‘Our ancestors are rolling in their graves’: N.S. Black community shaken by shooting

HALIFAX — Members of Nova Scotia’s Black community say they are resilient and will rebound after five people were shot over the weekend at a reunion of former residents and their descendants of Africville, a historic neighbourhood in north-end Halifax.

Irvine Carvery, president of the Africville Genealogy Society and one of the sponsors of the annual reunion, said people are processing and healing from the violence. He said Saturday’s shooting was perpetrated by people who are not connected to Africville.

“We will not allow one unfortunate incident from this weekend to deter us from our reunion and our family get-together. We will be back again next year,” Carvery said in an interview Monday.

The Association of Black Social Workers has opened a helpline for anyone seeking counselling after the shooting at the Africville National Historic Site of Canada sent five people to hospital, including one with critical injuries.

Twila Grosse, minister of African Nova Scotian affairs, said on social media Monday the province’s “thoughts and prayers” are with the victims and their families, and that she was deeply saddened and concerned by the violence.

“We remain committed to supporting the Africville community during this difficult time,” Grosse said.

The Africville Family Reunion unites former residents and their descendants of the historic Black community in the north end of Halifax that was demolished in the 1960s.

On Saturday at 10 p.m., police responded to reports of gunshots at the park and found five people injured.

Police said Monday that no arrests have been made, and they did not provide updates on the victims’ injuries.

In a social media post, reunion organizer Vincent Williams said that despite the “hateful and senseless terror” on Saturday night that left the Africville community reeling, they will pick up the pieces.

“We will heal by the grace of God,” Williams wrote Monday on social media. And to the people responsible for the shooting, he said, “if you have ancestral connections to our community, you are all shameful and a disgrace to yourselves, families, and community. Our ancestors are rolling in their graves.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2024.

Cassidy McMackon, The Canadian Press