Last summer, René Boudreau told The Coast why she started Elevate and Explore Black Nova Scotia, a business all about promoting experiences for Black Nova Scotians through travel. Since then, she tells us now, it’s only grown. “There’s gaps in terms of the representation and cultural awareness that yes—there are Black people in Nova Scotia […]
Africville
Posted inNews + Opinion
Walk, Ride & Roll to Africville draws focus to lack of safe access, again
The second annual Walk, Ride & Roll to Africville will take place on Saturday, July 25, starting at 1pm. Cyclists, strollers and other wheeled forms of transportation and their operators will meet at the corner of Richmond and Barrington streets, and walkers will meet at the corner of Duffus and Barrington streets. The group will march […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Walking to Africville
Getting to Africville on foot is next to impossible—there’s no way to safely (or legally) get there without putting yourself in danger. The site of the former community is severed from the rest of the city by the four lanes of Barrington Street, a rail corridor and Africville Road; no sidewalks lead there, and no […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax steps up to fund Africville Museum
Halifax is stepping in to help keep the Africville Museum running. On Monday, the city’s grants committee approved a three-year operating grant of $8,000 to help the underfunded museum keep its lights on. This is a first for the municipality. The money is coming out of an interim community grant program that helps support a […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
25 for 25: episode 2010
Filmmaker and Africville Museum general manager Juanita Peters is with us in the studio talking about the day Halifax finally apologized for its biggest mistake—the razing of Africville and forced displacement of its community members. Tara and Jacob also dig into the infamous MLA expense scandal, then we expose some drunk city councillors and wade […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Whose heritage is it anyway?
The last time PLANifax made a video on the Centre Plan, we discussed the new buildings that are coming up the city. This time, we’re talking about the old buildings—the Victorian, Georgian, pre-World War architecture that we’ve grown to love in Halifax as part of its heritage. Because when you just focus on the buildings, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax argues against proposed Africville class action
[Image-1] A Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice has reserved his decision on whether a lawsuit against the Halifax Regional Municipality by the former residents of Africville will go ahead as a class action. Robert Pineo, the legal representative of Nelson Carvery and other members of the historic black community, argued in front of a packed courtroom […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Journalism project reveals injustice in African Nova Scotian land titles
[Image-1] Journalism students at the Nova Scotia Community College have produced a damning and in-depth video investigation into Nova Scotia’s failure to offer land titles to longtime North Preston residents. Called “Untitled,” the video series blends historical research with present-day interviews to trace how the provincial government has ignored its own promise to help Black […]
Posted inArts + Music
The local roots of Canadian jazz
Canada’s rich black heritage and music history are closely linked, and today’s jazz fans have benefited from that strong union of culture and art. Jazz may have been born in New Orleans around the end of the 19th century, but it didn’t take too long before it grew up and headed north, to other US […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Bending towards justice: Nova Scotia’s human rights trials
[Image-1] Many of us have never been the victims of intolerance or persecution—or worse. But other Nova Scotians have unfortunately been subject to civil rights abuses. The history of this province also includes decisive human rights triumphs, and late-hour victories that came decades after the wrongs had taken place. In honour of Human Rights Day […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Studying sport in Africville
[Image-1] Russell Field started a research project this year that includes case studies of sports and recreation in the former Africville area of Halifax, and a workers’ gym operated by the One Big Union—a defunct trade union organization in Winnipeg. Field, an assistant professor in the faculty of kinesiology and recreation management at the University […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
A beacon of fiscal hope
[Image-1] “I find it interesting.” —The reason Graham Hicks (pictured above) gave for why he’s been attending council meetings for the last four decades (give or take a year). In recognition of Hicks’ efforts as a “dedicated observer,” Mike Savage presented a small plaque with Hicks’ name which will be affixed to a chair in […]