By Tyra Perry, Sea Change CoLab
Sea Change CoLab is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a place with a rich, complex, and often painful Black history. During African Heritage Month, we take time to reflect on that history while also recognizing Black organizations and leaders across the province who continue to do vital work today. This reflection is closely connected to the work we do through Sea Change and the Accessibility Confident Employers Project, also known as ACE, as we support more accessible, equitable, and inclusive workplaces across Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia is home to more than 50 historic Black communities, including North Preston, the largest Black community in Canada. Its original settlers were Black Refugees of the War of 1812. Across the province, Black communities were founded by Black Loyalists, Jamaican Maroons, and Black Refugees. Nova Scotia also participated in slavery, a truth that is often left out of mainstream Canadian history.
One of the most widely known examples of systemic racism in Nova Scotia is Africville. Founded by Black Nova Scotians in the early 1800s along the shores of the Bedford Basin, Africville was a close knit, self sustaining community. Despite paying taxes, residents were denied basic services such as clean water, sewage systems, paved roads, and access to healthcare. In the 1960s, the City of Halifax forcibly relocated residents and destroyed the community under the guise of urban renewal. The displacement of Africville families is a clear example of how racism, land dispossession, and government policy intersected to cause lasting harm. Today, Africville remains a powerful symbol of resilience, resistance, and the ongoing fight for justice.
Many community members from historic Black communities across the province are still fighting for rights to the land they have lived on and cultivated for generations. When early settlers were denied land deeds, families were left without legal ownership. The provincial Land Titles Initiative has been an important step forward, supporting families in securing land titles and recognizing long overdue rights.
Alongside this history of harm is a vibrant and resilient Black community that continues to thrive. Music has long played a central role in Black communities across Nova Scotia. From gospel and jazz to hip hop, soul, and spoken word, music has been a tool for storytelling, resistance, healing, and celebration. One example of this cultural legacy is the African Nova Scotian Music Association. Through the African Nova Scotian Music Awards, the organization celebrates Black artists across the province while preserving cultural history and strengthening community through the arts.
As we reflect on Black history, it is essential to talk about intersectionality. While there is limited data on disability within Black Nova Scotian communities, we know that many people experience layered barriers shaped by racism, ableism, and limited access to culturally safe supports. The denial of basic services in Africville also shows how inaccessibility has long been used as a tool of systemic exclusion. When systems and spaces are inaccessible, Black people with disabilities are often among the first excluded and the last supported.
This intersectional reality directly informs the work we do at Sea Change CoLab and through the ACE Project. ACE supports employers across Nova Scotia to build more accessible recruitment and hiring practices, reduce barriers in workplaces, and create environments where people who identify as Deaf, disabled, or neurodivergent can fully participate. We know that accessibility work must also be anti racist, community informed, and grounded in lived experience. Accessible employment is not just about compliance. It is about justice, dignity, and opportunity.
There are many organizations across Nova Scotia doing powerful work to support Black communities, including:
The Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia preserves and educates on Black history in the province.
902 Man Up supports young Black men through housing, mentorship, leadership, and education.
The Black Business Initiative (BBI) supports Black entrepreneurs and business owners.
Tribe Network builds connection for Black entrepreneurs locally and globally.
ASE Community Foundation supports Black Canadians with disabilities, and Sea Change has had the pleasure of interviewing its founder, Liza Arnason, on the Accessibility Ally Podcast.
African Heritage Month is not only about remembering the past. It is about recognizing ongoing struggles, celebrating leadership, and committing to more accessible and just futures. As we continue our work through Sea Change and ACE, we remain committed to learning from Black communities, supporting intersectional approaches to accessibility, and contributing to workplaces and systems that work better for everyone.
Explore these organizations, connect with community, and keep learning.
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African Heritage Month is not only about remembering the past. It is about recognizing ongoing struggles, celebrating leadership, and taking action toward more accessible and just futures.
We invite employers, partners, and allies to get involved by learning from Black led organizations across Nova Scotia, supporting the work they are doing, and building relationships rooted in respect and accountability. At Sea Change CoLab, and through the Accessibility Confident Employers Project, we offer trainings on intersectionality, allyship, and accessible recruitment and hiring to support workplaces to turn learning into action.
Accessibility and equity are ongoing commitments. This month, and beyond, we encourage you to listen, learn, connect, and take concrete steps toward change.
References
Africville Museum https://africvillemuseum.org/
ANSMA https://www.theansma.com/
ASE https://asecommunityfoundation.com/
Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia https://bccns.com/
Land Titles Initiative https://novascotia.ca/land-titles/
More African Nova Scotians Eligible for Land Title Support
https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/05/16/more-african-nova-scotians-now-eligible-land-title-support
The Black Business Initiative https://www.bbi.ca/
Tribe Network https://www.tribenetwork.ca/
902 ManUp https://902manup.ca/elementor-7124/
Image Description: A map of all the African Nova Scotian Communities.