Black Nova Scotians are people of African American descent whose ancestors fled Colonial America as slaves or freemen, and later settled in Nova Scotia, Canada during the 18th and early 19th centuries. As of the 2011 Census of Canada, 20,790 black people live in Nova Scotia, most in Halifax, though a large number of Black Nova Scotians have migrated to Toronto, Ontario since the 1950s. Nova Scotia has a sizable number of Black Canadians who are descended from freed American slaves.
The first Black person in Nova Scotia arrived with the founding of Port Royal (1605). Black people were then brought as slaves to Nova Scotia during the founding of Louisbourg and Halifax. The first major migration of Blacks to Nova Scotia happened during the American Revolution, where Blacks were fleeing slavery in America. At the same time, educational opportunities began to develop with the establishment of Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (Bray Schools) in Nova Scotia. The decline of slavery in Nova Scotia happened in large part by local judicial decisions in keeping the British courts of the late 18th century. The next major migration of Blacks happened during the War of 1812, again Blacks were escaping slavery in the United States. The opportunities for Black Nova Scotians began to open in the 19th century with the creation of institutions such as the Royal Acadian School and the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church. There were further developments in the 20th century with the establishment of the organizations such as Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, the Black United Front and the Black Cultural Centre. In the 21st Century, there has been many initiatives in Nova Scotia to address past harms done to Black Nova Scotians such as the Africville Apology, the Viola Desmond Pardon and the restorative justice
initiative for the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children.
In 1894, an all-black ice hockey league, known as the Coloured Hockey League, was founded in Nova Scotia. Black players from Canada's Maritime provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island) participated in competition. The league began to play 23 years before the National Hockey League was founded, and as such, it has been credited with some innovations which exist in the NHL today. Most notably, it is claimed that the first player to use the slapshot was Eddie Martin of the Halifax Eurekas, more than 100 years ago.The league remained in operation until 1930.
1605: Mathieu Da Costa arrives in Nova Scotia with an expedition led by the Sieur DeMonts. This expedition founded Port Royal.
1776: The start of the American War of Independence - this war led to the migration to Nova Scotia of Americans loyal to the British Crown.
1782: The first major groups of Black settlers arrived in this province; 1500 Free Black Loyalists came to Nova Scotia from the Thirteen Colonies.
1792: Approximately 1200 Black Loyalists leave Nova Scotia headed for Sierra Leone on the west coast of Africa, in response to the unfair treatment at the hand of the Nova Scotia government and the general hardships of life in this province.
1796: Approximately 500 Maroons arrive in Halifax from Jamaica.
1800: The Maroons are removed from Nova Scotia and taken to Sierra Leone by the British Government in order to avoid the cost of their maintenance in Nova Scotia.
1813-1815: Some 2000 Black refugees from the War of 1812 arrive in Nova Scotia.
1815: Richard Preston arrives in Nova Scotia. He would later become an ordained Baptist minister and co-founder of the African United Baptist Association.
1821: 95 Blacks leave Nova Scotia for the island of Trinidad.
1832: The Cornwallis Street Baptist Church - the first African Baptist Church and Mother Church of the African United Baptist Association - is organized in Halifax.
1833: The British Parliament passes the Imperial Act. This Act abolishes slavery in the British Empire, including Nova Scotia. The Imperial Act becomes British law in 1834.
1848: The first legal deeds for the community of Africville are issued.
1854: The African United Baptist Association is founded by Rev. Richard Preston and Septimus Clarke.
1859: William Hall of Horton's Bluff becomes the first Canadian to be awarded the Victoria Cross.
1890: George Dixon of Halifax wins the World Bantamweight boxing title. This is the first time a Black man has won a world boxing title in any weight class.
1898: James Robinson Johnson graduated from the Dalhousie University School of Law, becoming the first Black Nova Scotian to graduate with a degree in law.
1900-1969
1928: Madeline Symonds became the first Black woman to graduate from the Provincial Normal College, now the Nova Scotia Teacher's College.
1945: The Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NSAACP) - a social reform organization - was founded.
1946: Dr. Carrie Best begins publication of The Clarion, Nova Scotia's first Black newspaper.
1952: Sam Langford of Weymouth Falls is inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame. Langford is considered to be the "Greatest Champion that never was".
1954: Legal segregation of schools in Nova Scotia is ended.
1960: Rev. W.P. Oliver is chosen to serve as president of the United Baptist Convention of the Maritimes - the first Black to be so honoured.
