Mapping Racial Construction in North American Urban Landscapes JAMES C

27 Architecture in an Expanded Field, from Interiors to Landscapes

Periphractic Space: Mapping Racial Construction in North American Urban Landscapes JAMES C. FORREN Dalhousie University

In Razing Africville Jennifer Nelson (2008) describes actions taken by the City of Halifax, Nova Scotia to isolate the community of Africville – African-Nova Scotians forcibly relocated in the late 1960s. The city encircled Africville with land purchases used for an infectious disease hospital and city dump among other noxious services, creating a targeted space of neglect. This common activity in North American cities constructs ideas of race by penning-in communities. It geographically restricts their movement and access to services and isolates them in the civic imagination: a condition identified by Theo Goldberg in Racist Culture (1993) as periphractic space. Rather than separating populations, however, this circumference of isolation actually facilitates activities of transgression, defilement, and return by dominant groups: a pattern of asymmetric exchange. As communities and their borders evolve over time the response of insurgent groups for greater social and political incorporation challenges and weakens the conscriptions of the periphractic boundary.

Through a method of mapping which incorporates social and technical instruments like timelines, oral histories, city reports, archived surveys, and GPS data this paper traces the penning- in of African-Nova Scotian owned properties and the ensuing tug of war for land ownership between the dominant and insurgent populations of Halifax. This process synthesizes fragmented sources, visualizing the progression of this particular urban geography and enabling us to empirically test Goldberg’s thesis of periphractic exclusion and uncover patterns of activity which resist it. The outcomes of the research support the design of an interpretive landscape program , the Africville Walk, undertaken in partnership with the Africville Museum. The Ethical Imperative 28

Periphractic Space: Mapping Racial Construction in

North American Urban Landscapes Peripheral Periphractic Exclusion Exclusion

Skinner’s Well Periphractic Timeline

pi Sheila Pelly, councillor for Lincolnville, Sunnyville E GE D RIDG s Lincolnville Environmental Racism Protest BRI B Y and Upper Big Tracadie, said the dump has been a KA KAY AY MAC R UR M Ho . . MURRAY MAC controversial issue in the area. But she laconically A A

ase sums up the situation: “It has to be put somewhere.” SLAUG

se H

e TER HOU TULLY SE

ant BROWN AFRICVILLE PARK Pl 8 NEGRO POINT

s Dis

rho

e GHT & POWER S. LI D D e N. LTD. A OA t O R ANY LE R LE Joe ROAD COMP VIL VIL z IC IC

um R SCHOOL AFR AF i CAMPBELL ST PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

tiou

l HOUSE

D gh

i on Skinner c

t 7 u s

e Infectious Disease Hospital T ET r EE E i TR STR f S ty DIXON N N GOTTING TO GTO r G e la IN RIN RR AR n A EN STRE B B

F S P I Ci C ET AY W IL T A FERGUSON E R E . Y Y R GOTTINGEN STREET A A L T .R A S W I .N LW IL N N C I A O O A L T N R R O G IO L L C N S A A R I I N E V N O T BROWN RR I IO I A D T T

8 6 0 0 N I B B A A U N N S D N N

4 0 5 A 1 A KENC K R HER MAJESTY I RE I ENCRE O D ST AVE D SEAVIEW LOOKOFF PARK ST AVENU F A NUE A WAY D N HWAY N H E 8 9 9 0 E THE QUEEN A A B C C IG L HIG L H IA 1 1 1 2 . IA T R AD . NOV EN NOVAL R N RENT E . A F C LEA NEWBERY STREET M EA NEWBERY STREET G DRI RIDGE RO DRI N H V I CIRCUMFE TH RIDGE ROAD VE CIRCU T E D R I O OR N N l S e S v Y S Le E ENTINEL NTIN tric R me CITY OF HALIFAX O zo T HOUSE EL SQUARE Pie C W S A QUARE F INVIE N BAS RT O T COU COURT T M O C A STONEHAM STONEHA

The illustration opposite shows an artesian well MERV SULLIVAN PARK MERV SULLIVAN PARK 10 meters LONGARD STREET CITY OF HALIFAX Artesian Well drilled into a confined aquifer, and a water table well.

