http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://injusticebusters.org/index.htg/00009/rocky_jones.jpg&imgrefurl=http://injusticebusters.org/index.htm/Derrick_Anne.htm&h=433&w=386&sz=31&tbnid=MUtCcq66hilaqM:&tbnh=186&tbnw=165&prev=/search%3Fq%3Drocky%2Bjones%2Bphoto%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=rocky+jones+photo&usg=__lZs2apaCmmVbomCJ1t1vckNWWqw=&docid=4Zf8TBVc0hPblM&sa=X&ei=uPj6UYm6K9G_qQGpmYG4Ag&ved=0CCwQ9QEwAA&dur=191
Those of us innocents of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.... we believed and we acted and we... accomplished- it cost many of us dearly..... but our communities evolved with better attitudes 2wards race, religion, sexual choices, creed, disabled, aged etc.... health and safety, equality of women, kids who had no voice or vote- and leaders like Rocky Jones did that 4 us.... Rita MacNeil walked 4 women, Stompin Tom sang and stomped 4 Canada pride..... Elijah Haper created a serious IDLE NO MORE CANADA.... WHAT A GREAT COUNTRY WE LIVE IN- and God's Angels must be singing in glory 2day....
Remembering Rocky Jones- Nova Scotia Warrior Hero of the Everyday folks- we mattered and Rocky tore through injustice - everybody's equal in Rocky's world
Like...on this day in November 2013 in Nova Scotia- Editorial from Chronicle Herald- one of Canada's finest newspapers that prints the truth above political crap...better than any other newspapers or news reporting in Canada... and they have the stats 2 back it up...
NOVA SCOTIA HOME 4 COLOURED CHILDREN- BLACK ON BLACK CHILD ABUSE- SHELBURNE HOME 4 BOYS- SYSTEMIC CHILD ABUSE..... we want justice.... $$$$$ and reconciliation and healing Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Home 4 Coloured Children Nova Scotia Opened 1921 -opened
EDITORIAL: NSHCC inquiry welcome
November 1, 2013 - 4:33pm By THE CHRONICLE HERALD
Former residents of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children have waited a long time for their allegations of physical, mental and sexual abuse at the facility to be rigorously, thoroughly investigated.
To their discredit, former premier Darrell Dexter and his NDP government refused to call a public inquiry into those shocking allegations of a half-century of abuse. Instead, the NDP pushed an independent panel, without teeth, that former residents of the home had made clear they did not want.
Bizarrely, the former government touted their approach as the best path to healing and reconciliation at the same time their lawyers were playing hardball to try to deny those same former residents their day in court in a proposed class action suit.
Before winning the recent provincial election, Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil had rightly vowed to call a public inquiry into allegations of abuse by former home residents if his party formed the next government.
Premier McNeil deserves credit for moving quickly to keep that promise. Late last week, the premier said the terms of reference for a public inquiry should be set by the end of the year, with hearings beginning sometime next spring.
We hope the terms of reference give those appointed to lead such an inquiry sufficient powers to get to the bottom of what happened to those children, including what government officials of the day may have known about conditions at the home, as well as what they did, or did not, do in response.
Liberal officials say they’re also scrapping the independent panel set up by the NDP.
Like Voices, the group made up of former residents of the home, we applaud the Liberals’ making this a priority. After the unfortunate acrimony between Voices and the former NDP government on this issue, it’s a welcome change to see Voices spokesman Tony Smith term the new Liberal government’s move a sign of respect for former residents.
So far, so good.
Mr. McNeil has promised his government will adopt a “different tone” on this file, saying the “aggressive” stance that was adopted by the NDP needs to change.
How that will translate in terms of former residents’ attempt to have a class-action lawsuit against the government certified remains to be seen. The judge in the civil case has not yet ruled on certification.
The premier, reasonably enough, said he plans to first talk to officials in the Department of Justice before announcing his government’s direction on the lawsuit.
Many critics of a public inquiry now have cited the mess a former Liberal government made with its flawed compensation program in the mid-90s for people claiming to have been abused at the Shelburne School for Boys. The comparison is faulty. The Shelburne scheme came after an independent probe had said a public inquiry was not needed.
