Evelyn C. White on Abigail Was Here, a craft beer created by Chelsea Bundy, that pays homage to Abigail Price, a free Black woman who lived in Nova Scotia in the early 19th century. Bundy is the sole known Black woman brewer in Nova Scotia.
Inspired by this weekend’s Brewster Festival, celebrating women’s roles in craft beer companies, Evelyn White profiles one such company, and looks at the deep roots of women brewing beer in our province.
Evelyn C. White profiles Giovanni Johnson, microbiologist and the only person of African descent employed as an assistant brewer in the booming Nova Scotia craft beer industry. “I grew up eating fresh coconut, mango, watermelon, kiwi, etc., in the Bahamas,” he said. “So it’s natural for me to develop recipes that include tropical notes. I think people like them, too.”
Evelyn C. White reviews Ted Rudland’s excellent “Displacing Blackness: Planning, Power, and Race in Twentieth-Century Halifax”, and the pros and cons of a CFL stadium in Halifax. “$170-$190 million to lure a CFL team to Halissippi? Ya’ll might wanna draw up another game plan.”
Evelyn C. White reports on the Big Sing event this past Tuesday at Gus’ Pub in honour of Aretha Franklin. Sadly, only a handful of people of colour attended. On the upside, The Big Sing is making efforts to increase the diversity of the pop-up choir.
Evelyn C. White reflects on a visit to the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown. “The full sweep of my thoughts on the matter have yet to unfold. But I believe that everything happens for a reason; that in a province burdened with horrific racial strife, the stark shadow of a pit “house” against the recent burst of hipster eateries in Halifax is worthy of examination. There is merit in the enterprise.”