Africville & Black History Month

Take me back, take me back dear Lord
To the place where I first received you
Take me back, take me back dear Lord where I
First believed

I feel that I'm so far from you Lord
But still I hear you calling me
Those simple things that I once knew,
Their memories keep drawing me

I must confess, Lord I've been blessed
But yet my soul's not satisfied
Renew my faith, restore my joy
And dry my weeping eyes

Take me back, take me back dear Lord
To the place where I first received you
Take me back, take me back dear Lord where I…

Take Me Back 

Andraé Crouch

My United Church Twitter feed has included regular reminders that February is Black History Month in Canada. This is important because we tend to place less emphasis on the history of people of colour in this country than Americans do during this month. 

I've been trying to pay attention to events and historical moments of Black History during this month and an announcement about a bell caught my attention and took me back nearly two decades. 

We were living in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2002 and while eating breakfast on a July morning I heard on the radio that Heritage Minister, Sheila Copps, would be on the site the former community of Africville to name it a National Historic Site that morning. Africville was a Black enclave, ignored by the municipal government in terms of basic services, repeatedly treated with contempt, including locating a landfill immediately alongside some of the houses. Despite the poverty it was a vibrant community for more than 150 years and had its own church as a hub for activities and a sustaining faith. , In the 1960's the city decided to expropriate the land of Africville and bulldozed the church structure in the middle of the night. The residents were relocated but much was lost.

That morning in 2002 I hurried out to Africville (I wasn't really sure how to get there) where I listened to empassioned former residents speak and a stirring "call and response" gospel song (above) sung by virtually all of the people of colour who were present and which they seemed to know. Copps appeared to be moved and rose to the occasion, promising that the church would be rebuilt on the site, an announcement which caught local officials by surprise. 

Irvine Carvery and Linda Mantley say the church bell 

was the defining sound of their childhood in Africville. (Brian MacKay/CBC)

Eventually the city of Halifax apologized for what had taken place decades before, but that wasn't until 2010. The Africville park did become a historic site and the church was rebuilt as a museum. Yesterday we heard that the bell from the original church which marked occasions of sadness and joy, and called people to worship, will be returned to the museum, although not installed in the tower.

We must continue to acknowledge our history of racism here in Canada. It's also good to hear that efforts are being made to acknowledge and celebrate Black history in this country.