The Piezometric surface in the confined aquifer is the HOSPITAL ALBERT STREET level at which the water contained therein will rise Confined Aquifer CITY OF HALIFAX when accessed with an artesian well. (Government of ISON R Y P RO CIT BI 6 E STRE Canada n.d.) ET

MEMORIAL DRIVE LE LE AM AMA AN N ST S E TRE RET T RIVE

L DRIV

ORI

IEW DRIVE

MEM MEMORIAL V

N NVIEW DRIVE

SI NSCC INSTITUTE OF NSCC INSTITUTE OF

Image Credits: 1. Author Unknown (Clairmont 2010, p 19); 2. Nova Scotia BASI BA Recognizing an environmental crisis in his community in the mid-1900s, Joe Skinner dug an artesian TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS Archives/Bob Brooks (Canadian Press 2018); 3. Author Unknown (Clairmont well to a confined aquifer beneath the granite bedrock of the Halifax peninsula. Decades of contamina- 2010, p 58-59); 4. Nova Scotia Archives/Bob Brooks (Chronicle Herald “Turning”

HIGHL HIG 2018); 5. Halifax Regional Municipality Archives (HMA 102-16N-0065.H); 6. Author H AND LA tion from sewage and outflow from an up-hill infectious disease hospital made the water table wells ND AVEN AVENUE Unknown (Government of Canada 2018); 7. Halifax Chronicle (Tim U which the community relied upon undrinkable. Despite numerous community and municipal petitions E Krochak/Staﬀ/File) (Chronicle Herald “Environmental” 2018); 8. Photographs ROBIE STREET RO B RO Exclusion EET ROS IE R SE EMEAD ST STREET M REE E Collection, Nova Scotia Archives (Clairmont 2010, p 77). T ADE AVEN E the city council repeatedly denited requests to provide the tax-paying community with municipal water. LEEDS ST AVENU LEEDS U E E

HIG HIGH STREE H STREET T INCINERATOR ABATTOIR B BRIGHT ST RIGHT ST

5 althought there were homes the city laid claim to lands althought there were homes the city laidREET claim to lands REE lands purchased surrounding T AVENUE

show homes show homes ODBINE RIVE RIVE show purchasing boundaries D WO WOODBINE AVENUE ORMANDY D land under dispute just prior to relocation just prior to relocation NORMANDY N IDGE DGE show staked homes AY BR ACKAY BRI MACK Y Y M a portion of what was called africville STREET STREET R TE TER A. MURRA HILLSIDE AVENUE A. MURRA FORRESTER STREET HILLSIDE AVENUE FORRES FORRES

leased properties ??? from city REET ST STREET ET E MACK YNE SLAUGH MACKINTOSH BA MAC BAYN INTOSH STREET KINTOSH STREET TER HOUSE BAYNE STRE MASSACHUSETT MASS TULLY STREE ACH T USETTS AVENUE S AV LADY HAMMOND ROAD LADY HAMMOND ROAD ENUE BROWN NEGRO POINT AFRICVILLE PARK

D D N.S. LIGHT & POWER OA ROA LE R LE COMPANY LTD. VIL VIL IC RIC SCHOOL C AFR AF CAMPBELL ROAD ST PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH HOUSE i 4 Contaminated Water Table Wells t y ET EET TRE TR S N S DIXON GOTTINGEN STREET W TON TO ING ING RR RR A BA a B A t AY W er IDGE IL T A FERGUSON E BR R E . Y Y Y R GOTTINGEN STREET A A L T .R KAY BRIDGE A S W W I .N L IL AC N I M MACKA N C A Y O O Main A AY L T N R R RA R O G IO L L R C N S A A R I N N MU MUR E RI V O A. A. T BROWN R I IO I N A D T T I B B A A U N N S N D N A KENC R HER MAJESTY IA KENCREST I RE O D Y AVE D SEAVIEW LOOKOFF PARK ST AVENUE F A NU A WAY D THE QUEEN SLAUGHTER H N E N H E A A G B C C OUSE . TULLY R NTIAL HI AD . NO E NOVALEA DRIVE .N VALEA DRIVE C GE RO NEWBERY STREET ID NEW G BROWN N B I CIRCUMFERENTIAL HIGHWA NEGRO POINT CIRCUMFER ERY S AFRICVILLE PARK D RTH R I S NORTH RIDGE ROAD NO TR SENT Y E SENT EET R S INEL I CITY OF HALIFAX “The city failedO to act on a School Board suggestion in NEL SQUARE T D N.S. LIGHT & POWER OAD OA C SQUARE E R LE R A ILL IL F COMPANY LTD. V CV IC RI SCHOOL AFR AF N BASINVIEW HOU ST PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH O CAMPBELL ROAD T HOUSE the summer T of 1944 that the school at Africville, a O C T STONEHAM COURT T STONEHAM COURT EE REE STR ST DIXON N ON GOTTING GTO GT RIN RIN community otherwise dependent upon wells, be sup- AR AR EN B B 3 STREET AY W IL T A FERGUSON E plied with mains water. A 6-inch main from the Quar- E Y R . Y R GOTTINGEN STREET A A L T .R MERV SULLIVAN PARK MERV SULLIVAN PARK A S W I .N LW IL N N C I A LONGARD STREET O O A CITY OF HALIFAX L T N R R O G IO L L C N A R IS A N E V N O T BROWN RRI I IO I 23 N A D T T antine Hospital on theI hill above would have cost B B A A U N N S D N N R HER MAJESTY IA KENCRES IA KENCREST AVENUE O D D F A AY T AVENUE A SEAVIEW LOOKOFF PARK 7 D N W N E THE QUEEN A 0 HOSPITAL ALBERT STREET A B C HIGH C HIGHWAY L 5 $8,000 to $13,000 and a summer-only surface pipe IAL . D D R . NO ENTIA NOVA m .N ERENT VALE E ROA 5 C F G LE DGE ROA A D NEW A DR NE G CUM RIVE RID W N R H IVE BE I CI BE CIRCUMFER T D RY STREET RY I OR S f e $1,000. After much equivocating, the City Works S NORTH RI N T S REET Y SE EN e NTINE R TI t CITY OF HALIFAX O NE T L S L CITY OF HALIFAX C W HOUSE S IE Q Q e e A U U F A ARE RE T N BASINV RT Committee, uncertain about the post-war future of O t r $1,000 T OU COUR C T M M ROBIE STREET O A s CITY PRISON C NEH Africville, balked at the “large expenditure for the STONEHA STO