A later report on the Shelburne fiasco concluded a public inquiry could have been helpful, as long as criminal proceedings were not affected.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/editorials/1164574-editorial-nshcc-inquiry-welcome
--------------------
NOVA SCOTIA ICON- ROCKY JONES- he changed the world 4 all of us, black, white, red... whatever colour....religion, gender choices...disabled-visible, invisible... and those trying to walk away with some dignity from past mistakes they paid 4...
.. Rocky changed our world
NEW UPDATE- OCTOBER/NOVEMBER- ROCKY JONES- Nova Scotia Warrior Hero...of all peoples- often times colour didn't matter 2 Rocky- because he saw injustice in it's purest form...
tears and prayers 4 a Canadian, Nova Scotia Warrior Angel - Rocky Jones- amazing, heartwarming, honour...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pkIj4o0BaI
beautiful poetry....
Blueprint for an Elegy for B.A. (Rocky) Jones
November 1, 2013 - 5:28pm By GEORGE ELLIOTT CLARKE
Heart-filled tributes, spoken and in song, filled the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium last Sunday during Remembering Rocky, which celebrated the life of Halifax civil rights activist Rocky Jones. Jones died July 29 in Halifax. He was 71. (PETER PARSONS / Staff / File)
.
I don’t want to write this elegy—
not for Rocky —
not for Burnley Allan Jones —
because no coffin can frame him,
no words can take his measure;
he doth orbit beyond obituaries....
But he was unprecedented Excellence,
outta all Nova Scotia:
He lit up even daylight like a flare
because he had game, had flair,
like a copper black flame —
irrefutably black —
the brilliant epitome of never diminished blackness.....
Spy him spookin the T.V.:
Shaft gone intellectual.
The very air got impregnated with his black leather—
never scruffy—
but indelible, chic —
suitable to a genius of speech
as bright and sharp as a knife —
heroic chrome,
dazzling, sure, but no mere accessory.
Check:
When Rocky had to stand up for Justice —
or had to stand up for us —
Black (et) Mi’kmaq —
Africadian —
he showed the poise
and took the pose
of a hammer all set to strike.
Don't deem his bravado merely pantherish!
His stride was lightning trickling cross our eyes,
and his rappin struck us upside the head
with thunderous shocks:
Dude unleashed zingers and zest —
sound bytes with teeth —
and handsome laughter—
vivid, ferocious.
The chap was earthy
and down-to-earth,
plain-spoken because
lying is an abuse of time.
Rocky’s talk shot straight stereo to our ears.
He demanded that we demand that Law
act Righteous by us.
He couldn’t bring any routine medicine:
He saw that he had to fumigate
every sanctimonious cranny
of every legislature and every church.
Job 1 for him?
Discombobulate the Oppressor!
He took home the Order of Nova Scotia
for trying to end the disorder of Nova Scotia—
all the discord and disaster of Bluenose racism.
So Rocky stood his ground—
on sand or flinty soil.
Never a bystander,
he helped us to “overstand”
right outstandingly.
Helplessly joyous in his hope for us,
he taught that Hope is a catalyst:
For the hopeless, can-do’s got done-in.
Rocky brought no fleeting gifts —
he was solid-state,
down with the People.
He was the true do-gooder,
rowdy, with steady nerves.
Admit that he was scintillating —
and terrifyingly tall.
Casual in his languid nobility,
but ready to produce Wit
and induce Delight,
Rocky would step into a room,
and all the gravity therein
would prove specific to him.
He was like inimitable poetry,
perfect in any translation.
Never any atrocious, politic rhetoric,
his talk leafed through intangible volumes.
Nor would he hobnob with snobs—
the guys with button-down degrees
and pointless appointments.
Rocky liked folks to be real—
as sweet-and-sour, Chinese takeout.
Comin to us live from Truro,
proud outta Truro,
he was never confused —
and not a bit foolish.
Rocky knew the bite of Keith's ale
and the kick of a rifle,
and the dip of a fishing line.
We can name the sell-outs:
They don’t represent;
they front.
Those are dollar signs that were their eyes.
These bourgeois embrace Injustice,
relax, collect brand-name luxuries —
Gucci this, Versace that.
They claim that they’re “on fire,”
but all they are is piss with a temperature.
No one can place Rocky in such company.
He never dealt with any stuck-up culture —
no Parliament Hill or Beverley Hills airs.
He couldn't fit in
with the ‘in’ crowd.
