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. Nonetheless, Halifax council voted in favour of urban renewal with the promise to provide residents with superior housing in Halifax. In 2020, an undergraduate student Danielle Mahon created an online project, This page was last edited on 10 June 2022, at 07:30. According to former resident, Irvine Carvery, You werent isolated at any time living in Africville. 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. Part of the former territory of Africville is occupied by a highway interchange that serves the A. Murray MacKay Bridge. The Intercolonial Railway, later Canadian National Railways, constructed Basin Yard west of the community, adding more tracks. During the late 1960s, the City of Halifax condemned the area, relocating its residents to newer housing in order to develop the nearby A. Murray MacKay Bridge, related highway construction, and the Port of Halifax facilities at Fairview Cove to the west. One elderly resident of Africville has been quoted as saying, "It wasn't Africville out there. About four Africvillians died, although it is thought that they were in the north end of Halifax when the explosion hit. The church was called the beating heart of Africville and was the centre of the village to both church-goers and non-church-goers. 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. Credit for the "Adinkra" symbols background goes to Saki Mafundikwa from his book Afrikan Alphabets: The Story of Writing in Afrika. Africville was founded by Black Nova Scotians from a variety of origins. The council recognized it as a health menace and would not consider other locations, seeing that residents would find it unacceptable. 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. It has been developed as a permanent exhibit at. 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:
1978. 
Resistance to eviction became more difficult as residents accepted the buyouts and their homes were demolished. 
[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. Please select which sections you would like to print: Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. 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. [31], A building designed to mimic the Seaview African United Baptist Church, demolished in 1969, was erected in the summer of 2011 to serve as a museum and historic interpretation centre.
Other residents ran farms, and several opened small stores toward the end of the 19th century. Clairmont, Donald H., and Dennis William Magill. Aiman is a teaching assistant and the lifestyle writer for the Saint Mary's University's Journal Publishing Society (The SMU Journal). Long after the village was gone, the church bell has remained a symbol of the once-thriving community of African settlers at the Bedford Basin. 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. They would get clothes, copper, steel, brass, tin, etc. He was 24 at the time. A second railway line appeared in 1906 with the arrival of the Halifax and Southwestern Railway, which connected to the Intercolonial at Africville. Other Black groups came to Africville for Sunday picnics and events. In 2012, the Africville Heritage Trust created the "Out Home: Africville" Educational Resource Kit. Because of the city's continued negative response to the people of Africville, the community failed to develop, and this failure was then used as a rationale to destroy it.[20]. By the second half of the 19th century, the City of Halifax had started to place undesirable services in Africville, declaring that the village will always be an industrial district. These services included a fertilizer plant, slaughterhouses, Rockhead prison, human waste disposal pits, and the Infectious Disease Hospital. Charles Inglis. Only 35% of labourers had regular employment, and 65% of the people worked as domestic servants. While residents of Africville paid their share of taxes, they were denied the most basic of services such as paved roads, running water, electricity, indoor plumbing, street lamps, garbage removal, a cemetery or even police security that their tax-paying white neighbourhoods enjoyed. By 1956 and 1957, reports on rehousing projects were already being prepared for the council to remove residents from Africville. Africville was a small community of predominantly Black Canadians located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. IT ALSO TELLS HOW THE COMMUNITY KEPT ALIVE THE SPIRIT OF AFRICVILLE. https://africvillemuseum.org/. More land was expropriated for the railway in 1912 and in the 1940s. Other families followed, and in 1849 Seaview African United Baptist Church was opened to serve the villages 80 residents. 1964) was passed 37/41 in favour of relocation. Africvilles school was closed in 1953 as Nova Scotia desegregated its education system. 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. Contamination of the wells was so frequent that residents had to boil their water before using it for drinking or cooking. The port development at Fairview Cove did not extend as far east as Africville, leaving its historic waterfront intact. 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.