purpose of extending sewer and water mains ... if the MERV SULLIVAN PARK MERV SULLIVAN PARK MEMORIAL DRIVE LO CITY OF HALIFAX LEAMAN STRET LE NGARD STREET AMAN STRET

T area is to be used for a diﬀerent purpose in the future. EE

HOSPITAL ALBERT STR 2 (Naftel p. 222).” MEMORIAL DRIVE MEMORIAL DRIVE NSCC INSTITUTE OF NSCC INSTITUTE OF

BASINVIEW DRIVE BASINVIEW DRIVE TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS CITY OF HALIFAX

ROBIE STRE CITY PRISON

RIVE HI H GHLAND AVENUE IGHLAND AVENUE

ORIAL D

M LEAMAN STRET LEA MAN STRET

VE IVE I ROBIE STREET ROBIE S R DR ROSEMEADE AVENUE ROSEMEADE AVENUE E IAL

DRIVE TREET

MORIAL D Integration W Incorporation LEEDS STREET MEMO LEEDS STREET ME NSCC INSTITUTE OF NSCC INSTITUTE OF

BASINVIEW DRIV BASINVIE TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS Skinner’s Well HIGH STREET HIGH ST A RE ET HI HIG GHLAN HLAN D D AVENUE AVEN INCINERATOR UE ers ABATTOIR Schoolhouse et C B BRIGHT STREET BRIGHT STREET m ROBIE STREET ROBIE 0 ROSEM ET R OSEME 39 STREE althought there were homes the city laid claim to lands althought there were homes the city laid claim to lands STREET EADE A T EEDS STRE DE AVEN lands purchased surrounding LEEDS AVENUE L t UE 1280 fee C Infectious Disease Hospital show homes show homes HIGH STREET H IGH WOODBINE AVENUE WOODBINE AVENUE ST show purchasing boundaries RE land under dispute ET References: The Canadian Press. “Africville Timeline.” Accessed January 10, 2018. http://cponline.thecanadianpress.com/graphics/2014/africville/index.html.; The NORMANDY DRIVE NORMANDY DRIVE just prior to relocation INCINERATORjust prior to relocation ABATTOIR Chronicle Herald. “Herald Lifestyles: Turning Points: The Razing of Africville an epic failure in urban community renewal.” Accessed January 10, 2018. http://thechroni- BRIGHT STREET BRIGHT STREE althought there were homes the city laid claim to lands althought there were homes the city laid claim to lands show staked homes cleherald.ca/thenovascotian/1521817-turning-points-the-razing-of-africville-an-epic-failure-in-urban-community-re; The landsChronicle purchased Herald. surrounding “Environmental racism T a portion of what was called africville NUE AVENUE focus of project.” Accessed January 10, 2018. http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1158234-environmental-racism-focus-of-project; Clairmont, D. H. J., & AVE INE AVENUE show homes show homes VE ODB HILLSIDE AVENUE IVE O HILLSIDE FORRESTER STREET WOODBINE DR W show purchasing boundaries FORRESTER STREET FORRESTER STREET Africville, G. S. (2010). The spirit of africville (2nd ed.. ed.). Halifax, N.S. : Formac Pub.; Government of Canada. “Water sources: groundwater.” Accessed January 10, 2018. MANDY land under dispute Schoolhouse leased properties ??? from city just prior to relocation just prior to relocationEET NORMANDY DRI NOR MACKINTOSH STREET https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/water-overview/sources/groundwater.html.; Halifax Regional Municipality. “Municipal Archives: MACKINTOSH STREET MACKINTOSH STREET BAYNE STR BAYNE STREET show staked homes BAYNE STREET MASSACHUSETT MASS EET R Remembering Africville: Source Guide.” Accessed January 10, 2018. https://www.halifax.ca/about-halifax/municipal-archives/source-guides/africville-sources.; ACHUSETTS AVENUE T a portion of what was called africville STREET S E AD R LADY HAMMOND RO E LADY HAMMOND ROAD VENU S AV STER SIDE A ENU RE HILL HILLSIDE AVENUE B FORRESTER STREET RREST Naftel, W. (2008). Halifax at war : Searchlights, squadrons and submarines, 1939-1945. Halifax, N.S.: Formac Pub. E FOR FO