He was too good an outsider,
because he cometh out the Marsh.
I began this poor elegy apologizing,
dreading this writing.
I still do.
But poetry revives the cemetery’d,
and survives the cemetery....
As I write, I see the man himself.
He could rock a top hat
while rockin a canoe;
I see Rocky out there,
anglin a line and hook
through a river's dangerous chuckles.
Later, he drowns a cold beer in his belly,
then fires up a trout,
enjoying ale and fish
in the intrepid cold of dusk,
a fitting finish
to a day of thought and talk and laughter —
the dividing line of his face.
Rocky could whistle up
a salt moon, a sugar moon,
a moon as weightless as milkweed fluff,
and he knew how trout look up
at shaken up stars.
(He heard Nature as Spiritual because —
To listen,
One must be silent.)
Misfortune's medals are tears.
Our eyes have minted them
and must mint them still.
But Rocky would have us spend
our silver tears and diamond sweat
in the struggle
to make money worthless —
compared with breath.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/thenovascotian/1164611-blueprint-for-an-elegy-for-ba-rocky-jones
---------------
AFRICVILLE- 1960s- was demolished in 1964
---------------
and..
Stories from The Little Black School House
http://speakingmytruth.ca/?page_id=612-----------------
WWI- Canada's Black Army
---------------
Nova Scotia Black Royalists
---------------
Halifax crowns first Black Princess 1976- Halifax Chronicle Herald -Nova Scotia
Programs
Youth Quiz
Photo Gallery
Timelines
Resource Lists
Activities
Links
Halifax Public Libraries
Black History of Nova Scotia - A Chronology of Events
1600-1899 1900-1969 1970-1989 1990-2003
1600-1899
1605: Mathieu Da Costa arrives in Nova Scotia with an expedition led by the Sieur DeMonts. This expedition founded Port Royal.
1776: The start of the American War of Independence - this war led to the migration to Nova Scotia of Americans loyal to the British Crown.
1782: The first major groups of Black settlers arrived in this province; 1500 Free Black Loyalists came to Nova Scotia from the Thirteen Colonies.
1792: Approximately 1200 Black Loyalists leave Nova Scotia headed for Sierra Leone on the west coast of Africa, in response to the unfair treatment at the hand of the Nova Scotia government and the general hardships of life in this province.
1796: Approximately 500 Maroons arrive in Halifax from Jamaica.
1800: The Maroons are removed from Nova Scotia and taken to Sierra Leone by the British Government in order to avoid the cost of their maintenance in Nova Scotia.
1813-1815: Some 2000 Black refugees from the War of 1812 arrive in Nova Scotia.
1815: Richard Preston arrives in Nova Scotia. He would later become an ordained Baptist minister and co-founder of the African United Baptist Association.
1821: 95 Blacks leave Nova Scotia for the island of Trinidad.
1832: The Cornwallis Street Baptist Church - the first African Baptist Church and Mother Church of the African United Baptist Association - is organized in Halifax.
1833: The British Parliament passes the Imperial Act. This Act abolishes slavery in the British Empire, including Nova Scotia. The Imperial Act becomes British law in 1834.
1848: The first legal deeds for the community of Africville are issued.
1854: The African United Baptist Association is founded by Rev. Richard Preston and Septimus Clarke.
1859: William Hall of Horton's Bluff becomes the first Canadian to be awarded the Victoria Cross.
1890: George Dixon of Halifax wins the World Bantamweight boxing title. This is the first time a Black man has won a world boxing title in any weight class.
1898: James Robinson Johnson graduated from the Dalhousie University School of Law, becoming the first Black Nova Scotian to graduate with a degree in law.
1900-1969
1928: Madeline Symonds became the first Black woman to graduate from the Provincial Normal College, now the Nova Scotia Teacher's College.
1945: The Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NSAACP) - a social reform organization - was founded.
1946: Dr. Carrie Best begins publication of The Clarion, Nova Scotia's first Black newspaper.
1952: Sam Langford of Weymouth Falls is inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame. Langford is considered to be the "Greatest Champion that never was".
1954: Legal segregation of schools in Nova Scotia is ended.
1960: Rev. W.P. Oliver is chosen to serve as president of the United Baptist Convention of the Maritimes - the first Black to be so honoured.
