Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), The Journal: Saint Marys Universitys Independent Student Publication, none went into reconstructing and modernizing the village, his protest camp was taken down presumably by the Africville Heritage Trust. There were also some accounts of bribery and intimidation being used against residents to force them from the neighbourhood. Soon after this, former residents and activists began a long protest on the site against their treatment and the condemnation. Metson, Graham, ed. Out of the 140 children ever registered, 60 children reached either grade 7 or 8, and only four boys and one girl reached grade 10. The town never received proper roads, health services, water, street lamps or electricity. However, Africville suffered considerable damage. Yet, the residents managed to pull together on their own and keep the community going. In 2020, an undergraduate student Danielle Mahon created an online project, This page was last edited on 10 June 2022, at 07:30. Reactions were mixed: while some cheered, others are adamant that its not enough. While the residents knew they could not legally fight this, they illegally salvaged the dump for usable goods. The City of Halifax collected taxes in Africville but did not provide services such as paved roads, running water, or sewers. [ the carpeted wall ]. A global relief effort brought in millions of dollars in donations to rebuild the city, but none of the money went to rebuilding Africville. In the first half of the 20th century, such municipal services as public transportation, garbage collection, recreational facilities, and adequate police protection were nonexistent. While the community was never officially established, the first land transaction documented on paper was dated 1848. [17] The intent was to redevelop some land for "higher" uses with greater economic return: business and industry. [citation needed], The last Africville home was demolished on 2 January 1970. [34], Since then, the Museum has given tours of the site, put on a number of exhibits, commissioned a play about the beginnings of Africville, and organized a number of fundraisers and petitions, including to add a transit stop at and accessibility improvements to the museum. 1964) was passed 37/41 in favour of relocation. Being a poor community, none of the teachers up until 1933 had obtained formal training. Headquarters established for Royal Navy's North American Station, Departing Halifax for Northwest Rebellion, Governor-General's award for English-Language Drama, "Attitudes towards the Education of the Poor in Colonial Halifax", "TURNING POINTS: The Razing of Africville an epic failure in urban community renewal", Africville and the Dynamics of State Power in Postwar Canada, "Rooster Town: Winnipeg's Lost Mtis Suburb, 19001960", "Exclusive: Documents solve mystery surrounding Africville church's demolition date", "Africville church: The demolition of the heartbeat of a community", "Restoring Africville's heart | Halifax Magazine", Africville | Canadas Most Famous Black Community, "Africville: Canada's Secret Racist History", "CBC News Nova Scotia Halifax council ratifies Africville apology", Tears and memories mark Africville church opening, "Africville church commemorated, 50 years after demolition", "Africville Museum visitors shocked by lack of transit accessibility", "Dog park debate stirs anger in Halifax black community", "Make things right in Africville | Halifax Magazine", "Africville Residents Want Compensation for the Homes Halifax Bulldozed Decades Ago", "Africville residents seek changes to proposed lawsuit against Halifax", "Africville Book Launch - Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission", "Why Shauntay Grant created a children's book to revisit the legacy of Africville - CBC Books", "Education & Resources " Africville Museum ", Marilyn Smulders, "Ellington song found/ Local Journalist finds piece written for Halifax woman", Africville: The Spirit Lives On The Africville Genealogy, "Africville: Expropriating Nova Scotia's blacks", Gone but Never Forgotten: Bob Brooks' Photographic Portrait of Africville in the 1960s, Nova Scotia Archives & Records Management. )[1][2] Other residents arrived later, in association with Black people being recruited from the American South for jobs in mining at Glace Bay. [18], Many years earlier, and again in 1947 after a major fire burnt several Africville houses, officials discussed redevelopment and relocation of Africville. With the civil unrest following the American Revolution, formerly enslaved settlers began to arrive in Nova Scotia. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. AfricanNova Scotians, as well as white Nova Scotians, would line the banks of the Bedford Basin to watch the singing procession leave the church to baptize adults in the basins waters. Africville was a small community of predominantly Black Canadians located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. In. This kit consists of teaching resources and a variety of engaging student activities that foster empathy, cultural understanding, and a sense of empowerment as students uncover the complexities of an important story. Aiman is a teaching assistant and the lifestyle writer for the Saint Mary's University's Journal Publishing Society (The SMU Journal). In 1996, the site of Africville was declared a National Historic Site, referring to it as a site of pilgrimage for people honouring the struggle against racism. On February 24th, 2010, Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly apologized for the destruction of the site. The church was called the beating heart of Africville and was the centre of the village to both church-goers and non-church-goers. Council eventually voted to place the dump 350m away from the west side of Africville. [5] Many people believed the name came as result of those who lived there having came from