Africville

On February 24, 2010, Mayor Peter Kelly of Halifax took the time to send an overdue apology to former residents of a small community that was once located in Halifax called Africville. He acknowledged that the incident that lead to the destruction of this community in the late sixties that had taken away their homes, churches and more importantly their history in this great community. The Mayor of Halifax also promised millions of dollars to build a church and a replica centre.
Let us take a look at this community and what lead to this apology very recently.
Africville was settled in Northern Halifax after the War of 1812, when former US slaves came to settle when a promise of free land and equal rights were given to them. This never did happen.
This community started with around 50 people in the 19th century. In the latter part of that century, they were given an unfunded school, making it useless to any community.
As this century changed and with the increase of population, industries and facilities started during World War I, Africville became a place of poor and neglect with a population hovering around 400. During this time also, the Canadian National Railway had constructed railways that went through this community, causing trains to run through the heart of this poor community.
To add insult to injury, the City of Halifax built a dump right beside this community in the 1950’s. Expropriation proceedings were started in the sixties with the last resident being moved out in 1970. Being moved to a whole new world only added to the torment that these residents had as the majority of them were under educated and near unemployable due to the education that the province was not giving to them. The elders were hit hardest of them all. The City and Province took everything they knew away. It should be mentioned that while moving residents out, they were moved in dump trucks. A sight and symbol never forgotten.
So this community that settled here after being slaves were treated as such once again. Just discarded.
This is a community that held itself together since they day they came here by the church they knew and the family they shared. This overcame the disrespect they received from the government, the land that could not be used to grow food, the lack of proper roads, health services, water, streetlamps or even electricity. This was not a community that should have been kicked out because it was an eyesore to Halifax and torn apart. This was a community that should have been celebrated and learned from for their perseverance. The apology would not have been necessary if we had just used our minds of right and wrong at the time.
I first heard of Africville a few years ago by a resident of Halifax who is a friend of mine and I researched it back then. Out of this research came this writing

Africville

I remember when I left here just five years ago
My father somehow wanted me to go to school so I could see places to go
To him books were worth more than anything
Money just never made him sing
Somehow he was able to get them though he had nothing
Hard work and pride was all he could bring

He loved this land so
Built by our ancestors that had no other place to go
Warriors coming for a place for a bed after a war
To lie down their worn spirits that was frail and sore
A place where they could lay their own fill
In this place they all named Africville

They loved this little piece of land
This is something I could never understand
Soil was not even good enough to farm
Anything from it brought harm
Suitable for just pigs to roam
But, somehow to my father and many before him, it was home

Saturday was family night
Memories of that bring delight
Small card games amongst family
In this private, little society
My forefathers always said that it was the most important of all
Good foundation so none of us would fall

We learned and built with our own hands and minds
Trying to keep pace and grow with mankind
Taxes were paid with nothing in return
So taking care of each other was all that was to learn
Outsiders built around us with a dump and a slaughter house
Human spirit was something they could never douse

Years before they even tried to divide our spiritual table
By putting a railway line right down the middle
That did not even make a divide sing a long
It just made everyone just a bit more strong
There was nothing that could tear them
Not even the city’s worst flam

I came back in the 1960’s
Educated by the books of the big cities
Africville was being wiped away by a large cloud
But under it all I just wanted everyone proud
All I saw was their confusion
As they were moved away with expropriation
I saw them all look at me with shame in their eyes
They saw people take away everything they had with lies
As I passed them cheques, saying their worth away from their homes was better
When he was forced out, I could not look in the eyes of my father

June 4, 2009