1962: The City of Halifax approves a plan for the destruction of the community of Africville.
1964-1967: The community of Africville is destroyed by the city of Halifax.
1965: The Department of Education establishes a fund to help with the education of disadvantaged Blacks in Nova Scotia.
1966: Delmore " Buddy" Daye of Halifax is crowned Canadian Junior Lightweight Champion.
1967: Isaac Phils of Sydney becomes the first Black appointed to the Order of Canada.
1967: Haligonian Dave Downey wins the Canadian Middleweight Boxing title.
1967: The Inglewood Players, an all Black theatre company from the Annapolis Valley community of Inglewood, was founded and receives high praises for its first production "Coming Here To Stay".
1968: Delegates of the Black Panther Party visit the Black community of Halifax and create a stir in the province.
1968: A Black child is refused burial in a cemetery in Windsor, N.S. because of her colour - resulting in a protest in the Black community.
1968 -1969: The Black United Front of Nova Scotia, a provincial Black social reform organization, begins operation.
1969: The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission begins operation.
1969: Wayne Smith of Halifax begins a distinguished football career in the Canadian Football League when he is signed by the Ottawa Roughriders.
1970-1989
1971: Dr. George McCurdy of Amherstburg, Ontario is appointed Director of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.
1973-1974: Bill Riley of Amherst, N.S. becomes the third Black person to play in the National Hockey League. Bill Riley played for the Washington Capitals.
1973: Clyde Gray of Three Miles Plains is crowned the Commonwealth Welterweight Champion.
1974: Dr. Carrie Best of New Glasgow is appointed to the Order of Canada.
1974: The First Provincial Black Golf Tournament is held in Truro, Nova Scotia.
1976: Paula Fairfax of Dartmouth becomes the first Black to win the Miss Nova Scotia Beauty contest.
1979: Graham Downey of Halifax is appointed Deputy Mayor of Halifax.
1979: Jamaican born Trevor Berbick, fighting out of Halifax, is crowned the Canadian Heavyweight Champion.
1981: Rev. Joseph C. Mack of the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church is appointed to the Order of Canada.
1983: The Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia is opened.
1984: Daurene Lewis is elected Mayor of the town of Annapolis Royal. This is the first time in Canadian history that a Black woman is elected mayor of a town in Canada.
1986: Corrine Sparks of Lake Loon is appointed to a judgeship on the Provincial Bench of Nova Scotia, becoming the first Black Nova Scotian to be appointed to the bench.
1988: Raymond Downey of Halifax becomes the first Black Nova Scotian to win an Olympic medal (Bronze medal on Boxing).
1989: Dr. W.P. Oliver, noted Black educator, minister and political leader, dies in Halifax.
1990-2003
1990: Delmore "Buddy" Daye is appointed Sergeant-at-Arms for the House of Legislative Assembly. He is the first Black man in Canada to receive this appointment.
1991: The establishment of an Endowed Chair in Black Canadian Studies at Dalhousie University is announced. The Chair is later named the James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies after the first Black lawyer in Nova Scotia.
1991: Halifax Lawyer, Donald Oliver, Q.C., is appointed to the Canadian Senate by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, becoming the first Black Nova Scotian appointed to the Senate .
1992: Tyrone Williams of Halifax becomes the first Black Nova Scotian drafted by the National Football League. The Arizona Cardinals chose Williams in the Ninth round of the NFL Entry Draft. He was the 239th overall pick.
1992: George Boyd become the first Black anchor of a national news show, when he becomes an anchor on CBC Newsworld.
1993: The legislative seat of Preston is created. This riding includes the Black communities of Lake Loon-Cherrybrook, East Preston and North Preston, increasing the chance of a Black person being elected to the Nova Scotian legislature
1993: Wayne Adams is chosen the first Black member of the Nova Scotia Provincial Legislature. Mr. Adams won the legislative seat of Preston.
1994: Gordon Earle, ombudsman for the province of Manitoba is appointed Deputy Minister of Housing in the Province of Nova Scotia, making him a top ranked civil servant. He is the first Black Nova Scotia to be appointed to this position.
1994: The Black Learner’s Advisory Committee issues its final report on the state of education in the Black community of Nova Scotia
1996: The African Canadian Services Division is created as part of the Department of Education. The African Canadian Services Division was formerly know as the Black Learner’s Advisory Committee.
