People's Acknowledgement
NSCAD acknowledges the historical and contemporary presence of people of African descent. We offer this People’s acknowledgement to recognize the solidarity between the Indigenous people of Turtle Island and African Nova Scotians in the efforts and deliberate intentions towards healing and equity. African Nova Scotians have existed and persisted on the traditional land of the Mi’kmaq for more than 400 hundred years. Their presence and contributions have shaped the existence of Nova Scotia. This acknowledgement brings with it a call to action to reconcile the harms acted upon African Nova Scotians, a distinct People and the Mi’kmaw People.
This page contains NSCAD University’s official People’s Acknowledgement and protocols outlining how to use it with intention, and in the spirit of respect, community, and reconciliation.
About the People's Acknowledgment
What is a People's Acknowledgement?
A People’s Acknowledgement is a formal statement that recognizes a distinct People whose historical and contemporary presence is tied to the land and to the systems that have shaped a place or institution. While land acknowledgements center Indigenous sovereignty and relationships to land, a People’s Acknowledgement names important communities—such as African Nova Scotians—whose histories are inseparable from colonization, enslavement, settlement, and nation-building in Canada. At NSCAD, the People’s Acknowledgement exists alongside and with the Land Acknowledgement. Together, they offer a fuller and more truthful account of the histories that shape our institution and our responsibilities within them.
At present, NSCAD has taken action on the following commitments related to the People’s Acknowledgment:
- Over $3,000 in dedicated scholarships and bursaries for African Nova Scotian students
- Regular closed BIPOC student socials in collaboration with the Treaty Space Gallery
- Celebrations and events during African Heritage Month that provide employment opportunities for Black students and facilitators, as well as complimentary admission to all Black and African Diasporic students to the Halifax Black Film Festival
- Collaboration with PREP Academy to provide resources and admissions support for high school students who identify as African Nova Scotian
Who developed and approved our People's Acknowledgement?
NSCAD’s People’s Acknowledgement was developed through institutional research and engagement with existing guidance, scholarship, and best practices related to African Nova Scotian acknowledgements. It was informed by publicly available resources developed by African Nova Scotian communities and allied institutions, as well as by NSCAD’s commitments to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
The acknowledgement reflects NSCAD’s responsibility as an institution to approach this work with humility, care, and an understanding that acknowledgement is not static. It is intended to evolve over time as relationships deepen, and community guidance continues to shape institutional practice.
Rationale and need
African Nova Scotians are a distinct People with more than four centuries of continuous presence in what is now Nova Scotia. Their history includes enslavement, segregation, land theft, environmental racism, forced displacement, and persistent structural inequities—many of which were upheld or enabled by public institutions.
Historically, African Nova Scotian presence and contributions have often been minimized, erased, or treated as peripheral within institutional narratives. A People’s Acknowledgement responds to this erasure by explicitly naming African Nova Scotians, situating their experiences within broader histories of colonization, and affirming institutional responsibility.
African Nova Scotian communities have also made profound and enduring contributions to this region, including in the areas of arts, culture, knowledge-making, labour, and community leadership. African Nova Scotian artists, storytellers, musicians, educators, and cultural workers have shaped Nova Scotia’s creative landscape, preserved community histories, and generated forms of expression rooted in resilience, resistance, and collective care. These contributions continue to influence contemporary artistic practice and cultural life locally and nationally.
For NSCAD, this acknowledgement is particularly necessary given the university’s location, public role, and influence within cultural production, education, and public discourse. Recognizing African Nova Scotian presence and contribution aligns directly with NSCAD’s mandate as an art and design institution and affirms the importance of Black creative practices, histories, and futures within our learning environment. It signals a commitment not only to recognition, but to accountability and action.
Protocols
How to use the NSCAD People's Acknowledgement
The People’s Acknowledgement should be used with intention and care. It is not a symbolic gesture, but a practice grounded in responsibility.
When to Use It
- At institutional events, ceremonies, public talks, and gatherings
- In formal publications or communications where a Land Acknowledgement is also used
- At moments where NSCAD is representing itself publicly as an institution
How to Use It
- The People’s Acknowledgement should be offered alongside, not instead of, the Land Acknowledgement
- Speakers should take time to read it slowly and thoughtfully, rather than treating it as a script to rush through
- Where possible, speakers are encouraged to reflect briefly on its meaning and their role within it
What It Requires Using this acknowledgement carries responsibility. It calls on members of the NSCAD community to:
- Engage in ongoing learning about African Nova Scotian histories and realities
- Support actions that address systemic anti-Black racism within the institution
- Build and sustain relationships with African Nova Scotian communities grounded in respect and reciprocity
Without action, acknowledgement risks becoming performative. NSCAD affirms that this People’s Acknowledgement is one part of a broader, ongoing commitment to justice, repair, and decolonization.