They believe that the city wanted to remove from Halifax a concentrated group of Black people for whom they had no regard. [12] A doctor on a relief train arriving at Halifax noted Africville residents "as they wandered disconsolately around the ruins of their still standing little homes. "[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]. Yet, the residents managed to pull together on their own and keep the community going. Residents who could prove they owned their land were offered payment equal to the value of their houses. 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. In 1962, Halifax City Council adopted the relocation proposal unanimously, and the "Rose Report" (publ. While the residents knew they could not legally fight this, they illegally salvaged the dump for usable goods. Canada Post Corporation depicting a photograph of seven girls with the backdrop of an illustrated village, https://discoverhalifaxns.com/handpickedhalifax/nfb-doc-remember-africville/, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/africville, Africville: A Story of Environmental Racism, Social Resistance as Hydrological Pedagogy: The Sowers of Water in the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca, Pedagogies of Resistance: Blurring the Boundaries of Activist-Teacher in the Classroom, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, Matthew McRae, The story of Africville,, Celine Cooper and Clayton Ma, Africville,. "[13], In the aftermath of the disaster, Africville received modest relief assistance from the city, but none of the reconstruction and none of the modernization invested into other parts of the city at that time. Those with no legal rights were given a $500 payment and promised a furniture allowance, social assistance, and public housing units. The bill called for a formal apology from the Nova Scotia government, a series of public hearings on the destruction of Africville, and the establishment of a development fund to go towards historical preservation of Africville lands and social development in benefit of former residents and their descendants. You werent isolated at any time living in Africville. The city quickly demolished each house as soon as residents moved out. Four Africville residents (as well as one Mi'kmaq woman visiting from Queens County, Nova Scotia) were killed by the explosion. Halifax did not survey Africville for damage, but oral history records that several homes were badly damaged and lost their roofs. [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. 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. Occasionally the city would demolish a house whenever an opportunity presented itselfsuch as when a resident was in the hospital. The City of Halifax collected taxes in Africville but did not provide services such as paved roads, running water, or sewers. The community itself was quite self-sufficient. The government has recognized it as a commemorative site and established a museum here. In the winter, residents played hockey when the pond froze. 1974. In the first half of the 20th century, such municipal services as public transportation, garbage collection, recreational facilities, and adequate police protection were nonexistent. In. (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. [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. With discrimination affecting job prospects in the city, most residents moved away to Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg. 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. [39][40], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}444028.5N 63376.6W / 44.674583N 63.618500W / 44.674583; -63.618500. Soon after this, former residents and activists began a long protest on the site against their treatment and the condemnation. They were filled with grief and felt cheated out of their property. This steady employment on the Pullman cars was considered prestigious at the time, as the men also got to travel and see the country. Halifax was founded in 1749, when African people held as slaves dug out roads and built much of the city. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The council voted to put the dump 350 metres from the western edge of Africville. Africville was a small Black village on the southern shore of the Bedford Basin that only existed from the 1800s until 1970. At a public meeting of the community in 1962, 100 Africville residents voted against relocation and were reported to have said they would prefer to improve conditions in the existing community rather than leave. Over that time, hundreds of individuals and families lived there and built a thriving, closeknit community. The community's social life revolved around the church, which was the place of baptisms, weddings, and funerals. [15]:111, To understand Africville, "you got to know about the church;"[9]:27 the life and heart of the town. Clairmont, Donald H., and Dennis William Magill. Africville residents ran fishing businesses from the Bedford Basin, selling their catch locally and in Halifax.