T ET 10 M EE leased properties ??? from city TR

MAC AYNE S 1 MA B MAC BAYNE STRE KINTOSH S CKINTOS KINT BAYNE STREET MASSA OSH ST MASSACHUSETT TREET References: Canada’s Human Rights History. “Africville.” Accessed H STREETJanuary 10, 2018. https://historyofrights.ca/encyclopaedia/- R CHUSETTS AVENUE EE LADY HAMMOND ROAD T LADY HAMMOND ROAD main-events/africville/; The Canadian Press. “Africville Timeline.” Accessed January 10, 2018. http://cponline.thecanadian- S AVENUE press.com/graphics/2014/africville/index.html.; The Chronicle Herald. “Herald Lifestyles: Turning Points: The Razing of Africville an Skinner’s Well traces a gruesome act of environmental racism and the incorporative resistance to this act by a resident of the community. Contaminating the Periphractic Timelineepic failureconducts in urban community an empiricalrenewal.” Accessed studyJanuary 10, 2018.of http://thechronicleherald.ca/thenovascotian/1521817-turnland ownership patterns in and- around Africville ground water with runof from an infectious disease hospital, the City of Halifax refused municipal water service to the community, even at the low price of $1,000. to illustrate the geographicing-points-the-razing-of-africville-an-epic-failure-in-urban-community-re; operation of periphractic exclusion Clairmont, D. H. J.,in & Africville,North G. S. American(2010). The spirit of cities. The patterns Joe Skinner dug an artesian well which became the community’s only means of fresh water supply. demonstrate Goldberg’s thesis of Exclusion (the isolation of communities), Integration (their forced dispersal by a dominant class), and Incorporation (the shift in values, culture, and ownership as communities demand civic rpresentation). Carvery Map

Finally the relocation itself Reception at Community Eddie Carvery returned to ended on a sour note when Hall to celebrate the return Africville after being expropriation threats and of Africville’s WW II veter- displaced as a child. To intimidation were used get ans (Clairmont 2010). this day he maintains his the last resident, “Pa” Hattie Carvery, back row, residence there, an act of Carvery, to come to terms sixth from the right. ongoing defiance against (Clairmont 2010). the state-sponsored powers which dismantled his community. Son of Hattie, brother to Irvine.

1 2 3 4 5

Pa Carvery Son of Hattie Carvery, brother of Eddie. Resident displaced at 15. President of Africville Geneaology Reginald Carvery Society.