1996: The Canadian Historical Sites and Monuments Board places two monuments at the “Old Black Burial Ground” in Birchtown, honoring the Black Loyalists who lived there.
1996: The Nova Scotia Arts Council announces the creation of the Portia White Prize. Named after the famed singer, the Portia White Prize is awarded for artistic excellence by a Nova Scotian artist.
1996: The Black United Front closes its doors due to a lack of funding from the provincial government
1997: The African Nova Scotian Music Association holds its first annual awards presentation celebrating excellence in Black music in Nova Scotia
1998: Yvonne Atwell defeats Wayne Adams and becomes the MLA for Preston; the first Black woman to hold such a position in Nova Scotia.
1998: Calvin Ruck becomes the second Black Nova Scotian to be appointed to the Canadian Senate.
2000: Senator Calvin Ruck retires from the Canadian Senate.
2001: Dr. Carrie Best, Editor of The Clarion, the first Black newspaper in Nova Scotia, dies in New Glasgow.
2001: George Elliot Clarke wins the Governor General’s Award for Poetry. He is the first Black Canadian writer to win this prestigious award
2001: Halifax lawyers Burnley “ Rocky” Jones and Anne Derrick are ordered to pay $240,000 to a Halifax police officer for defamation alleging that they called the officer a racist when the officer strip searched three young Black girls at a local elementary school
2003: The verdict against Burnley “Rocky” Jones and Anne Derrick for defamation is overturned by the Supreme Court of Canada.
2003: Boxer Kirk Johnson wins a discrimination complaint against the Halifax Regional Police. The Nova Scotia Human Rights decision ruled that the Halifax Regional Police discriminated against Mr. Johnson when his vehicle was pulled over and seized in 1998. A cash settlement was also awarded to Mr. Johnson. The case is currently under appeal.
2004: Senator Calvin Ruck passes away at the age of 79. A Social Worker and Community Advocate, Senator Ruck was probably best known for his work as an author. His book on the No. 2 Construction Battalion helped to promote the untold story of the Black Canadian experience in the First World War.
2005: Michaelle Jean is appointed Governor General of Canada. She is the first African Canadian to be appointed the Queen's Representative
2006: Craig Smith was selected to serve as the President of the newly formed Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame,to be located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.
2006: Whitney Pier native Mayann Francis is appointed the Lieutenant Governor for the Province of Nova Scotia. She is the first African Nova Scotian appointed to the Vice Regal position.
The first Black person in Nova Scotia arrived with the founding of Port Royal (1605). Black people were then brought as slaves to Nova Scotia during the founding of Louisbourg and Halifax. The first major migration of Blacks to Nova Scotia happened during the American Revolution, where Blacks were fleeing slavery in America. At the same time, educational opportunities began to develop with the establishment of Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (Bray Schools) in Nova Scotia. The decline of slavery in Nova Scotia happened in large part by local judicial decisions in keeping the British courts of the late 18th century. The next major migration of Blacks happened during the War of 1812, again Blacks were escaping slavery in the United States. The opportunities for Black Nova Scotians began to open in the 19th century with the creation of institutions such as the Royal Acadian School and the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church. There were further developments in the 20th century with the establishment of the organizations such as Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, the Black United Front and the Black Cultural Centre. In the 21st Century, there has been many initiatives in Nova Scotia to address past harms done to Black Nova Scotians such as the Africville Apology, the Viola Desmond Pardon and the restorative justice
initiative for the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children.
In 1894, an all-black ice hockey league, known as the Coloured Hockey League, was founded in Nova Scotia. Black players from Canada's Maritime provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island) participated in competition. The league began to play 23 years before the National Hockey League was founded, and as such, it has been credited with some innovations which exist in the NHL today. Most notably, it is claimed that the first player to use the slapshot was Eddie Martin of the Halifax Eurekas, more than 100 years ago.The league remained in operation until 1930.
1605: Mathieu Da Costa arrives in Nova Scotia with an expedition led by the Sieur DeMonts. This expedition founded Port Royal.
1776: The start of the American War of Independence - this war led to the migration to Nova Scotia of Americans loyal to the British Crown.
1782: The first major groups of Black settlers arrived in this province; 1500 Free Black Loyalists came to Nova Scotia from the Thirteen Colonies.
1792: Approximately 1200 Black Loyalists leave Nova Scotia headed for Sierra Leone on the west coast of Africa, in response to the unfair treatment at the hand of the Nova Scotia government and the general hardships of life in this province.