The area that once was Africville was thereby declared a national historic site in 2002. Despite frequent protests and petitions for these amenities, the village remained largely neglected by the Nova Scotian government. Africville: The Uprooting of Citizens from their territory in Modern Day Halifax. 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. The lack of these services had serious adverse health effects on residents. That is one of the most important things that has stayed with me throughout my life.. The residents and their belongings were moved by Halifax garbage trucks. [18], Many years earlier, and again in 1947 after a major fire burnt several Africville houses, officials discussed redevelopment and relocation of Africville. This post originally appeared on The Journal: Saint Marys Universitys Independent Student Publication. The city built the first elementary school here in 1883, at the expense of community residents. The Seaview African United Baptist Church was established at Africville in 1849; it joined with other Black Baptist congregations to establish the African Baptist Association in 1854. [ the carpeted wall ]. The churchs baptisms and Easter Sunrise Services were well-known. 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. 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. 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. Throughout the 1930s, Africville residents petitioned the city to provide running water, sewage disposal, paved roads, garbage removal, electricity, street lights, police services, and a cemetery, but they were largely denied. However, Africville suffered considerable damage. Aiman has a passion for journalism and research. Eddie Carvery, a former resident, returned to the former Africville in 1970 to protest its unjust destruction. The City of Halifax continued to place undesirable services in Africville in the second half of the 19th century, including a fertilizer plant, slaughterhouses, Rockhead Prison (1854), the night-soil disposal pits (human waste), and the Infectious Diseases Hospital (1870s). The park was most often used as an off-leash dog park. [29] The dedicated site was a 1-hectare (2.5-acre) area. In 1969, the last property was demolished and the entire land was repossessed by the government. Bernard, W. T. & Vincer, M. P. (2014). It developed on the southern shore of Bedford Basin and existed from the early 1800s to the 1960s. In the 1950s, the city was considering several locations for an open-pit dump. "Personal Narrative Dr. W.B. 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. The city continued to use the area as an industrial site, notably introducing a waste-treatment facility nearby in 1958. [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. None of the people came from Africa. [I]t was part of Richmond (Northern Halifax), just the part where the colour folks lived. The first records of a Black presence in Africville date back to 1848, and it continued to exist for 150 years after that. 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. One of the biggest complaints was that "they feel no sense of ownership or pride in the sterile public housing projects."[25]. The first two landowners in Africville were William Arnold and William Brown. This view of the village helped the white public to accept its ultimate demolition. Those who did not have their deeds were not compensated in any way. [26] Likewise, former Africville residents carried out periodic protests at the park throughout the 1980s and 1990s.[27]. Everything was done through the church, "clubs, youth organizations, ladies' auxiliary and Bible classes. )[1][2] Other residents arrived later, in association with Black people being recruited from the American South for jobs in mining at Glace Bay. 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. In practice, this meant closing many Black schools and busing pupils to the nearest white schools. Segregation was still the norm, and so the city of Halifax designated the North End as a suitable location for these displaced people. The municipal government effectively minimized their interactions with the white communities living further away in the heart of the city. The town never received proper roads, health services, water, street lamps or electricity. [17] The intent was to redevelop some land for "higher" uses with greater economic return: business and industry. 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. Feature Image: A young boy in Africville, 1965. Credit: Ted Grant/Library and Archives Canada/PA-170234. Aiman Khan is a third-year Bachelor of Commerce student majoring in accounting at Saint Mary's University located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Trains ran through the area constantly. Despite this, the residents thrived, finding a stable means of living from fishing and proximity to waged employment in Halifax. (Bernard & Vincer, 2014). Many of these refugees were once enslaved in the Chesapeake area of the United States. In 1854, a railway extension was cut through the village. Needless to say, despite his best efforts, the Africville community is now part of provincial history. 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.. The Halifax explosion of 1917 shelved plans to turn Africville into an industrial zone. Africville was a primarily Black community located on the south shore of the Bedford Basin, on the outskirts of Halifax. While the community was never officially established, the first land transaction documented on paper was dated 1848. 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 nearly complete church was ceremonially opened on 25 September 2011. [21][22] Internal city government documents show the demolition order being sent in 1967, with a claim that the building was dangerous. ). Many faced discrimination and were channeled into auxiliary classes that had few resources. 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. [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 residents of Africville struggled with poverty and poor health conditions as a result, and the community's buildings became badly deteriorated. It was a haven from the anti-Black racism they faced in Halifax, where Black women were generally able to find work only as domestic servants and where men were limited to a few jobs such as sleeping-car porters on trains. "[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 community has become an important symbol of killing identity, as an example of the "urban renewal" trend of the 1960s that razed similarly racialized neighbourhoods across Canada, and the struggle against racism. [1974] 1999. The community became known as 'Africville' around 1900. 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. [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. 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 1958, the city decided to move the town garbage dump and landfill to the Africville area. Updates? The story of discrimination began primarily with mismanagement by the authorities. 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.