Irvine Carvery Hattie Carvery

Herb Carvery George Carvery

Fred Carvery Eddie Carvery

Jack Carvery

Pucy Carvery

John Carvery

Rifbed Carvery

M. Viola Carvery

1878 1916 1950 2012 10 M 10 M 10 M 10 M

Image Credits: 1. Halifax Chronicle Herald Archives (Clairmont 2010, p 75); 2. Unknown (Clairmont 2010, p 21); 3. Photo by Clara Adams (Clairmont 2010, p 46-47); 4. The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan (Toronto City News 2018); 5. Author Unknown (OpenFile Halifax 2018); 6. Photo by Donna James (Clairmont 2010, p 87) References: OpenFile Halifax. “OpenFile Halifax.” Accessed January 10, 2018. http://openfilehfx.tumblr.com/; Toronto City News. “Timeline of Africville's history in Halifax.” Accessed January 10, 2018. http://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/11/30/timeline-of-africvilles-history-in-halifax/.; Clairmont, D. H. J., & Africville, G. S. (2010). The spirit of africville (2nd ed.. ed.). Halifax, N.S. : Formac Pub. Kinship ties have been a crucial identifier for the Africville community, and people still introduce themselves by their family connections. Carvery Map traces the ties of the Carvery family, a central house whose members include the last relocated resident, Pa Carvery; a former resident squatting in protest for the last twenty five years, Eddie; and the president of the Africville Genealogical Society, Irvine, Eddie’s younger brother. The map is a prototype for other significant families such as the Howe’s and the Brown’s, showing the significance of these ties through space and time and the damage wrought by their rupture through “Integration.” Blank spaces mark homes yet to be identified through conversations with former community members, whereby the map operates as an ongoing instrument of community engagement.

In Razing Africville Jennifer Nelson (2008) describes actions taken by the City and political incorporation challenges and weakens the conscriptions of the Dan Dixon’s Back Door of Halifax, Nova Scotia to isolate the community of Africville – African-Nova periphractic boundary. Scotians forcibly relocated in the late 1960s. The city encircled Africville with Through a method of mapping which incorporates social and technical Skinner’s Well land purchases used for an infectious disease hospital and city dump among Old School instruments like timelines, oral histories, city reports, archived surveys, and House Pavillion other noxious services, creating a targeted space of neglect. This common GPS data this paper traces the penning-in of African-Nova Scotian owned activity in North American cities constructs ideas of race by penning-in properties and the ensuing tug of war for land ownership between the Bedford Basin communities. It geographically restricts their movement and access to dominant and insurgent populations of Halifax. This process synthesizes Baptismal services and isolates them in the civic imagination: a condition identified fragmented sources, visualizing the progression of this particular urban Backyard Gardens by Theo Goldberg in Racist Culture (1993) as periphractic space. Rather than geography and enabling us to empirically test Goldberg’s thesis of Foundation Gardens separating populations, however, this circumference of isolation actually periphractic exclusion and uncover patterns of activity which resist it. The facilitates activities of transgression, defilement, and return by dominant outcomes of the research support the design of an interpretive landscape 19681968 sshorelinehoreline

Former sewagsewage groups: a pattern of asymmetric exchange. As communities and their program, the Africville Walk, undertaken in partnership with the Africville outlet frfromom HHalifalifaaxx Infirmary AfricvilleAfricville MMuseumuseum borders evolve over time the response of insurgent groups for greater social Museum (Forren 2017). (rec(reconstructed Seaview BaBaptistptist ChurcChurch)h) The Canadian Press. “Africville Timeline.” Accessed January 10, 2018. http://cponline.thecanadianpress.com/graphics/2014/africville/index.html.; The Chronicle Herald. “Environmental racism focus of project.” Accessed January 10, 2018. http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1158234-environmental-racism-focus-of-project; The Chronicle Herald. “Herald Lifestyles: Turning Points: The Razing of Africville an epic failure in urban community renewal.” Accessed January 10, 2018. http://thechronicleherald.ca/thenovascotian/1521817-turning-points-the-razing-of-africville-an-epic-failure-in-urban-community-re; Clairmont, D. H., & Magill, D. W. (1971). Africville relocation report Dalhousie University. Institute of Public Afairs.; Clairmont, Donald H. J., and Africville Genealogy Society. The Spirit of Africville. 2nd ed. Halifax, N.S.: Formac Pub., 2010.; Forren, J. (2017). “A Walk in Africville: Visibility Strategies in Contested Heritage Landscapes.” In Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit”: 105th ACSA Annual Meeting, Detroit, MI Project Proceedings. Luis Francisco Rico-Gutierrez N and Martha Thorne, ed. New York: ACSA Press, 146-147.; Goldberg, D. (1993). Racist culture : Philosophy and the politics of meaning. Cambridge, Mass.: Blackwell.; Government of Canada (n.d.). Environment and Climate Change Canada. Groundwater. Retrieved from https://www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.asp?lang=En&n=300688DC-1; Halifax Regional Municipality. “Municipal Archives: Remembering Africville: Source Guide.” Accessed January 10, 2018. https://www.halifax.ca/about-halifax/municipal-archives/source-guides/africville-sources.; Naftel, W. (2008). Halifax at war : Searchlights, squadrons and submarines, 1939-1945. Halifax, The Africville Walk, schematic design (Forren 2017). N.S.: Formac Pub.; Nelson, J. J. (. J. (2008). Razing africville a geography of racism. Toronto: Bufalo: University of Toronto Press.