In addition to living under pandemic restrictions, women of African descent have experienced anti-Black racism and gender-based violence for too long. In an ongoing series Creating Communities of Care profiles the work of the Nova Scotia Association of Black Social Workers.
The Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre opened in 1973 in Halifax, as a welcoming place for Indigenous people to gather and seek support and solace. Almost 50 years on, it remains a lively vibrant place, a landmark in the North End of Halifax, and a partner in Creating Communities of Care, a project to support urban Indigenous and African Nova Scotian women who have experienced violence.
A profile of the venerable Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia. “Although providing this support has been challenging with COVID restrictions, E Fry’s staff never gives up: “We can’t put things on pause- we have to keep going. Holly House remained open – even expanded. We are one of the only places that take recently-released women [from incarceration], there is nowhere for them to go.”
We all know Christmas can be a very hard time. At the Mi’kmaw Legal Support Network (MLSN), a community organization which works to ensure fair and equitable service for Indigenous people in the criminal justice system, this hardship is witnessed every day.