You always felt at home; the doors were open. 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. At one point, a city-organized moving company cancelled, leaving residents of Africville stranded. Africville has been claimed as one of "the first free Black communities outside of Africa," along with other settlements in Nova Scotia.[4]. Those who resisted relocation could have their lands expropriated by the city. Several homes were expropriated and destroyed. Unfortunately, former Africville residents soon realized that the citys promises for a home-for-a-home would not materialize. In the 1950s, Halifax built an open-pit dump in Africville. Many men found employment in low-paying jobs; others worked as seamen or Pullman porters, who would clean and work on train cars. [19], The formal relocation took place mainly between 1964 and 1967. 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. Starting from 1912 until the 1940s, more and more land was taken away from the community to expand the railway. It held the main civic events, including weddings, funerals, and baptisms.
Residents and their possessions ended up being removed from Africville via dump trucks, further compounding the prevailing prejudice and stigma surrounding the village. 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. It is likely that several Black families lived in the area, earning it the nickname African Village. They were a mix of freed slaves, maroons, and Black refugees from the War of 1812. The following two tabs change content below. Homeowners protested about the lack of compensation for their devastated homes and the dangers and pollution of speeding trains but to no avail. Throughout its history, Africville was confronted with isolation. 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. The City restored the name Africville to Seaview Park at the annual Africville Family Reunion on 29 July 2011. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. As a result, by the 1960s, many white Haligonians began referring to Africville as a slum built by scavengers. [5] Many people believed the name came as result of those who lived there having came from Africa; however, this was not the case. Metson, Graham, ed. in Dominelli & Moosa-Mitha (eds.
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. "Benefits were so modest as to be virtually irrelevantwithin a year and a half this post-relocation program lay in ruins. For many people, Africville represents the oppression faced by Black Canadians and the efforts to right historic wrongs. This is when the story of Africville begins. Network in Canadian History & Environment | Nouvelle initiative Canadienne en histoire de l'environnement. Its important to note that this land was deemed inhospitable prior to the formation of the village. Residents without proof some residents did not have deeds, even if their families had lived on the site for generations were offered $500. [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 team was led by star goaltender William Carvery, his two brothers on the team, along with three Dixon brothers also on the squad. Location: 5795 Africville Rd , Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3K 2R9. The city considered several locations, but the council found it was unacceptable to residents in other locations in and near Halifax. while some cheered, others are adamant that its not enough. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In 1836, Campbell Road connected central Halifax to the Africville area. For five decades, he occupied the site for periodic intervals and demanded a public inquiry and satisfactory compensation for its former residents.
Resistance to eviction became more difficult as residents accepted the buyouts and their homes were demolished. [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. Please select which sections you would like to print: Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. 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. [31], A building designed to mimic the Seaview African United Baptist Church, demolished in 1969, was erected in the summer of 2011 to serve as a museum and historic interpretation centre. Other residents ran farms, and several opened small stores toward the end of the 19th century. Clairmont, Donald H., and Dennis William Magill. Aiman is a teaching assistant and the lifestyle writer for the Saint Mary's University's Journal Publishing Society (The SMU Journal). Long after the village was gone, the church bell has remained a symbol of the once-thriving community of African settlers at the Bedford Basin. 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. They would get clothes, copper, steel, brass, tin, etc. He was 24 at the time. A second railway line appeared in 1906 with the arrival of the Halifax and Southwestern Railway, which connected to the Intercolonial at Africville. Other Black groups came to Africville for Sunday picnics and events. In 2012, the Africville Heritage Trust created the "Out Home: Africville" Educational Resource Kit. Because of the city's continued negative response to the people of Africville, the community failed to develop, and this failure was then used as a rationale to destroy it.[20]. By the second half of the 19th century, the City of Halifax had started to place undesirable services in Africville, declaring that the village will always be an industrial district. These services included a fertilizer plant, slaughterhouses, Rockhead prison, human waste disposal pits, and the Infectious Disease Hospital. Charles Inglis. Only 35% of labourers had regular employment, and 65% of the people worked as domestic servants. While residents of Africville paid their share of taxes, they were denied the most basic of services such as paved roads, running water, electricity, indoor plumbing, street lamps, garbage removal, a cemetery or even police security that their tax-paying white neighbourhoods enjoyed. By 1956 and 1957, reports on rehousing projects were already being prepared for the council to remove residents from Africville. Africville was a small community of predominantly Black Canadians located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. IT ALSO TELLS HOW THE COMMUNITY KEPT ALIVE THE SPIRIT OF AFRICVILLE. https://africvillemuseum.org/. More land was expropriated for the railway in 1912 and in the 1940s. Other families followed, and in 1849 Seaview African United Baptist Church was opened to serve the villages 80 residents. 1964) was passed 37/41 in favour of relocation. Africvilles school was closed in 1953 as Nova Scotia desegregated its education system. 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. Contamination of the wells was so frequent that residents had to boil their water before using it for drinking or cooking. The port development at Fairview Cove did not extend as far east as Africville, leaving its historic waterfront intact. 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.