Africa; however, this was not the case. But more concrete plans of relocation did not officially emerge until 1961. The council recognized it as a health menace and would not consider other locations, seeing that residents would find it unacceptable. [14][pageneeded] Beginning in the early 20th century around the Great War, more people had moved there, drawn by jobs in industries and related facilities developed nearby. "[9]:73, Family strains and debt forced many to rely on public assistance, and anxiety was high among the former residents. Please select which sections you would like to print: Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. [30] On 24 February 2010, Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly made the Africville Apology, apologizing for the eviction as part of a $4.5million compensation deal. The Africville Genealogy Society was formed in 1983 to track former residents and their descendants. The story of discrimination began primarily with mismanagement by the authorities. The first records of a Black presence in Africville date back to 1848, and it continued to exist for 150 years after that. [citation needed]. In November 2019, his protest camp was taken down presumably by the Africville Heritage Trust, bidding the end to one of the longest civil rights protests in Canada. They were filled with grief and felt cheated out of their property. You werent isolated at any time living in Africville. [1974] 1999. "Personal Narrative Dr. W.B. None of the people came from Africa. [I]t was part of Richmond (Northern Halifax), just the part where the colour folks lived. The government has recognized it as a commemorative site and established a museum here. On Nova Scotia Heritage Day 2020 (February 15), the provincial government issued the return of the bell that had once hung from the church in Africville to be placed on the land outside the Africville Museum. Many men found employment in low-paying jobs; others worked as seamen or Pullman porters, who would clean and work on train cars. The community became known as 'Africville' around 1900. In addition, an Africville Heritage Trust was established to design a museum and build a replica of the community church. Africville, African-Canadian village formerly located just north of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. One of the biggest complaints was that "they feel no sense of ownership or pride in the sterile public housing projects."[25]. Africville students went to schools in Halifax. Residents who could prove they owned their land were offered payment equal to the value of their houses. They believe that the city wanted to remove from Halifax a concentrated group of Black people for whom they had no regard. The residents of Africville struggled with poverty and poor health conditions as a result, and the community's buildings became badly deteriorated. About four Africvillians died, although it is thought that they were in the north end of Halifax when the explosion hit. In practice, this meant closing many Black schools and busing pupils to the nearest white schools. This post originally appeared on The Journal: Saint Marys Universitys Independent Student Publication. Eddie Carvery, a former resident, returned to the former Africville in 1970 to protest its unjust destruction. [11]:4445 Elevated land to the south protected Africville from the direct blast of the explosion and the complete destruction that levelled the neighbouring community of Richmond. A local resident had taught many of the children in Africville before the school opened. From 1970 to the present, a protest has occupied space on the grounds. [9]:17 Women were also hired as cooks, to clean the hospital or prison, and some elderly women were hired to clean upper-class houses. 1978. Unfortunately, former Africville residents soon realized that the citys promises for a home-for-a-home would not materialize. Accordingly, Preston, along with Septimus Clarke, are credited as co-founders of the African United Baptist Association, a network of Black Baptist churches throughout Nova Scotia.[4][7][8]. What happened in Africville for almost 170 years was a slew of systematic racist undertakings on part of the council of Halifax, largely backed by the perceptions of the wider public. [15], Scholars have concluded that the razing of Africville was a confluence of "overt and hidden racism, the progressive impulse in favour of racial integration, and the rise of liberal-bureaucratic social reconstruction ideas. The park was most often used as an off-leash dog park. Its important to note that this land was deemed inhospitable prior to the formation of the village. The area that once was Africville was thereby declared a national historic site in 2002. [24], After relocation to public housing within the city limits, the residents had new problems: cost of living went up in their new homes, more people were unemployed and without regular incomes, none of the promised employment or education programs were implemented, and the city's promises went unfulfilled. That is one of the most important things that has stayed with me throughout my life., With only 80 families and 400 residents, the community was tight-knit and was nicknamed the African village. In 1958, the city decided to move the town garbage dump and landfill to the Africville area. Many of the first settlers were formerly enslaved African Americans from the Thirteen Colonies, Black Loyalists who were freed by the Crown during the American Revolutionary War and War of 1812. Those with no legal rights were given a $500 payment and promised a furniture allowance, social assistance, and public housing units. First known as the "Campbell Road Settlement,"[5] Africville began as a small, poor, self-sufficient rural community of about 50 people during the 19th century. The Crown also promised land and equal rights to refugees of the 1812 War. [29] The dedicated site was a 1-hectare (2.5-acre) area. [19], The formal relocation took place mainly between 1964 and 1967. In 1969, the last property was demolished and the entire land was repossessed by the government. Bernard, W. T. & Vincer, M. P. (2014). [15]:67 Young families believed they had enough money to begin a new life, but most of the elderly residents would not budge; they had much more of an emotional connection to their homes. Today, the legacy left behind by this little village is one of perseverance and the fight against violations of the rights of marginalized communities. [22][23] It was bulldozed with the vital records of many residents inside, such as birth, marriage, and death records, which could have established chains of custody for land claims. Other Black groups came to Africville for Sunday picnics and events. [15]:110 Only 40% of boys and girls received any education at all, as many families needed to have them help with paid work, or by taking care of younger siblings at home so parents could work. It has been developed as a permanent exhibit at. Despite frequent protests and petitions for these amenities, the village remained largely neglected by the Nova Scotian government. More land was expropriated for the railway in 1912 and in the 1940s. In 1962, Halifax City Council adopted the relocation proposal unanimously, and the "Rose Report" (publ. Needless to say, despite his best efforts, the Africville community is now part of provincial history. In 1836, Campbell Road connected central Halifax to the Africville area. Network in Canadian History & Environment | Nouvelle initiative Canadienne en histoire de l'environnement. (Black people settled in Africville along Albemarle Street, where they had a school established in 1785 that served the Black community for decades under Rev. In 1836, Campbell Road was constructed, creating an access route along the north side of the Halifax Peninsula. On the 30th of January 2014, a commemorative stamp was issued by the Canada Post Corporation depicting a photograph of seven girls with the backdrop of an illustrated village. In 1964, the first piece of land was expropriated and over the course of the next five years, more and more homes were bulldozed and many residents moved to public housing. Halifax was founded in 1749, when African people held as slaves dug out roads and built much of the city. [6] After starting with the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church in 1832, clergyman Richard Preston established the Seaview African United Baptist Church in Africville in 1849, as one of five others in Halifax: Preston (1842), Beechville (1844), Hammonds Plains (1845), and Dartmouth. Credit for the "Adinkra" symbols background goes to Saki Mafundikwa from his book Afrikan Alphabets: The Story of Writing in Afrika. There were many hardships, suspicion and jealousy that emerged, mostly due to complications of land and ownership claims. By 1956 and 1957, reports on rehousing projects were already being prepared for the council to remove residents from Africville. A prison was built there in 1853, an infectious disease hospital in 1870, as well as a slaughterhouse, and a depository for fecal waste from nearby Russellville. Stimulated by the "Stephenson Report" of 1957 and the establishment of Halifax's Department of Development in 1961, the city proposed relocation of these residents. The city continued to use the area as an industrial site, notably introducing a waste-treatment facility nearby in 1958. During the 20th century, Halifax neglected the community, failing to provide basic infrastructure and services such as roads, water, and sewerage. Homeowners protested about the lack of compensation for their devastated homes and the dangers and pollution of speeding trains but to no avail. In light of the controversy related to the relocation, the city of Halifax created the Seaview Memorial Park on the site in the 1980s, preserving it from development. Many of the homeowners of Africville were not priorly informed about the razing of their homes; others were given a few hours notice. "[9] Strangers later moved into Africville to take advantage of its unregulated status, selling illicit liquor and sex, largely to the mass of transient soldiers and sailors passing through Halifax.[10]. The Crown transported them and other Loyalists to Nova Scotia, promising land and supplies for their service. With haphazardly positioned dwellings that ranged from small, well-maintained, and brightly painted homes to tiny ramshackle dwellings converted from sheds, the community had a peak population of 400 at the time of the Halifax Explosion in 1917. Clairmont, Donald H., and Dennis William Magill. [21] There is controversy around the documentation, which shows the church was sold in 1968; the page has been edited by hand to forge the sale as a year earlier. According to former resident, Irvine Carvery, You werent isolated at any time living in Africville. [36][37][38], A civil lawsuit has been filed seeking individual compensation for property in Africville. Founded in the mid-18th century, Africville became a prosperous seaside community, but the City of Halifax demolished it in the 1960s in what many said was an act of racism after decades of neglect and the placement of undesirable services there. The first official record of Africville is from 1761, when the land was granted to several white families, including the families of men who imported and sold enslaved African men and women. One elderly resident of Africville has been quoted as saying, "It wasn't Africville out there. The Halifax explosion of 1917 shelved plans to turn Africville into an industrial zone. The dump contributed to the city's classifying this area as an official slum. [4] In the late 1850s, the Nova Scotia Railway, later to become the Intercolonial Railway, was built from Richmond to the south, bisecting Africville with the railway's main line along the western shores of Bedford Basin. In the end, despite resistance, all residents were relocated; the last remaining Africville home was destroyed in January of 1970. https://humanrights.ca/story/the-story-of-africville, Custom design & setup by:
