[Image-1] Nova Scotian George Elliott Clarke is Canada’s seventh parliamentary poet laureate. He’s a writer, scholar, university professor, much-travelled pundit, civil-rights advocate and a mentor to young poets and other writers. Last year, he penned a newspaper commentary about race, prejudice and strong civilian oversight of police forces after yet another white cop in the […]
Race
Posted inArts + Music
Halifax Pride and the responsibility of equality
[Image-1] Halifax’s Pride festival is finally here, but not everyone is celebrating. The 11-day long festival kicks off today, arriving in the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting last month that left 49 people murdered in Orlando, Florida, and a surge in protests across the United States and Canada against the use of police violence. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Black Power Hour offers inmate education over the airwaves
[Image-1] There might be a new poet laureate in town, but El Jones isn’t slowing down. The educator, activist and HRM’s previous premier poet is already busy on Monday nights co-hosting CKDU’s Youth Now program, and now she’s spinning off of that with the Black Power Hour. The new radio show offers a free […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Battling depression often a world of silence and emptiness
[Image-1] Dexter Nyuurnibe knows how damaging the silence surrounding mental illness can be—so he decided to speak up. The NSCC broadcast journalism student has presented at schools, universities and even given a TEDx Talk. This year, Nyuurnibe will be the MC for the Jack Summit, an event which brings 200 students from across the country […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Mental illness and African Nova Scotian communities
[Image-1] From the 1960s on down, many labels have been placed on African Nova Scotians who exhibited differing behaviors. These labels include “learning disabled,” “crazy,” “animalistic,” et cetera. One could venture to say most psychologists and psychiatrists in the province of Nova Scotia have little or no understanding of the lives, culture, heritage, lineage and […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Province offers support to clarify Preston land titles
[Image-1] Help is on the way for African Nova Scotians without legal title to property their families have lived on for generations. The Department of Natural Resources says it will work with representatives from the Department of African Nova Scotian Affairs, the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society and the Association of Nova Scotia Land Surveyors to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Viola Desmond wins Halifax ferry naming contest
[Image-1] Halifax Transit’s newest ferry has a name, and it’s Viola Desmond. Mayor Mike Savage made the announcement on Thursday afternoon at the Black Cultural Centre, drawing a standing ovation from those in attendance. According to HRM, “Viola Desmond” received just under a third of the 19,230 votes cast in the two-week naming period for […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
No easy fix to Preston land title cases, says area councillor
[Image-1] “It’s one reason why a lot of the young families in the community have been moving out,” says David Hendsbee, about the lack of legal title for North Preston homeowners. “They can’t get title to the property of their family homesteads to stay in the community.” The issue of North Preston families looking for […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Food for thought, Scotian-style
[Image-1] “Scotian” food is hearty, delicious and made with soul. As the earliest black settlers to Nova Scotia, our ancestors overcame unmeasurable hardships to survive and thrive. Along with our resourcefulness we also brought our knack for southern cooking, or what is commonly known as “soul food,” and meshed it with what the land and […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Living in fear in my own country
[Image-1] Before I was given the sex talk, I was given the “you’re not white” talk. My parents needed to inform me that people will mispronounce my name, ask where I’m from and notice my brownness before noticing anything else. Thankfully they equipped me with the skills to take moments like this as an opportunity […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Nova Scotia still far too white
[Image-1] The issue of diversity—more like the lack of it—is a discussion that’s been going on for many years in Nova Scotia, and it keeps prompting the same questions. How do we repair race relations in this province, when they break down? How do we attract more immigrants and help them feel truly welcome here? […]
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 […]