They believe that the city wanted to remove from Halifax a concentrated group of Black people for whom they had no regard. [12] A doctor on a relief train arriving at Halifax noted Africville residents "as they wandered disconsolately around the ruins of their still standing little homes. "[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]. Yet, the residents managed to pull together on their own and keep the community going. Residents who could prove they owned their land were offered payment equal to the value of their houses. 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. In 1962, Halifax City Council adopted the relocation proposal unanimously, and the "Rose Report" (publ. While the residents knew they could not legally fight this, they illegally salvaged the dump for usable goods. Canada Post Corporation depicting a photograph of seven girls with the backdrop of an illustrated village, https://discoverhalifaxns.com/handpickedhalifax/nfb-doc-remember-africville/, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/africville, Africville: A Story of Environmental Racism, Social Resistance as Hydrological Pedagogy: The Sowers of Water in the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca, Pedagogies of Resistance: Blurring the Boundaries of Activist-Teacher in the Classroom, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, Matthew McRae, The story of Africville,, Celine Cooper and Clayton Ma, Africville,. "[13], In the aftermath of the disaster, Africville received modest relief assistance from the city, but none of the reconstruction and none of the modernization invested into other parts of the city at that time. Those with no legal rights were given a $500 payment and promised a furniture allowance, social assistance, and public housing units. The bill called for a formal apology from the Nova Scotia government, a series of public hearings on the destruction of Africville, and the establishment of a development fund to go towards historical preservation of Africville lands and social development in benefit of former residents and their descendants. You werent isolated at any time living in Africville. The city quickly demolished each house as soon as residents moved out. Four Africville residents (as well as one Mi'kmaq woman visiting from Queens County, Nova Scotia) were killed by the explosion. Halifax did not survey Africville for damage, but oral history records that several homes were badly damaged and lost their roofs. [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. 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. Occasionally the city would demolish a house whenever an opportunity presented itselfsuch as when a resident was in the hospital. The City of Halifax collected taxes in Africville but did not provide services such as paved roads, running water, or sewers. The community itself was quite self-sufficient. The government has recognized it as a commemorative site and established a museum here. In the winter, residents played hockey when the pond froze. 1974. In the first half of the 20th century, such municipal services as public transportation, garbage collection, recreational facilities, and adequate police protection were nonexistent. In. (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. [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. With discrimination affecting job prospects in the city, most residents moved away to Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg. 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. [39][40], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}444028.5N 63376.6W / 44.674583N 63.618500W / 44.674583; -63.618500. Soon after this, former residents and activists began a long protest on the site against their treatment and the condemnation. They were filled with grief and felt cheated out of their property. This steady employment on the Pullman cars was considered prestigious at the time, as the men also got to travel and see the country. Halifax was founded in 1749, when African people held as slaves dug out roads and built much of the city. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The council voted to put the dump 350 metres from the western edge of Africville. Africville was a small Black village on the southern shore of the Bedford Basin that only existed from the 1800s until 1970. At a public meeting of the community in 1962, 100 Africville residents voted against relocation and were reported to have said they would prefer to improve conditions in the existing community rather than leave. Over that time, hundreds of individuals and families lived there and built a thriving, closeknit community. The community's social life revolved around the church, which was the place of baptisms, weddings, and funerals. [15]:111, To understand Africville, "you got to know about the church;"[9]:27 the life and heart of the town. Clairmont, Donald H., and Dennis William Magill. Africville residents ran fishing businesses from the Bedford Basin, selling their catch locally and in Halifax.
