Posted byWayves Volunteer 24/09/2013
By Hugo Dann, For Wayves
Evan Coole comes honestly by his activist principles, you might say they’re in his genes. With generations of Cape Breton coal miners involved in the struggle for workers’ rights, it’s part of his heritage. Evan, who combines his LGBTQ activism with his work in the labour movement, is one of the organizers behind Solidarity Halifax’s upcoming conference, A People’s History of Nova Scotia, and Wayves sat down with him to discuss it.
Hugo Dann: Tell us a bit about the conference, how did it come about?
Evan Coole: It’s been in the making for quite a while now. Jackie Barkley, an anti-racist activist, began having discussions with activists within the African-Nova Scotian community about the general lack of recognition of the struggles that led to some of the good things we have today. There’s this notion among many that human rights legislation, equity programs and labour laws just fell from the sky. We felt it was important that we began to explore, document and analyze the history of people’s movements for justice.
We come from the perspective that current activist leaders have to be the ones to do this. The history of the powerful is well documented and publicized. For instance, in Halifax we have statues of Samuel Cunard and Cornwallis but not people like Donald Marshall Jr and Jimmy Bell.
HD: Ah! Point taken! I may know a bit about Donald Marshall Jr., and his Supreme Court victory for Mi’kmaq treaty rights, but I have no idea of who Jimmy Bell was.
EC: He as president of the Marine Workers Federation and a union leader at the ship yards. He was a prolific voice for working people both inside and outside the labour movement.
So, we had hours of discussion around how we could address this, Probably the most important thing to come out of that was realization that history is always written by the victors. That can be true for progressive movements as well.
There is a need for those on the political Left and for oppressed peoples to remember our histories and share them. People’s liberation movements tend to ebb and flow. Knowing the details of when and how the upward swings took place is important to how the movement goes forward.
HD: As a queer activist, I can certainly see the value in that. I’ve always believed that LGBTQ Martimers have more in common with African, Acadian and other culturally marginalzed communities than what separates us. We certainly have common problems with education and access to services.
EC: Hopefully this conference can bridge some of those gaps.
HD: Can you tell me us bit more about your background, how you came to be involved with this?
EC: I grew up in Glace Bay. Both my great-grandfather and grandfather were coal miners. Both were active in the labour movement and socialist politics. My family took me to union demonstrations since before I could walk and talk.
I owe my political education to my family but my own political involvement really started with the invasion of Iraq in the early 2000s, as a student getting involved with the anti-war movement. From there, I got involved in student politics, the queer community, the anti-poverty movement and then back involved in labour.
Since moving to Halifax, I’ve been involved with ACORN, tenants’ rights, and the Barista’s Rise Up campaign.
HD: Solidarity Halifax seems like a good fit then Tell us a bit more about the A People’s History.
EC: It seems even more important in the light of the recent death of Rocky Jones. The conference is actually dedicated to his memory. His sister, Lynn Jones, is presenting on the longest peoples’ occupation In Canadian history. In the 1970s the federal government shut down the employment centre on Gottingen Street. It was a huge blow to the African Nova Scotian community, still trying to deal with its displacement (some might say deportation) from Africville. Staff and their clients and community organizers occupied the space for 122 days.
HD: And there’s a presentaion on Nova Scotia's queer history as well?
EC: Right. Chris Frazer. A history prof from St. F. X., is presenting about the early years of the LGBTQ movement, boycotts, and the first demonstrations.
HD: That will be fascinating. One of the things that Robim Metcalfe has always pointed out is the strong presence of women and working class people in the early movement in Halifax. We may have lost some of that along the way.
EC: Yes, and Chris will likely be talking about why social equity within the LGBTQ community has been such an uneven development.
St. FX history prof Chris Frazer is well known in Halifax as Drag Artist C. Leah Cruise. Frazer will be presenting on queer activism.
HD: Anything else you’d like to tell us about the conference?
EC: A People’s History of Nova Scotia will be an historic event in itself. We’ll be bringing together people who rarely share a stage to tell their stories. We’ll be providing space for people to discuss the future of movements against oppression and capitalism. I encourage anyone who wants to see the world become a different place to attend.
HD: Thanks for talking with Wayves about this!
The conference runs from Friday October 4 -5. Registratin has been extended to Oct 1. If you are interested in attending A People's History of Nova Scotia, follow this link to register.
Solidarity Halifax is a relatively new kid on the progressive block, having taken its first steps towards organizing in the wake of the social protests around the 2010 G8 Summit in Toronto and the Occupy movement in Nova Scotia. According to their website, they are organizing in Halifax "and across Nova Scotia to create space for respectful dialogue, debate, activism and education on alternatives to capitalism. Capitalism is an oppressive economic system that puts profits ahead of the needs of people and the planet. It is a system in which great wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of a few. To oppose capitalism is to demand something better for ourselves, our families, and our communities.
We are committed to:
- Building alternatives to capitalism
- Democratic, non-sectarian and pluralist politics
- Actively opposing all forms of discrimination and oppression
- Actively opposing all threats to the sustainability and health of our natural environment
- Creating a culture of solidarity.
Editor's Note: Hugo Danis a local activist, former Chair of Halifax Pride, a volunteer with Wayves, and sits on the Board of Directors for the Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project (NSRAP).
He would like to point out that any views he may expressed in writing this article are his own and do not represent the positions of any organization with which he may be involved. That said, he would very much like to see permanent, artistic memorials raised in Halifax to honour the historic contributions of Jimmy Bell, Donald Marshall Jr., and --for that matter, of Raymond Taavel.