1796: Approximately 500 Maroons arrive in Halifax from Jamaica.
1800: The Maroons are removed from Nova Scotia and taken to Sierra Leone by the British Government in order to avoid the cost of their maintenance in Nova Scotia.
1813-1815: Some 2000 Black refugees from the War of 1812 arrive in Nova Scotia.
1815: Richard Preston arrives in Nova Scotia. He would later become an ordained Baptist minister and co-founder of the African United Baptist Association.
1821: 95 Blacks leave Nova Scotia for the island of Trinidad.
1832: The Cornwallis Street Baptist Church - the first African Baptist Church and Mother Church of the African United Baptist Association - is organized in Halifax.
1833: The British Parliament passes the Imperial Act. This Act abolishes slavery in the British Empire, including Nova Scotia. The Imperial Act becomes British law in 1834.
1848: The first legal deeds for the community of Africville are issued.
1854: The African United Baptist Association is founded by Rev. Richard Preston and Septimus Clarke.
1859: William Hall of Horton's Bluff becomes the first Canadian to be awarded the Victoria Cross.
1890: George Dixon of Halifax wins the World Bantamweight boxing title. This is the first time a Black man has won a world boxing title in any weight class.
1898: James Robinson Johnson graduated from the Dalhousie University School of Law, becoming the first Black Nova Scotian to graduate with a degree in law.
1900-1969
1928: Madeline Symonds became the first Black woman to graduate from the Provincial Normal College, now the Nova Scotia Teacher's College.
1945: The Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NSAACP) - a social reform organization - was founded.
1946: Dr. Carrie Best begins publication of The Clarion, Nova Scotia's first Black newspaper.
1952: Sam Langford of Weymouth Falls is inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame. Langford is considered to be the "Greatest Champion that never was".
1954: Legal segregation of schools in Nova Scotia is ended.
1960: Rev. W.P. Oliver is chosen to serve as president of the United Baptist Convention of the Maritimes - the first Black to be so honoured.
1962: The City of Halifax approves a plan for the destruction of the community of Africville.
1964-1967: The community of Africville is destroyed by the city of Halifax.
1965: The Department of Education establishes a fund to help with the education of disadvantaged Blacks in Nova Scotia.
1966: Delmore " Buddy" Daye of Halifax is crowned Canadian Junior Lightweight Champion.
1967: Isaac Phils of Sydney becomes the first Black appointed to the Order of Canada.
1967: Haligonian Dave Downey wins the Canadian Middleweight Boxing title.
1967: The Inglewood Players, an all Black theatre company from the Annapolis Valley community of Inglewood, was founded and receives high praises for its first production "Coming Here To Stay".
1968: Delegates of the Black Panther Party visit the Black community of Halifax and create a stir in the province.
1968: A Black child is refused burial in a cemetery in Windsor, N.S. because of her colour - resulting in a protest in the Black community.
1968 -1969: The Black United Front of Nova Scotia, a provincial Black social reform organization, begins operation.
1969: The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission begins operation.
1969: Wayne Smith of Halifax begins a distinguished football career in the Canadian Football League when he is signed by the Ottawa Roughriders.
1970-1989
1971: Dr. George McCurdy of Amherstburg, Ontario is appointed Director of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.
1973-1974: Bill Riley of Amherst, N.S. becomes the third Black person to play in the National Hockey League. Bill Riley played for the Washington Capitals.
1973: Clyde Gray of Three Miles Plains is crowned the Commonwealth Welterweight Champion.
1974: Dr. Carrie Best of New Glasgow is appointed to the Order of Canada.
1974: The First Provincial Black Golf Tournament is held in Truro, Nova Scotia.
1976: Paula Fairfax of Dartmouth becomes the first Black to win the Miss Nova Scotia Beauty contest.
1979: Graham Downey of Halifax is appointed Deputy Mayor of Halifax.
1979: Jamaican born Trevor Berbick, fighting out of Halifax, is crowned the Canadian Heavyweight Champion.
1981: Rev. Joseph C. Mack of the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church is appointed to the Order of Canada.
1983: The Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia is opened.
1984: Daurene Lewis is elected Mayor of the town of Annapolis Royal. This is the first time in Canadian history that a Black woman is elected mayor of a town in Canada.
1986: Corrine Sparks of Lake Loon is appointed to a judgeship on the Provincial Bench of Nova Scotia, becoming the first Black Nova Scotian to be appointed to the bench.