The area that once was Africville was thereby declared a national historic site in 2002. Despite frequent protests and petitions for these amenities, the village remained largely neglected by the Nova Scotian government. Africville: The Uprooting of Citizens from their territory in Modern Day Halifax. 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. The lack of these services had serious adverse health effects on residents. That is one of the most important things that has stayed with me throughout my life.. The residents and their belongings were moved by Halifax garbage trucks. [18], Many years earlier, and again in 1947 after a major fire burnt several Africville houses, officials discussed redevelopment and relocation of Africville. This post originally appeared on The Journal: Saint Marys Universitys Independent Student Publication. The city built the first elementary school here in 1883, at the expense of community residents. The Seaview African United Baptist Church was established at Africville in 1849; it joined with other Black Baptist congregations to establish the African Baptist Association in 1854. [ the carpeted wall ]. The churchs baptisms and Easter Sunrise Services were well-known. 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. 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. 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. Throughout the 1930s, Africville residents petitioned the city to provide running water, sewage disposal, paved roads, garbage removal, electricity, street lights, police services, and a cemetery, but they were largely denied. However, Africville suffered considerable damage. Aiman has a passion for journalism and research. Eddie Carvery, a former resident, returned to the former Africville in 1970 to protest its unjust destruction. The City of Halifax continued to place undesirable services in Africville in the second half of the 19th century, including a fertilizer plant, slaughterhouses, Rockhead Prison (1854), the night-soil disposal pits (human waste), and the Infectious Diseases Hospital (1870s). The park was most often used as an off-leash dog park. [29] The dedicated site was a 1-hectare (2.5-acre) area. In 1969, the last property was demolished and the entire land was repossessed by the government. Bernard, W. T. & Vincer, M. P. (2014). It developed on the southern shore of Bedford Basin and existed from the early 1800s to the 1960s. In the 1950s, the city was considering several locations for an open-pit dump. "Personal Narrative Dr. W.B. 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. The city continued to use the area as an industrial site, notably introducing a waste-treatment facility nearby in 1958. [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. None of the people came from Africa. [I]t was part of Richmond (Northern Halifax), just the part where the colour folks lived. The first records of a Black presence in Africville date back to 1848, and it continued to exist for 150 years after that. 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. One of the biggest complaints was that "they feel no sense of ownership or pride in the sterile public housing projects."[25]. The first two landowners in Africville were William Arnold and William Brown. This view of the village helped the white public to accept its ultimate demolition. Those who did not have their deeds were not compensated in any way. [26] Likewise, former Africville residents carried out periodic protests at the park throughout the 1980s and 1990s.[27]. Everything was done through the church, "clubs, youth organizations, ladies' auxiliary and Bible classes. )[1][2] Other residents arrived later, in association with Black people being recruited from the American South for jobs in mining at Glace Bay. 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. In practice, this meant closing many Black schools and busing pupils to the nearest white schools. Segregation was still the norm, and so the city of Halifax designated the North End as a suitable location for these displaced people. The municipal government effectively minimized their interactions with the white communities living further away in the heart of the city. The town never received proper roads, health services, water, street lamps or electricity. [17] The intent was to redevelop some land for "higher" uses with greater economic return: business and industry. 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. Feature Image: A young boy in Africville, 1965. Credit: Ted Grant/Library and Archives Canada/PA-170234. Aiman Khan is a third-year Bachelor of Commerce student majoring in accounting at Saint Mary's University located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Trains ran through the area constantly. Despite this, the residents thrived, finding a stable means of living from fishing and proximity to waged employment in Halifax. (Bernard & Vincer, 2014). Many of these refugees were once enslaved in the Chesapeake area of the United States. In 1854, a railway extension was cut through the village. Needless to say, despite his best efforts, the Africville community is now part of provincial history. 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.. The Halifax explosion of 1917 shelved plans to turn Africville into an industrial zone. Africville was a primarily Black community located on the south shore of the Bedford Basin, on the outskirts of Halifax. While the community was never officially established, the first land transaction documented on paper was dated 1848. 