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What Was The Motivation Behind The Destruction Of Africville

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Africville was an isolated community located at the very end of Halifax, where African Americans lived in peace and thrived together as united people. At the beginning, the community was thriving with young citizens working towards a better future for themselves and their community. However, after years of abandonment from the government, Africville’s conditions started to decline. The government, motivated by desegregation, responded by attempting to eradicate these poor conditions under the name of urban renewal. Urban renewal is defined as the redeveloping of an area and in this case to eliminate the presence of slums. While desegregation is defined as ending the isolation of people with different religious beliefs, ethnicity, and in this …show more content…

After experts were sent to further examine the conditions of Africville, it was decided that demolishing Africville was in the best interests of both the government and the people of Africville. The integration of Africville residents was heavily opposed because they didn’t want to be displaced and lose their sense of community. The relocation of Africville was perceived as a success for the municipal government but comprehended as a failure for Africville residents. Since the demolition of Africville was a very complex issue, there were many reasons behind this act, however desegregation was the main motivation behind the demolition of Africville. Africville was a vibrant community, but conditions worsened overtime due to being neglected by the Municipal government. This black community was first inhabited in the 1840s by African Americans fleeing the …show more content…

In 1956, Professor Stephenson set out to study housing conditions in Africville. In his 1957 report, a Redevelopment study of Halifax, Nova Scotia, he expressed concern about how around seventy families are living in a slum that is far apart from the rest of Halifax and they should be relocated. The main motivation behind this is ending segregation of African Americans along with the elimination of the inhumane living conditions. Within his report, Stephenson stated an accurate statement, “Africville stands as an indictment of society and not of its inhabitants,” which reflects the carelessness of the government in terms of failing to support Africville. In 1963, Professor Albert Rose went to Africville to study it in terms of welfare. During his time in Africville, he was overwhelmed by the fact that Africville was a series of slums with no running water and sewage disposal facilities. He was also appalled at the fact that Africville was completely segregated from the rest of society even though segregation should be a phenomenon of the past and strongly advised the integration of the black community with the rest of Halifax. Even though Rose was keen on relocating the residents of Africville immediately, he still insisted that the municipal government acknowledge the community

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