Unpacking the Forum’s Core: Capacity Building and Community Engagement ft. Shekara Grant & Andrea Davis.

by Itai Kuwodza

The co-first discussion of the forum celebrated our community leaders working to preserve and build their respective communities' capacity. As a result, there were informative deep dives into the twists and turns of Black community-centred capacity building. Shekara Grant and Andrea Davis served as our guides through this dive as they led us through the work behind building a grassroots project and turning it into permanent institutional features.

Shekara and Andrea highlight, these are valuable notes, as this is how we acknowledge past injustices, such as racism, and map out the community's future. The spotlight was also on the urgent desire within the community to see their sacred and public (historical and present) spaces—churches, community centres, and more—preserved through innovative structures like community land trusts. This approach aims to protect these spaces and preserve the existence of the Black community in Nova Scotia.

Shekara and Andrea acknowledge that as Black communities work towards cultural preservation and capacity building, they must engage with community elders and experts and, most importantly, pay them for their invaluable contributions. This leads us to the necessity of intentional financial support in capacity-building efforts, stressing that authentic community engagement and empowerment cannot be achieved without addressing financial barriers. There is so much to unpack in this episode and so much to look forward to, especially an intriguing discussion of the Black United Front and its impact in Nova Scotia!