Joined: 05 Sep 2006 Posts: 754 Location: Toronto (GTA)
Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:33 am Post subject: AFRICVILLE -NOVA SCOTIA
And here you have it! Finally got the chance to post some clips about Africville.
When I was out in Halifax last August doing some research I had the chance to link up with the President of the Africville geological Society Irvine Carvery. According to him AFRICVILLE is one of Canada's oldest Black Civilizations dating back to the 1700's. Blacks OWNED the land!!! AFRICVILLE was also equiped with their own Schools (since schooling was segregated back then, yes its true; schools were infact segragated in Canada!) Memebers of the AFRICVILLE Community were also TAX PAYERS but the Government DID NOT provided them with paved roads nore runing water. Now this historic landmark has been completely distroyed, literally bull-dozed over by the city of Halifax, and is now a place called SEAVIEW PARK; where middle class looking people walk their dogs and play frizzbee
Remembering Africville
Kathryn Latter - Avon View High School, A C Studies 11(10)
The story of Africville is one of the life and death of a community. The city of Halifax claimed that the Africvillians were re-located for humanitarian reasons. In fact, the decision was made on purely racist and economic grounds, as well as being driven by class privilege, with absolutely no consideration for the consequences such a move would have on the residents. The city of Halifax decided to expropriate the land to make way for industrial development but claimed they were only trying to end the segregation and discrimination that they felt Africville was causing. The abolition of Africville was based on ignorance for human rights and disregard for the residents based on the biased ideas of Africville being a slum.
The town of Africville was officially founded in the 1840s but the original Africville settlers were made up of the many blacks that had come to Nova Scotia over several centuries to escape the economic hardships on the bleak land of their original settlements. The small community was made up of about four hundred who came from only eighty different families. It was a close-knit community that was shunned by the white majority of Halifax and continuously harassed by the negative and condescending attitude the city had towards them.
The city placed many objectionable and uninvited projects near Africville that the white community of Halifax wanted no part of and felt were unwelcome in their presence. These projects included a railroad that split the community, an infectious hospital, fertilizer plants and a city dump built within 300 meters of the nearest home. These acts show how unjustly and how unfairly the black people were treated because of the superiority the white culture and community felt they had.
The arrogance that the city had towards the people was further demonstrated when they decided to re-locate the civilians and bulldoze their community for industrialization purposes. This decision was made with no regard to the consequences that would result and without the voice of the people and what they wanted. Many people were forced from their homes against their will and the next day their home was demolished. The city also bulldozed the church early on, likely to separate and divide the people of Africville as it was the centreof their community that was a type of meeting ground for commonality and unity.
As a result of the relocation, people were furious as claims were lowered substantially with many people receiving as little as $500 compensation but the socio-economic consequences for the citizens of Africville were even worse. Many young teenagers had great difficulty adjusting to the forced re-location and became involved with drugs and alcohol and run-ins with the law. The people lived in crowded public housing and those who were used to being independent in their old community now became dependant on welfare. The new start that was promised by the government never materialized; instead the people suffered. They lost their homes, their businesses and their livelihood but most of all they lost their sense of community and belonging that had made them as independent as they had wished to be.
More than thirty years later, this incident has become known as one of the most severe episodes of racial discrimination in Canadian history. It provides a glimpse into the role of elite power and public policy in the decisions of bureaucrats. Africville epitomizes the loss of community, choice, and, in many ways, freedom. It brings to light the larger issue of racism in Canada and North America. Many hope this will help Canadians to learn from their mistakes and that the incident will become a link to our multicultural heritage and greater understanding of diversity within the nation.
In 2002, the federal government of Canada declared Africville a national historic site in hopes of mending the hurts resulting from the mistakes made in regard to the discriminatory decisions forty years ago. Many former residents appreciate the gesture and also hope that the "fabric" will be mended as well. Although this is a step in the right direction, the Africville story is, and always will be, the reality of the dark side of modernization and industrialization.
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