[32][33] The opening ceremonies included a gospel concert, several church services, and the release of a compilation audio album with archival recordings of songs sung in Africville. Africville was a primarily Black community located on the south shore of the Bedford Basin, on the outskirts of Halifax. Moore." After much petitioning by Africvillians, a school opened in 1883. In 1854, a railway extension was built right through the village, expropriating and destroying several homes in the process. Updates? [20] On 20 November 1967, the church at Africville was demolished at night to avoid controversy, a year before the city officially possessed the building. Discover Africa in The Americas is a project of Africa Access and Howard University Center for African Studies, 2014-2019 by Brenda Randolph and The Carpeted Wall, McRae, Matthew. The Story of Africville., https://humanrights.ca/story/the-story-of-africville, Afrikan Alphabets: The Story of Writing in Afrika. The community itself was quite self-sufficient. Residents without proof some residents did not have deeds, even if their families had lived on the site for generations were offered $500. The city built the first elementary school here in 1883, at the expense of community residents. With discrimination affecting job prospects in the city, most residents moved away to Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg. This decision seemed to be made without concern for the wellbeing of the village residents, and the council certainly did not consult them prior to decision-making or planning. [15]:111, To understand Africville, "you got to know about the church;"[9]:27 the life and heart of the town. "[9]:25. Other residents ran farms, and several opened small stores toward the end of the 19th century. The City restored the name Africville to Seaview Park at the annual Africville Family Reunion on 29 July 2011. For five decades, he occupied the site for periodic intervals and demanded a public inquiry and satisfactory compensation for its former residents. Many former residents believe that the city council had no plans to turn Africville into an industrial site, and that racism was the basis of the community's destruction. [35][4] The Africville Museum continues to have problems with area use, including local residents who continue to use Seaview Park as a dog park; and vandals, who are putting graffiti on signs, and disrupting trust efforts to identify the sites of former houses. It had its own family-operated stores, a post office, a school, and even a church. When you are in this country and you own a piece of property, youre not a second-class citizenBut when your land is being taken away from you, and you aint offered nothing, then you become a peasant in any mans country.. Resistance to eviction became more difficult as residents accepted the buyouts and their homes were demolished. Many faced discrimination and were channeled into auxiliary classes that had few resources. In 1854, a railway extension was cut through the village. In the 1950s, the city was considering several locations for an open-pit dump. The community's social life revolved around the church, which was the place of baptisms, weddings, and funerals. The Intercolonial Railway, later Canadian National Railways, constructed Basin Yard west of the community, adding more tracks. Only 14 residents held clear legal titles to their land. Africville was a small Black village on the southern shore of the Bedford Basin that only existed from the 1800s until 1970. Aiman has a passion for journalism and research. After the offer was made in 2002, the Africville Genealogy Society requested some alterations to the Halifax offer, including additional land and the possibility of building affordable housing near the site. Residents and their possessions ended up being removed from Africville via dump trucks, further compounding the prevailing prejudice and stigma surrounding the village. 1974. On 23 February 2010, the Halifax Council ratified a proposed "Africville apology," with an arrangement with the Government of Canada to establish a $250,000 Africville Heritage Trust to design a museum and build a replica of the community church. Africville residents ran fishing businesses from the Bedford Basin, selling their catch locally and in Halifax. [28] Halifax mayor Peter Kelly offered land, some money, and various other services for a replica of the Seaview African United Baptist Church. Africville: The Uprooting of Citizens from their territory in Modern Day Halifax. They would get clothes, copper, steel, brass, tin, etc. The residents and their belongings were moved by Halifax garbage trucks. Charles Inglis. In 1848, William Arnold and William Brown, both Black settlers, bought land in Africville. Aiman Khan is a third-year Bachelor of Commerce student majoring in accounting at Saint Mary's University located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Everything was done through the church, "clubs, youth organizations, ladies' auxiliary and Bible classes. The community was neglected in terms of education. Feature Image: A young boy in Africville, 1965. Credit: Ted Grant/Library and Archives Canada/PA-170234. [21] At the time, it was still in use: residents remember the church being bulldozed in 1967, shortly after the last active service; another service was being planned for the end of the year. Many of these refugees were once enslaved in the Chesapeake area of the United States. Contamination of the wells was so frequent that residents had to boil their water before using it for drinking or cooking. TheCyberKrib.com Interview by Neil Acharya with author Stephen Kimber about his novel, "Eddie Carvery, Africville