1962: The City of Halifax approves a plan for the destruction of the community of Africville.
1964-1967: The community of Africville is destroyed by the city of Halifax.
1965: The Department of Education establishes a fund to help with the education of disadvantaged Blacks in Nova Scotia.
1966: Delmore " Buddy" Daye of Halifax is crowned Canadian Junior Lightweight Champion.
1967: Isaac Phils of Sydney becomes the first Black appointed to the Order of Canada.
1967: Haligonian Dave Downey wins the Canadian Middleweight Boxing title.
1967: The Inglewood Players, an all Black theatre company from the Annapolis Valley community of Inglewood, was founded and receives high praises for its first production "Coming Here To Stay".
1968: Delegates of the Black Panther Party visit the Black community of Halifax and create a stir in the province.
1968: A Black child is refused burial in a cemetery in Windsor, N.S. because of her colour - resulting in a protest in the Black community.
1968 -1969: The Black United Front of Nova Scotia, a provincial Black social reform organization, begins operation.
1969: The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission begins operation.
1969: Wayne Smith of Halifax begins a distinguished football career in the Canadian Football League when he is signed by the Ottawa Roughriders.
1970-1989
1971: Dr. George McCurdy of Amherstburg, Ontario is appointed Director of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.
1973-1974: Bill Riley of Amherst, N.S. becomes the third Black person to play in the National Hockey League. Bill Riley played for the Washington Capitals.
1973: Clyde Gray of Three Miles Plains is crowned the Commonwealth Welterweight Champion.
1974: Dr. Carrie Best of New Glasgow is appointed to the Order of Canada.
1974: The First Provincial Black Golf Tournament is held in Truro, Nova Scotia.
1976: Paula Fairfax of Dartmouth becomes the first Black to win the Miss Nova Scotia Beauty contest.
1979: Graham Downey of Halifax is appointed Deputy Mayor of Halifax.
1979: Jamaican born Trevor Berbick, fighting out of Halifax, is crowned the Canadian Heavyweight Champion.
1981: Rev. Joseph C. Mack of the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church is appointed to the Order of Canada.
1983: The Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia is opened.
1984: Daurene Lewis is elected Mayor of the town of Annapolis Royal. This is the first time in Canadian history that a Black woman is elected mayor of a town in Canada.
1986: Corrine Sparks of Lake Loon is appointed to a judgeship on the Provincial Bench of Nova Scotia, becoming the first Black Nova Scotian to be appointed to the bench.
1988: Raymond Downey of Halifax becomes the first Black Nova Scotian to win an Olympic medal (Bronze medal on Boxing).
1989: Dr. W.P. Oliver, noted Black educator, minister and political leader, dies in Halifax.
1990-2003
1990: Delmore "Buddy" Daye is appointed Sergeant-at-Arms for the House of Legislative Assembly. He is the first Black man in Canada to receive this appointment.
1991: The establishment of an Endowed Chair in Black Canadian Studies at Dalhousie University is announced. The Chair is later named the James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies after the first Black lawyer in Nova Scotia.
1991: Halifax Lawyer, Donald Oliver, Q.C., is appointed to the Canadian Senate by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, becoming the first Black Nova Scotian appointed to the Senate .
1992: Tyrone Williams of Halifax becomes the first Black Nova Scotian drafted by the National Football League. The Arizona Cardinals chose Williams in the Ninth round of the NFL Entry Draft. He was the 239th overall pick.
1992: George Boyd become the first Black anchor of a national news show, when he becomes an anchor on CBC Newsworld.
1993: The legislative seat of Preston is created. This riding includes the Black communities of Lake Loon-Cherrybrook, East Preston and North Preston, increasing the chance of a Black person being elected to the Nova Scotian legislature
1993: Wayne Adams is chosen the first Black member of the Nova Scotia Provincial Legislature. Mr. Adams won the legislative seat of Preston.
1994: Gordon Earle, ombudsman for the province of Manitoba is appointed Deputy Minister of Housing in the Province of Nova Scotia, making him a top ranked civil servant. He is the first Black Nova Scotia to be appointed to this position.
1994: The Black Learner’s Advisory Committee issues its final report on the state of education in the Black community of Nova Scotia
1996: The African Canadian Services Division is created as part of the Department of Education. The African Canadian Services Division was formerly know as the Black Learner’s Advisory Committee.
