Africville
Radio Moment
Africville Moment
Soon-to-be Africville residents were among the wave of refugee Blacks who arrived after the War of 1812 and who were allotted space in rural regions, particularly present-day Preston, where rocky, inadequate soil made survival off the land impossible. The Africville site on the shores of Bedford Basin, not far from today’s
(Halifax) city centre, held the hope of diminished isolation, better employment and living conditions, and other economic opportunities. Having purchased the properties in the 1840’s from white merchants, founders William Brown and William Arnold established the boundaries within which Africville would develop. Along with other early families, they established a church congregation and elementary school, a post office, a few small stores. Although land conditions for farming were no better than on their former plots, a few head of livestock were kept, the Bedford Basin offered a steady supply of fish, and the new location held the increased chance of obtaining waged labour in the city.
Throughout the communities approximately 120-year history, Halifax’s development, particularly in the industrial disease and waste management sectors, encroached on Africville land. In addition to the construction of railway lines, which required the destruction of several Africville buildings, an oil plant storage facility, a bone mill, and a slaughter house were built. Encircling these establishments were a leather tanning plant, a tar factory, another slaughterhouse, and a foundry. Shortly after the settlement of Africville, the city established Rockhead Prison on the overlooking hillside; about twenty years later, the city’s infectious disease hospital was placed on this hill and the open city dump was located about one and a half miles away. Additional construction of railway lines to different factories dislocated more Africville families. Destruction of many surrounding industries following the Halifax Explosion of 1917 resulted in new facilities being built in their places. For decades this water front region was the target of much discussion regarding the expropriation for industrial expansion by the City of Halifax, a plan which became solidified in the 1947 rezoning of the city. In the early 1950’s the city dump was moved directly onto Africville land-350 feet from the western most home- and two years later, the city placed and incinerator only fifty yards beyond its south border.
Through Africville’s existence, building permits to improve homes were increasingly difficult to obtain from the city government. Requests for water lines and sewers, which would bring sanitation and quality of life close to the standards for the rest of the city, were refused. Police and fire protection and garbage collection on par with such services received by the rest of Halifax were denied. Living conditions were ironically described by city officials as intolerable and unsanitary- in short as justification for the inevitable dismantling of the community and eviction of its four hundred residents. Discussion of the dismantling continued until finally in the 1960’s the threat became a more serious reality, by the end of the decade despite avid resistance and organization on the part of Africville residents themselves and in concert with other community groups, Africville was expropriated by the city of Halifax for the purposed of industrial development, as well as for the alleged benefits of “slum clearance” and “relocation” of the residents.
Due to an informal system of handing down properties and housing within families and between in–laws over the years, many residents were unable to prove legal title to their land; thus, they had little recourse when faced wi th the proposition to sell or be evicted due to historical, social, and economic conditions, residents had no formal community leadership that would be seen as legitimate political representation and little access to legal and bureaucratic bargaining tools of the municipality. Most were forced to accept the city’s small compensation, or settle for low prices offered for homes they had not been permitted to maintain and improve, located in what was defined as “the slum by the garbage dump.” In a seeming mockery, when moving companies refused to be hired, city garbage trucks, which had never serviced Africvlle, were sent to carry away the residents belongings.
The last Africville home was bulldozed in 1968. Most of the former residents had to adjust to living in public housing facilities, struggling to pay rent for the first time in their lives, while those who owned their own homes would suffer financial difficulties in the near future. Separated from friends, family, and their strong sense of community, many Africvillieans were left with the insufficiency of welfare dollars and the meagre $500 compensation they had received- defined as a “moral claim”-from the benevolent city.
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3 For early historical information I have relied on: Africville Genealogical Society, eds., The Spirit of Africvile (Halifax:Formac, 1992); D.H.Clairmont and D.W. Magill, Africville Relocation Report (Halifax: Institute of Public Affairs, Dalhousie University, 1971); D.H. Clairmont and D.W. Magill, Africville: The Life and Death of a Black Community, Ist and 3rd editions (Toronto;McClelland and Stewart, 1974, 1999); F. Henry, Forgotten Canadians: The Blacks of Nova Scotia (Don Mills, ON: Longman Canada Limited, 1973). 4 For Documentation of relocation, see Clairmont and Magill, Africville, and the Africville Genealogical Society, eds., The Spirit of Africville 5 The Letter of R.J. Britton, Director of Social Planning for the city of Halifax can be found in "Letter to Halifax City: Re: Africville Genealogy Society," in the Halifax Public Library: Africville File, October 28,1994. Housing purchase prices are listed in this letter. The amounts city council claims to have paid are seen as inaccurate by some Africville activists with whom I have spoken. thee have been accusations of bribery, in which city officals are alleged to have offered residents suitcases of cash in exchange for their eviction. See J. Robson, "Last Africville Resident," The mail Star (Halifax) January 12, 1970, p.5.
This moment has been reproduced with permission by the author Jennifer J. Nelson.
Nelson, Jennifer J. The Space of Africville, Creating, Regulating and Remembering the Urban "Slum" pgs. 211-232, in ed Rasack, Sherene H. Race, Space and the Law, Unmapping White Settler Society, Between the Lines, Toronto, c2002.
Radio Script (DRAFT)
Setting: Workers at a nearby factory talking while watching a house in africville being bulldozed.(bulldozer sounds, seagulls, a train whistle, metal clanging)
John: What are they doing over there at ….`s house (in a genuinely curious way)
Pete: They're clearing the land,relocating the people.... it’s a slum john. Its about time those there people stopped being so different. (slightly arrogant like he knows whats best)
John: (curiously) I wonder why the city never brought services to this place and the only things getting built in this area seem to be toxic factories and a garbage dump.
Pete: Well those things need to be built somewhere john you want em in your back yard.
John: Well noo…..but all in one community, How long have we worked here pete, never had issues with the coloured people.
Pete: This land is worth a lot of money, and those people will be better off if we move em outta here...even if they don’t wanna go.
Narrator: In 1968 the last house in Africville, Halifax was bulldozed to the ground. After years of racial discrimination and neglect, the town was destroyed under the guise of helping the people. No formal apologies and little compensation were given.
Africville, a part of our heritage. at heritagemoments.ca
The FreeSound Project. Kerela train.wav. File added by genghis attenborough on Mar 6, 2007. http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=31950. [Last accessed April 30th, 2007].
The FreeSound Project. Dozer Sample.wav. File added by Sonic on Jun 25, 2005. http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=2871. [Last accessed April 30th, 2007].
The FreeSound Project. Seagull.wav. File added by hazure on Oct 13, 2006. http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=23707. [Last accessed April 30th, 2007].