and the Longest Civil Rights Protest in Canadian History", Cast Iron Faade / Coomb's Old English Shoe Store, Grand-Pr & Grand-Pr Rural Historic District, St. George's Anglican Church / Round Church, WaverleySalmon River Long Lake Wilderness, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Africville&oldid=1092433237, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from April 2015, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "A Nourishment by Neglect" (2007) is a song by Newfoundland metal/hardcore band, The story of Africville has influenced the work of, In 1989, a historic exhibit about Africville toured across Canada. The city quickly demolished each house as soon as residents moved out. Africvilles school was closed in 1953 as Nova Scotia desegregated its education system. There were stores, a school, a post office and the Seaview United Baptist Church, which was Africvilles spiritual and social centre. A thick cloud of smoke billowing over Halifax and nearby towns, such as Africville, in Nova Scotia, Canada, after a munitions ship exploded in the Halifax Harbour on December 6, 1917. The mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality apologized in 2010 for Africvilles destruction. Nonetheless, Halifax council voted in favour of urban renewal with the promise to provide residents with superior housing in Halifax. Seeing Africville as a slum formed an important part of the public acceptance of Africvilles destruction. Other notable racialized neighbourhoods razed under the banner of urban renewal include The Ward in Toronto, and Rooster Town in Winnipeg. This view of the village helped the white public to accept its ultimate demolition. This image forever stuck in the minds and hearts of people; they took it to represent the degrading way they were treated before, during, and after the move. The Halifax Explosion of 1917 also damaged Africville, but of the millions of dollars that poured in from donations to rebuild Halifax, none went into reconstructing and modernizing the village as with the other neighbourhoods devastated by the explosion. Halifax did not survey Africville for damage, but oral history records that several homes were badly damaged and lost their roofs. He was 24 at the time. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In 2012, the city built a replica church of the Seaview United Baptist Church which opened as a church museum, and the area was renamed Africville Park. Some evidence indicates that this early Black community lived a few kilometres north of the city on the southern shore of the Bedford Basinan area that became Africville. Those who resisted relocation could have their lands expropriated by the city. This steady employment on the Pullman cars was considered prestigious at the time, as the men also got to travel and see the country. From the mid-19th century, the City of Halifax located its least desirable facilities in the Africville area, where the people had little political power and property values were low. Despite this, the residents thrived, finding a stable means of living from fishing and proximity to waged employment in Halifax. (Bernard & Vincer, 2014). Other evidence suggests that some of the maroons of Jamaica (Africans who escaped enslavement), resettled to Nova Scotia by the British government, moved to the basin in 1796. in Dominelli & Moosa-Mitha (eds. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Children swam in Tibbys Pond and played baseball in Kildares Field. In May 2005, New Democratic Party of Nova Scotia MLA Maureen MacDonald introduced a bill in the provincial legislature called the Africville Act. With the fall of the cultural centre of the community in 1967 the Seaview United Baptist Church most of the residents accepted their fate and moved out of the village. https://www.britannica.com/place/Africville, The Canadian Encyclopedia - Africville, Nova Scotia, Canada, Canada's Human Rights History - Africville, Africville Museum - The Community of Africville. The following two tabs change content below. Those who did not have their deeds were not compensated in any way. The fingerprints of koalas are almost indistinguishable from human fingerprints. Economically, the first two generations were not prosperous, as labourers had limited opportunities. THE MUSEUM, A REPLICA OF THE CHURCH DESTROYED IN THE 1960S, TELLS THE STORY OF AFRICVILLE, FROM ITS SETTLEMENT BY EARLY BLACK IMMIGRANTS UNTIL ITS DESTRUCTION. Throughout its history, Africville was confronted with isolation. "[16], During the 1940s and 1950s in different parts of Canada, the federal, provincial, and municipal governments were working together for urban renewal, particularly after the Allied victory in World War II: there was energy to redevelop areas classified as slums and relocate the people to new and improved housing. The destruction of Africville took several years. In 1996 the site was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada as being representative of Black Canadian settlements in the province and as an enduring symbol of the need for vigilance in defence of their communities and institutions. Part of the former territory of Africville is occupied by a highway interchange that serves the A. Murray MacKay Bridge. Occasionally the city would demolish a house whenever an opportunity presented itselfsuch as when a resident was in the hospital. The council voted to put the dump 350 metres from the western edge of Africville. There is no reference in the council minutes that states a concern for the health of Africville residents or of any consultation or protests from Africvillians. In the winter, residents played hockey when the pond froze. Residents protested to the city and called for municipal water supply and treatment of sewage, to no avail. It developed on the southern shore of Bedford Basin and existed from the early 1800s to the 1960s. Several homes were expropriated and destroyed.