1996: The Canadian Historical Sites and Monuments Board places two monuments at the “Old Black Burial Ground” in Birchtown, honoring the Black Loyalists who lived there.
1996: The Nova Scotia Arts Council announces the creation of the Portia White Prize. Named after the famed singer, the Portia White Prize is awarded for artistic excellence by a Nova Scotian artist.
1996: The Black United Front closes its doors due to a lack of funding from the provincial government
1997: The African Nova Scotian Music Association holds its first annual awards presentation celebrating excellence in Black music in Nova Scotia
1998: Yvonne Atwell defeats Wayne Adams and becomes the MLA for Preston; the first Black woman to hold such a position in Nova Scotia.
1998: Calvin Ruck becomes the second Black Nova Scotian to be appointed to the Canadian Senate.
2000: Senator Calvin Ruck retires from the Canadian Senate.
2001: Dr. Carrie Best, Editor of The Clarion, the first Black newspaper in Nova Scotia, dies in New Glasgow.
2001: George Elliot Clarke wins the Governor General’s Award for Poetry. He is the first Black Canadian writer to win this prestigious award
2001: Halifax lawyers Burnley “ Rocky” Jones and Anne Derrick are ordered to pay $240,000 to a Halifax police officer for defamation alleging that they called the officer a racist when the officer strip searched three young Black girls at a local elementary school
2003: The verdict against Burnley “Rocky” Jones and Anne Derrick for defamation is overturned by the Supreme Court of Canada.
2003: Boxer Kirk Johnson wins a discrimination complaint against the Halifax Regional Police. The Nova Scotia Human Rights decision ruled that the Halifax Regional Police discriminated against Mr. Johnson when his vehicle was pulled over and seized in 1998. A cash settlement was also awarded to Mr. Johnson. The case is currently under appeal.
2004: Senator Calvin Ruck passes away at the age of 79. A Social Worker and Community Advocate, Senator Ruck was probably best known for his work as an author. His book on the No. 2 Construction Battalion helped to promote the untold story of the Black Canadian experience in the First World War.
2005: Michaelle Jean is appointed Governor General of Canada. She is the first African Canadian to be appointed the Queen's Representative
2006: Craig Smith was selected to serve as the President of the newly formed Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame,to be located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.
2006: Whitney Pier native Mayann Francis is appointed the Lieutenant Governor for the Province of Nova Scotia. She is the first African Nova Scotian appointed to the Vice Regal position.
------------------------
EDITORIAL: Jones was a people’s champion
July 30, 2013 - 5:18pm By THE CHRONICLE HERALD
Lawyer Burnley (Rocky) Jones, shown in his Halifax office in 2001, is remembered as a tireless human rights crusader. (PETER PARSONS/Staff)
The newspaper headlines over the years say it all: Education needs more funds, says Jones; Battle against racism far from over — Jones; Candidate (Jones) criticizes minimum wage level.
Where there has been racism, injustice and poverty in Nova Scotia, the strong, authoritative voice of Burnley (Rocky) Alan Jones has spoken up for people who sometimes could not speak for themselves.
His death Monday at age 71 leaves the African-Nova Scotian community and the larger social justice network without an eloquent and passionate spokesman.
Originally from Truro and born into a family that valued education, Mr. Jones cut a dashing but controversial figure as a young man who helped bring the Black Panthers movement to Canada.
He took African studies at Dalhousie University and worked for the Ontario government before returning to Nova Scotia, where he was a lecturer in Dal’s transition year program and worked in the civil rights movement.
Mr. Jones helped set up the Black United Front of Nova Scotia and university programs for African-Canadian and First Nations students. He received his law degree from Dalhousie University in 1992, worked for legal aid, then set up his own firm.
"I am known in a lot of areas as a bit of a fighter and I do love a good fight," he said in 1980 as he ran unsuccessfully for the provincial NDP in Halifax.
And fight he did, exposing racism in the justice system that neglected some victims and unfairly convicted others, pushing police to hire more black officers, denouncing the racism that played a part in the razing of Africville and condemning institutional racism that leaves too many African Nova Scotians unemployed, resulting in poverty and other social problems.
He received the Order of Nova Scotia in 2010 as "a fierce champion of racial equality and justice."
Earlier this year, Mr. Jones told members of the black community that, despite decades of racism and problems like the abuse of children at the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children, solutions were in its own hands.
"I really hope that this is the beginning of some momentum and change, that we’ll see new leadership of some of the younger people in our community," Mr. Jones said of a community development initiative. "I’ve been involved in the struggle for a long time."
During that long time, Jones called situations as he saw them, using strong language to describe the struggle against oppression. Those who knew him recall his personal warmth and engaging sense of humour.
The voice of Rocky Jones, whatever its tone, was always heard and respected. Its loss is a great one for his family, his community, for the province and for all those in society who strive for justice and equality.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/editorials/1145137-editorial-jones-was-a-people-s-champion
AND..
READER’S CORNER: So long, my friend
July 31, 2013 - 4:57pm
Rocky Jones has passed away. I have lost a very good friend. I first met Rocky when we were high school students at the Colchester County Academy in Truro. I remember him as a very gregarious person who was well-liked. While our skin colours were different, I always will remember Rocky as being accepted as the fantastic individual that he was. He was simply one of the guys.
When I went to university and worked in Halifax, I saw Rocky on many occasions. He was always the same friendly and wonderful person. Over the years, we’d share stories, remember and just laugh. While I hadn’t seen Rocky for some years, his death was shocking and recently I’d planned to visit to talk about old times. This letter will be my "so long."
As a social activist, Rocky undertook a noble mission. He embarked in areas that others would not and advanced his objectives with conviction. There is no doubt that Rocky’s inspirational and motivational input had a significant positive impact on many.
His legacy is yet to be written, but I am sure it will be multi-faceted. Perhaps the best person to write this would be his son, Augie Jones, who made Rocky so proud when he was a basketball star at St. F.X.
There were two sides of Rocky. One was the firm and emotional social activist, and the other was the very open, smiling, bright-eyed and laid-back person. People who did not experience the latter unfortunately missed an opportunity to know and associate with a person of great personal qualities. He was a very "real" man. So long, Rocky. I’ll always remember.
Bob Woodroffe, Kingston
AND....
When Rocky spoke, people listened and results followed
July 31, 2013 - 4:58pm By SHERRI BORDEN COLLEY
PHOTO
Librarian Tracey Jones and her father, activist Rocky Jones, talk in 1989 about their experiences growing up in predominantly white Nova Scotia. (CHRONICLE HERALD ARCHIVE)
"The eyes which have seen the mountains are not moved by valleys" — African proverb (Swahili)
When Burnley (Rocky) Jones saw mountains before him, he climbed them. And when he was forced into valleys, he was not shaken. Neither mountains nor valleys intimidated Rocky.
The overt discrimination he had experienced for the first time at age 12 in his hometown of Truro, when a pool hall manager had refused to let him play pool because he was black, prepared him for those mountains and valleys. That experience and many others led him to dedicate his life to fighting for human rights.
My 90-year-old father who, to this day, still refers to himself as "coloured," encountered similar racism. As a young man growing up in New Glasgow, he was unable to get his hair cut at barbershops, could not eat in white restaurants and was forced to sit in the upstairs section to watch a movie at the Roseland Theatre.
My dad rarely spoke of those painful experiences.
But, with consistent passion and determination for change, Rocky did. And he never wavered from speaking the truth, even if that meant rocking the boat.
Because of a common experience with racial discrimination, it was not difficult for me and others from marginalized communities across Nova Scotia to connect with Rocky.
He was a pioneer who fought for the rights of those who could not fight or could not speak for themselves.
When Rocky spoke, people listened and results followed. His words mattered.
"Rocky believed in justice, equity, and action," Patti Doyle-Bedwell, director of the Dalhousie University’s Transition Year Program (TYP) for black and native students, wrote in a Facebook post one day after Rocky’s July 29 death.
But at the same time, he often received harsh criticism from both the black and white communities for his sometimes controversial stances.
Rocky was not afraid of speaking out against racist establishments that continuously hindered disenfranchised people from advancing, even when it involved the government, the education system or police.
Archy Beals, a TYP alumnus, called Rocky "the voice of reason in an unreasonable world."
Commendably, Rocky was also just as willing to point out faults in his own community. Rocky spoke the truth about the black community, even when that truth was uncomfortable. I remember when I interviewed Rocky in March 2013 about a provincial black family meeting he organized. He spoke about our community being in crisis because of the legacy of sexual, physical and emotional abuse within our community, high prison rates and difficulties for black students in the educational system.
In a conversation I had with Rocky earlier this year, I remember him saying that he could not believe that, at his age, he was still in the struggle, fighting many of the same battles he had fought in past decades.
I, for one, am glad we had one of our most passionate voices and community elders still pounding the pavement in this struggle for access and equality. As a younger generation, we needed his wisdom and guidance.
Whenever I met Rocky on the street, he told me how proud he was of me for continuing to report stories about the African Nova Scotian community. With this type of encouragement and motivation coming from one of Nova Scotia’s most profound leaders, this was not a difficult task.
Through his example, Rocky taught me lessons that will resonate with me for a lifetime.
I was proud to call him one of my black leaders.
It was because of the vision of Rocky and a few other leaders in the black and Mi’kmaq communities back in 1970 in establishing the TYP — a one-year university access program at Dalhousie University for black and aboriginal students — that I was given the opportunity to pursue a four-year journalism degree at the University of King’s College in 1993. Prior to graduating from TYP, I had graduated from a radio and television broadcasting program at the Nova Scotia Community College. Still, I believed university was unattainable due to finances and other barriers.
Through TYP, a door I had thought would forever be closed was opened.
At the 40th anniversary of the TYP in November 2010, Rocky was presented with an honorary plaque for his contributions to the program. When he accepted, he was beyond humbled.
As he approached the podium, he was overcome with emotion as he looked out in the crowd and saw the fruits of his labour. Just before Rocky spoke, one by one, TYP alumni told about how they had gone on to become nurses, managers, lawyers, police officers, journalists, university professors and business owners all across Canada as a result of the opportunity TYP had provided them.
Again, Rocky’s vision four decades ago played a key role in that success.
TYP was just one of Rocky’s babies. He was also one of the founders of the Indigenous Blacks & Mi’kmaq law (IB & M) program at Dalhousie University. Again, this program has produced many fine lawyers.
And more recently, in 2011, Rocky helped establish the Ujamaa Association, a not-for-profit organization formed to address socioeconomic challenges, educational disadvantages and high incarceration rates among African Nova Scotians.
And right up until his final breath, he was fighting for the future development of the former St. Patrick’s-Alexandra School site in inner-city Halifax.
In fact, after Rocky fully retired from practising law, he often joked that he was busier now than he had been while running his own law firm. Community members, black inmates, universities, community leaders and reporters continued to call upon him.
He loved his community. And despite the racism he endured throughout his lifetime, he continued to love his province and his country. You, my friend, were a gift to Canada.
Thank you, Rocky, for setting an example through your activism, leadership, mentorship and generosity.
Examples have children. So, in honour of Rocky, let each one of us continue to carry the torch that he endlessly carried in his fight for social justice and equality.
Sherri Borden Colley is a staff reporter for The Chronicle Herald.
----------
Mass choir seeks choices for tribute
August 1, 2013 - 5:08pm By THE CHRONICLE HERALD
The Nova Scotia Mass Choir is seeking nominations for its honoree at The Dream Continues event in January 2014.
The Dream Continues, a tribute to Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., is presented annually in January.
At the event, the choir has recognized the contributions of Black Nova Scotians such as Portia White, Viola Desmond, African Nova Scotian Midwives, B.A. Husbands, Four the Moment, Rocky Jones, and others.
Nominations may be made via email to info@nsmasschoir.com
The multicultural Nova Scotia Mass Choir is an East Coast Music Award-winning choir that has recorded two CDs and hosted two seasons on national television.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/artslife/1145537-mass-choir-seeks-choices-for-tribute
Please confirm in what year Iona Hampden became Miss Halifax? The pricture cation reads:Halifax crowns first Black Princess 1960s. However, the imbedded title reads: Miss Halifax 1976, Iona Hampden, waves to the crowds watching the Halifax Natal Day Parade. Miss Hampden was guest of honour at a number of activities connected to the celebration of Halifax’s birthday.
ReplyDeleteThis is taken from the Chronicle Herald Halifax JSOBIZ... u r correct and I apologize.... will fix the edit- thank u.
ReplyDelete