1988: Raymond Downey of Halifax becomes the first Black Nova Scotian to win an Olympic medal (Bronze medal on Boxing).
1989: Dr. W.P. Oliver, noted Black educator, minister and political leader, dies in Halifax.
1990-2003
1990: Delmore "Buddy" Daye is appointed Sergeant-at-Arms for the House of Legislative Assembly. He is the first Black man in Canada to receive this appointment.
1991: The establishment of an Endowed Chair in Black Canadian Studies at Dalhousie University is announced. The Chair is later named the James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies after the first Black lawyer in Nova Scotia.
1991: Halifax Lawyer, Donald Oliver, Q.C., is appointed to the Canadian Senate by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, becoming the first Black Nova Scotian appointed to the Senate .
1992: Tyrone Williams of Halifax becomes the first Black Nova Scotian drafted by the National Football League. The Arizona Cardinals chose Williams in the Ninth round of the NFL Entry Draft. He was the 239th overall pick.
1992: George Boyd become the first Black anchor of a national news show, when he becomes an anchor on CBC Newsworld.
1993: The legislative seat of Preston is created. This riding includes the Black communities of Lake Loon-Cherrybrook, East Preston and North Preston, increasing the chance of a Black person being elected to the Nova Scotian legislature
1993: Wayne Adams is chosen the first Black member of the Nova Scotia Provincial Legislature. Mr. Adams won the legislative seat of Preston.
1994: Gordon Earle, ombudsman for the province of Manitoba is appointed Deputy Minister of Housing in the Province of Nova Scotia, making him a top ranked civil servant. He is the first Black Nova Scotia to be appointed to this position.
1994: The Black Learner’s Advisory Committee issues its final report on the state of education in the Black community of Nova Scotia
1996: The African Canadian Services Division is created as part of the Department of Education. The African Canadian Services Division was formerly know as the Black Learner’s Advisory Committee.
1996: The Canadian Historical Sites and Monuments Board places two monuments at the “Old Black Burial Ground” in Birchtown, honoring the Black Loyalists who lived there.
1996: The Nova Scotia Arts Council announces the creation of the Portia White Prize. Named after the famed singer, the Portia White Prize is awarded for artistic excellence by a Nova Scotian artist.
1996: The Black United Front closes its doors due to a lack of funding from the provincial government
1997: The African Nova Scotian Music Association holds its first annual awards presentation celebrating excellence in Black music in Nova Scotia
1998: Yvonne Atwell defeats Wayne Adams and becomes the MLA for Preston; the first Black woman to hold such a position in Nova Scotia.
1998: Calvin Ruck becomes the second Black Nova Scotian to be appointed to the Canadian Senate.
2000: Senator Calvin Ruck retires from the Canadian Senate.
2001: Dr. Carrie Best, Editor of The Clarion, the first Black newspaper in Nova Scotia, dies in New Glasgow.
2001: George Elliot Clarke wins the Governor General’s Award for Poetry. He is the first Black Canadian writer to win this prestigious award
2001: Halifax lawyers Burnley “ Rocky” Jones and Anne Derrick are ordered to pay $240,000 to a Halifax police officer for defamation alleging that they called the officer a racist when the officer strip searched three young Black girls at a local elementary school
2003: The verdict against Burnley “Rocky” Jones and Anne Derrick for defamation is overturned by the Supreme Court of Canada.
2003: Boxer Kirk Johnson wins a discrimination complaint against the Halifax Regional Police. The Nova Scotia Human Rights decision ruled that the Halifax Regional Police discriminated against Mr. Johnson when his vehicle was pulled over and seized in 1998. A cash settlement was also awarded to Mr. Johnson. The case is currently under appeal.
2004: Senator Calvin Ruck passes away at the age of 79. A Social Worker and Community Advocate, Senator Ruck was probably best known for his work as an author. His book on the No. 2 Construction Battalion helped to promote the untold story of the Black Canadian experience in the First World War.
2005: Michaelle Jean is appointed Governor General of Canada. She is the first African Canadian to be appointed the Queen's Representative
2006: Craig Smith was selected to serve as the President of the newly formed Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame,to be located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.
2006: Whitney Pier native Mayann Francis is appointed the Lieutenant Governor for the Province of Nova Scotia. She is the first African Nova Scotian appointed to the Vice Regal position.
