The federal government highlighted the Africville Museum and the community of Africville being recognized as Canada's first Place of History and Memory under UNESCO's designation for Enslavement and the Slave Trade.
Today, Lena Metlege Diab, Member of Parliament (Halifax West), celebrated the community's efforts in securing the new UNESCO designation. She was on hand on behalf of Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, and the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage.
The Government of Canada announced that it has devoted $20,000 to support the Africville Heritage Trust Society through the Events component of the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program.
For more than a century, Africville stood as a sanctuary and a vibrant expression of culture, founded by diasporic Africans who, with determination and pride, built a tight-knit community north of Halifax, many of them arriving as formerly enslaved people. However, they were also denied essential services, such as running water and sewers until, in the 1960s, Africville was destroyed and its residents were forcibly expropriated. These events highlight Canada's painful history of anti-Black racism and the injustices Black Canadians endured while defending their rights and cultures.
The new Place of History and Memory designation will help preserve and honour the shared history of the Africville community, including the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade and anti-Black racism.
The federal government is firmly committed to combatting anti-Black racism and eliminating longstanding and systemic barriers preventing the social and economic inclusion of Black communities. That's why Canada officially recognized the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent in 2018. Since endorsing the UN Decade, the federal government has made transformational investments, committing as much as $872 million in Black-focused initiatives.
