KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – And the seeds grew is a documentary about two historic African Nova Scotian communities, Lucasville and Upper Hammonds Plains. It’s an oldie but goodie, made in 1998, almost 20 years ago. At the Nova Scotia Advocate we’ve written quite bit about the pressures these communities face, from gentrification the rural way to racial profiling at the nearby Upper Tantallon Sobeys to environmental racism.
I am not going to lie to you. The documentary is a bit dated, and the pace is a bit slow, but I enjoyed it. I live nearby, I know some people there, and I am a fan of this kind of hyper local history. It’s also an important documentary in that it records memories of community elders, many of whom have passed away by now. There are also some great examples of the tremendous community spirit and mutual support that allows these communities to persist.
And I admit it, I have a soft spot for old people talking about how much more snow we used to get, and how they had to walk to school for miles.
Even to get the historic boundaries of the Lucasville community formally recognized by HRM took years of effort and lobbying by the people of the Lucasville Community Association.
Several councillors who finally approved the new, or rather the historic, boundaries at a Council meeting last week mentioned racist emails from white people in some of the new subdivisions in the area who did not want to be part of a Black community.
The documentary was produced by a young Rev. Darryl Gray and Deborah Emmerson, and directed by George Hum Thomas.
Check it out!
For more see our stories about Lucasville, and Upper Hammonds Plains.
See also: Weekend video – Beechville, Black Nova Scotia community fights urban sprawl
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I really enjoyed the authenticity of this historical video chronicling the roots of this community. The sincerity of the contributors gives a glimpse into the past providing not mere information, but a sense of community spirit for future generations to appreciate.