A compelling lecture last Friday by David Comissiong, a progressive politician and diplomat from Barbados, suggested that the movement calling for slavery reparations is about much more than dollars and an apology from former slave trading countries.
A powerful little book, written in a day by some 30 children from in and around Halifax, speaks to to the enduring legacy of slavery in Canada and the need for all of us to engage in a serious conversation about reparations.
Here are a few of the stories the Nova Scotia Advocate covered in 2018 dealing with the many ways racism continues to manifest in Nova Scotia. There are other stories as well, some we missed, some of those were picked up by larger newsrooms, and others no doubt aren’t on anybody’s radar.
Raymond Sheppard on what would make 2019 a better year than 2018.
About 80 people rallied this afternoon at the the Maritime Centre, home of the Department of Labour and Advanced Education. They were there to protest anti-Black racism in workplaces anywhere, and especially to support Nhlanhla Dlamini, the young Black man shot with a high velocity nail gun by a co-worker employed with PQ Properties Limited of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia on September 18. The man who shot Dlamini should be charged with attempted murder and hate crimes, rally organizers say.
Another rally at Founders Square this morning. Armour Group may have assumed those noisy happenings would stop by now, but supporters of the fired Black workers aren’t going away. For this reporting job I was joined by my son Simon, an excellent photographer.
Picketing continues in support of the unjustly fired Black cleaners who used to work at Founders Square, where, as a tenant tells us that, counter to the Armour Group’s claims, they did a good job. We also talk to Omar Joof about being poor, Black and immigrant, and to Gary Burrill, who believes the government, as a major tenant of the building, should speak out.
In an uplifting display of solidarity some 50 people, trade union activists, members of the faith community, and others, gathered in front of Founders Square in downtown Halifax at noon today to offer support to the seven Black cleaners who were recently unjustly fired, as if their lives don’t count.
The Armour Group, property managers of Founders Square, have pointed to poor service to justify the termination of the janitorial services contract with GDI, causing the layoff of seven Black janitors. This Saturday Robert Wright, a tenant of the building, wrote a letter to set the record straight. “I have been in that building for several years and have never had occasion to complain about the state of cleanliness in the mornings.” Wright wants both the Armour Group as well as one of its main tenants, the Province of Nova Scotia, to right this wrong.
In this episode of the Shades of Green podcast on environmental justice Sadie Beaton challenges us to reflect on a future without environmental racism and colonialism. It’s not just about the absence of these things, it’s also very much about what would replace it.Lots of voices will help you articulate an answer to that question. I am sorry to say that this is the final podcast in this excellent series, I don’t really want it to end quite yet.