Provincial Democracy

With the now long-held tradition of seeing African Nova Scotians participating in municipal politics dating back to the late 1880's, the road to provincial acceptance by the voting public was opened but took a little longer to traverse.

For 235 years the Nova Scotia Legislature was without an African Nova Scotian member. In 1992, something happened that helped to change the racial composition of the Legislative Assembly, when the Nova Scotia Government created the electoral riding of Preston which includes the black communities of Cherry Brook,/Lake Loon, and East and North Preston. These new boundaries allowed for a larger concentration of the black vote within the Preston area.

As a result, on May 25, 1993, Liberal Party candidate , Wayne Adams was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the riding of Preston. Three years after Adams’ historic election, East Preston native and fellow African Nova Scotian Yvonne Atwell became the first African Nova Scotian female to be elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.

Dr. Wayne Adams

Yvonne Atwell

Although other black Nova Scotians have run for provincial seats other than the Preston riding, it wasn't’t until 2006, that African Nova Scotian Percy Paris would win the riding of Waverley - Fall River - Beaver Bank. This was the first time that we would see an African Nova Scotian MLA representing a predominately white riding. Paris, like Adams and Atwell before him, found himself the lone black member of the Provincial Legislative Assembly.

Percy Paris

For more information be sure to visit the full exhibit at the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia.