‘A son of Africville’: Africville Genealogy Society announces death of Eddie Carvery

Eddie Carvery, who protested the plight of Africville in Nova Scotia, has passed away.

The community of Africville is mourning the loss of longtime activist Eddie Carvery.

The Africville Genealogy Society announced Carvery’s death at the age of 79 on social media Sunday.

In its post, the society described Carvery as, “a son of Africville, whose presence, voice, and unwavering commitment became part of the living memory of our historic community.”

Africville was a thriving black community on the Bedford Basin dating back to 1848. It was bulldozed by the City of Halifax in the 1960s due to urban renewal.

Carvery fought for decades to protect his community and refused to leave. He lived in a small trailer near the rebuilt Africville church.

“Until justice is served, I’m going to be out there in Africville doing my protest,” Eddie Carvery told The Canadian Press in 2016. He was 70 at the time.

“I’ve been through heart attacks and Hepatitis C. I’ve seen the Ku Klux Klan. I’ve been chased out of Africville by the police ... Negative people used to come down and chased me out. They burnt my little place a couple times -- but I’m still there,” he said during the interview.

Journalist Jon Tattrie met Carvery at the Africville Reunion in 2008.

“He was driven out of this park so many times by the city, by other organizations, by racist people, fire bombs, shot, everything, and he would never, ever back down. He’d never quit. He believed in Africville more than he believed in himself,” said Tattrie.

Tattrie would go on to write Carvery’s biography.

“We became great friends. He came to my wedding and I would see him throughout the years. I would stop by all the time to check in on him. We did a lot of school visits, especially in the first few years and those were always amazing,” said Tattrie.

The Africville Genealogy Society noted that Carvery experienced the destruction of the community firsthand and that his life “was deeply intertwined with the story of Africville.”

“The Africville story is one of struggle and strength, a testament to community bonds that could not be erased by bulldozers or broken promises,” it continued. “Eddie’s presence at the site served as a powerful symbol of remembrance, reflection, and the ongoing call for justice, recognition, and healing.”

Russell Grosse, CEO if the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, says Carvery’s fight has not been forgotten.

“A good part of his legacy is how we live on with that and how we carry it forward, and we carry his memory forward as a reminder of the past of Africville, but also the adversity of the community and the perseverance,” said Grosse.

In the decades since Africville was destroyed, the city has offered an apology and the area has become a national historic site that has been recognized by UNESCO.

“Without his contributions, you might ask the question, would we be this knowledgeable about the story of Africville, you know, some years later,” said Grosse.

With files from The Canadian Press and Stephanie Tsicos

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