Tag: Black Scotia

The Africville Lawsuit – Why It Still Matters

A weathered RV parked near the waterfront is covered in vibrant graffiti art. The left side features a large, stylized portrait of a man with a beard in orange, blue, and black tones. Bold graffiti text across the side reads “AFRICVILLE PROTEST.” Additional text on the right side says “50 YEARS” and “ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE.” Several empty chairs and a small deck are set up in front of the RV, with overgrown grass surrounding the area under a cloudy sky.

This past year, renewed legal efforts from original Africville residents and descendants, such as Eddie and Victor Carvery, have pushed back into court to seek justice that was never fully delivered. These are not just symbolic gestures. These are legal actions with real implications for land reclamation and financial redress.

Weymouth Falls receives community spirit award alongside reunion celebration [VIDEO]

Dr. Henry Bishop

On Aug. 5, 2023, the historic African Nova Scotian community of Weymouth Falls is receiving the Lieutenant Governor’s Community Spirit Award.

Weymouth Falls was selected for the award in 2022, but the ceremony was delayed so it could happen alongside the community’s biennial reunion celebrations — the first since the COVID-19 pandemic began. 

Emancipation Day at Dalhousie Art Gallery [Aug. 1st & 2nd]

Emancipation Day at Dalhousie Art Gallery - event flyer

Join us for two full days of drop-in events from 1-5 pm on Tuesday, August 1st and Wednesday, August 2nd! This will be the last week to visit “The Secret Codes: African Nova Scotian Quilts”! Drop in anytime between 1-5 pm to check out the exhibition and connect with the curator, artists, and other community members.

Nova Scotia Black artist, historian hopes Secret Codes quilt exhibit inspires younger generations

The Secret Codes, African Nova Scotian Quilts - curated by: David Woods

An artist and Black historian says he hopes an exhibit of African Nova Scotian quilts inspires a new generation to take up “a dying craft in the Black community.”

David Woods is the curator of the exhibit titled The Secret Codes, which is currently on display at the Dalhousie Art Gallery in Halifax. The exhibit features works from over two dozen predominately African Nova Scotian painters and quilters.

While the exhibit runs until Aug. 6, the gallery will host other events for Emancipation Day on Aug. 1 and Aug. 2. Those events will include a curator’s talk, a guided tour with Heather Cromwell of the Vale Quilters Association whose work is featured in the exhibit, and a “family quilts gathering” where people are invited to bring in their quilts to share stories about them.

Stats Canada data show income, housing disparities between Black, white Nova Scotians [INFOGRAPHICS]

Carolann Wright leads a presentation by the African Nova Scotian Road to Economic Prosperity Plan (REPP)

Statistics Canada data compiled in a presentation by an organization led by African Nova Scotians show socioeconomic disparities between Black people and other visible minorities compared to white people in Halifax, and across Nova Scotia and Canada.

The African Nova Scotian Road to Economic Prosperity Plan (REPP) has been sharing the data with Black Nova Scotians through a series of presentations at community meetings.

DJ R$ $mooth celebrates career as host of longest-running Black music radio show in Atlantic Canada [VIDEO]

Ryan "R$ Smooth" Somers gives the peace sign while broadcasting on the radio

The longest-running Black music radio show in Atlantic Canada recently celebrated its 25th year anniversary on the airwaves.

Ryan Somers, aka DJ R$ $mooth, has been hosting $mooth Groove$ on CKDU 88.1 FM since 1998. The show, which airs every Sunday from 5pm to 8pm, broadcasts out of the Student Union Building on the campus of Dalhousie University.

“I always think of the show as like a home base, like no matter what’s going on… most people can hear me that Sunday,”

A coalition for Black voices in Nova Scotia

Photo: Halifax Examiner

Since 2015, the African Nova Scotian Decade for People of African Descent Coalition has been working on issues in the Black community, including justice, health, education, employment, and social services.