, long before it was institutionalized.
Black History Month Is Not a Photo Op
Across Nova Scotia, African Heritage Month galas are increasingly well-attended and well-branded. What’s less clear is how much history is actually being taught. Celebration without education is not neutral — it is political. When optics replace accountability, Black History Month risks becoming symbolism without substance.
The origin of Truro’s Black community
First published in 2000, this article by Donna Byard Sealey traces the origins of Truro’s Black community from the arrival of Black Loyalists in Nova Scotia through the growth of families, institutions, and traditions that sustained the community over generations.
$2 Million Investment Strengthens Black Community Land Trusts Across Nova Scotia
Across Nova Scotia, African Nova Scotian communities are reclaiming land as a foundation for housing, culture, and long-term stability. A new $2-million investment in four Community Land Trusts — in Truro, North End Halifax, Upper Hammonds Plains, and Weymouth Falls — is helping strengthen Black-led approaches to land stewardship rooted in history, accountability, and intergenerational care.
Mapping Black Canada: Donna Paris on Migration, Memory, and Erased Communities [VIDEO]
From Africville to the Prairies, Donna Paris traces the Black communities Canada encouraged, exploited, and then erased. In this interview, she explains why recovering these stories isn’t about nostalgia — it’s about correcting the record.
Environmental Racism in Nova Scotia: What Was Promised, What Was Withheld, and What Black Communities Should Take From It
For months, Nova Scotians heard about a provincial report on environmental racism not because it was released, but because parts of it leaked. When the government finally posted a draft, it raised more questions than it answered — about delay, accountability, and what justice actually looks like for Black and Mi’kmaq communities still living with the consequences. This piece breaks down what happened, why it matters, and what Black Nova Scotians should be watching for next.
How a Park Name Became a Public Question
After being publicly unveiled as Reparations Park, a Truro community project was unexpectedly reopened through a naming contest. The move has raised unresolved questions about process, consultation, and how Black-led decisions are treated once ceremony gives way to municipal authority.
Who/What is “African Nova Scotian”?
Across Nova Scotia, Black communities share rhythms, memories, and histories — but often remain disconnected from one another. This reflection looks at why that is, who benefits from it, and what solidarity could look like if we chose to build it.
The Unsung Hero of the Halifax Explosion: Dr. Clement Courtenay Ligoure (1887-1922)
Long before Halifax rebuilt itself after the Explosion, Dr. Clement Ligoure was already doing the work—treating the injured by lamplight from a small private hospital on North Street. He never turned anyone away. He never closed his doors. And yet, for decades, his name was missing from the city’s official memory of that day.
Nova Scotia MLAs Clash Over Racism in Policing [VIDEO]
Halifax Needham MLA Suzy Hansen questioned the provincial government on October 3, 2025 about the lack of support for Truro police officer Brent Bowden, an African Nova Scotian officer on leave after an alleged racist incident. The exchange highlighted ongoing tensions around government responses to racism complaints.