Time and time again the stories are told, and time and time again no change has come. For years, Nova Scotia’s Black community has been recounting stories of pain, frustration and fear in its interactions with police. Now, with the release of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission’s report on street checks, African Nova Scotians […]
Racism
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax activists get face-to-face apology from Trudeau
Halifax leaders who spoke up about a racist incident at Parliament this month got their apology in a big way yesterday. Prime minister Justin Trudeau met with Halifax activists Trayvone Clayton and Kate Macdonald in a closed-door meeting at the Black Cultural Centre in Dartmouth yesterday. Clayton, a Saint Mary’s University student in Halifax, spoke […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Trayvone Clayton shares his voice, his opinion
My name is Travone Clayton, born and raised in Uniacke Square, Halifax. On Monday February 4, I was in Ottawa to attend the last day of the National Black Canadian Summit at the Parliament Building—the most powerful building in Canada. We were given the chance to go share our thoughts and ideas with ministers on […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax activists speak out against racism in Ottawa
A coalition of Black, human rights, labour and youth organizations held a press conference at the George Dixon Community Centre in Uniacke Square, Halifax today. Kate Macdonald, Marcus James and Trayvone Clayton spoke to their community and media about an incident of racial profiling that happened on Parliament Hill this past week. Macdonald and Clayton […]
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When will Dalhousie learn?
Within the last six years, you’ve probably heard Dalhousie boasting about strategic priority 5.2. This directive urges the university to “Foster a collegial culture grounded in diversity and inclusiveness.” The fact that this is not strategic priority number one tells you a lot about Dal’s priorities and foreshadows the climate of the campus. Many of […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
White supremacy in Halifax
To understand the growing right-wing movements in this province, I subjected myself to the convention for Maxime Bernier’s People’s Party of Canada at the Atlantica Hotel in Halifax on Friday, January 18. Fully aware of the United States’ MAGA movement and the disgusting politics of the alt-right, I was still not prepared for what I […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Street check report delayed until March
The much-anticipated report on Halifax police street checks will have to wait a little while longer. Jeff Overmars, spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, says the report will be released March 27. That’s two months after the public was expecting to see a copy, and over two years since data collected on the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Lion’s Club bars anti-immigration event
The National Citizen’s Alliance has had its “Public Discussion on Mass Immigration” event cancelled due to controversy surrounding the anti-immigration party. The NCA, an unregistered right-wing party, has been garnering controversy over the past year, having been banned from the Annapolis Valley Blossom Festival after promoting its platform in the festival’s parade. The group also […]
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Halifax’s north end to Celebrate Viola
Canada’s brand new $10 bill isn’t the only celebration of Viola Desmond happening this week. Businesses and organizations in Halifax’s north end are hosting Celebrate Viola—a multi-day festival honouring the new banknote’s release and Desmond’s legacy as a business leader and Civil Rights activist. Marika Paris, event coordinator for the North End Business Association, says […]
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United by hate
Decked out in leather vests and black hoodies, the Soldiers of Odin are spreading their message of white nationalism on the streets of Halifax. At least, they were up until a couple of weeks ago. The Nova Scotia chapter of the far-right Soldiers of Odin network disbanded earlier this month over disagreements with the mother […]
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Halifax is not Canada’s Black Mecca
Growing up in Toronto we all thought of Nova Scotia as Canada’s Black Mecca. My parents, like so many others, were Black immigrants born either in Africa or the Caribbean. They moved to Canada during the first Trudeau era—moving to Canada’s largest city promised economic prosperity, safety and inclusion. However, our elders had no idea […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Unendorsed Nocturne exhibit vandalizes Halifax waterfront
An anonymous photo-booth cutout of John A. MacDonald was drilled down into the Halifax waterfront during Nocturne last Saturday night, standing for a brief period in opposition to the art festival’s anti-colonialism theme. The cutout was a defence of John A. MacDonald and his relations with Indigenous peoples. It featured an “I’m OK with John […]