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 nearly complete church was ceremonially opened on 25 September 2011. [21][22] Internal city government documents show the demolition order being sent in 1967, with a claim that the building was dangerous. ). Many faced discrimination and were channeled into auxiliary classes that had few resources. 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. [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 residents of Africville struggled with poverty and poor health conditions as a result, and the community's buildings became badly deteriorated. It was a haven from the anti-Black racism they faced in Halifax, where Black women were generally able to find work only as domestic servants and where men were limited to a few jobs such as sleeping-car porters on trains. "[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 community has become an important symbol of killing identity, as an example of the "urban renewal" trend of the 1960s that razed similarly racialized neighbourhoods across Canada, and the struggle against racism. [1974] 1999. The community became known as 'Africville' around 1900. 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. [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. 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 1958, the city decided to move the town garbage dump and landfill to the Africville area. Updates? The story of discrimination began primarily with mismanagement by the authorities. 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.
You always felt at home; the doors were open. 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. At one point, a city-organized moving company cancelled, leaving residents of Africville stranded. Africville has been claimed as one of "the first free Black communities outside of Africa," along with other settlements in Nova Scotia.[4]. Those who resisted relocation could have their lands expropriated by the city. Several homes were expropriated and destroyed. Unfortunately, former Africville residents soon realized that the citys promises for a home-for-a-home would not materialize. In the 1950s, Halifax built an open-pit dump in Africville. Many men found employment in low-paying jobs; others worked as seamen or Pullman porters, who would clean and work on train cars. [19], The formal relocation took place mainly between 1964 and 1967. 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. Starting from 1912 until the 1940s, more and more land was taken away from the community to expand the railway. It held the main civic events, including weddings, funerals, and baptisms.
Residents and their possessions ended up being removed from Africville via dump trucks, further compounding the prevailing prejudice and stigma surrounding the village. 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. It is likely that several Black families lived in the area, earning it the nickname African Village. They were a mix of freed slaves, maroons, and Black refugees from the War of 1812. The following two tabs change content below. Homeowners protested about the lack of compensation for their devastated homes and the dangers and pollution of speeding trains but to no avail. Throughout its history, Africville was confronted with isolation. 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. The City restored the name Africville to Seaview Park at the annual Africville Family Reunion on 29 July 2011. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. As a result, by the 1960s, many white Haligonians began referring to Africville as a slum built by scavengers. [5] Many people believed the name came as result of those who lived there having came from Africa; however, this was not the case. Metson, Graham, ed. in Dominelli & Moosa-Mitha (eds.
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. "Benefits were so modest as to be virtually irrelevantwithin a year and a half this post-relocation program lay in ruins. For many people, Africville represents the oppression faced by Black Canadians and the efforts to right historic wrongs. This is when the story of Africville begins. Network in Canadian History & Environment | Nouvelle initiative Canadienne en histoire de l'environnement. Its important to note that this land was deemed inhospitable prior to the formation of the village. Residents without proof some residents did not have deeds, even if their families had lived on the site for generations were offered $500. [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 team was led by star goaltender William Carvery, his two brothers on the team, along with three Dixon brothers also on the squad. Location: 5795 Africville Rd , Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3K 2R9. The city considered several locations, but the council found it was unacceptable to residents in other locations in and near Halifax. while some cheered, others are adamant that its not enough. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In 1836, Campbell Road connected central Halifax to the Africville area. For five decades, he occupied the site for periodic intervals and demanded a public inquiry and satisfactory compensation for its former residents.