In 1983, when he was the founding President of the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, former Senator Don Oliver had but one wish in mind.
“Slowly but surely, the youth would come here and there would be youth meetings,” said Oliver, who attended 40th anniversary celebrations on Wednesday.
Oliver’s wish was granted.
The Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia has helped celebrate and preserve the history of Indigenous Black people in Nova Scotia and across the country.
“We are planning to grow it even more,” said Oliver, both structurally and financially.
The centre’s major corporate partner celebrated four decades by presenting a cheque for $15,000. This money is earmarked to spark further growth.
“This is a gem of a facility,” said Enbridge VP Mike Fernandez. “It brings together the community in important ways.”
Executive Director Russell Grosse said the original primary focus of the facility was to celebrate history and heritage that had been overlooked for centuries.
“I think we should be most proud of the aspect that society has now embraced, Black history and culture as part of Canada’s narrative,” said Grosse, who added Black history and heritage is no longer in a hidden silo. It is now part of the mainstream.
“When we started in 1983, there were no remarkable stories of Viola Davis or William Hall,” said Grosse. “There wasn’t the story of the Coloured Hockey League. There were so many pieces of our story that were missing.”
Grosse wants the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia to continue to be a beacon of Black history and culture, and he wants it to grow to a national level.
