The black community in Halifax is deeply divided over the hiring of a white woman to be the new executive director of the Africville Heritage Trust.
Some say the decision smacks of an old-fashioned paternalistic attitude toward black Nova Scotians, but the woman who was hired to do the job was told race wouldn't be an issue, and she says she is saddened by the reaction.
"It's disappointing, but understandable," says Rev. Carol Nixon, an Anglican priest and the new executive director. "Can I see the place that the people who raised this as a question are coming from? Yes I can."
A replica of the original Africville Baptist Church is being built near the original site in the north end of Halifax, and the Africville Heritage Trust hoped the project would help to unify the black community. But now the board of the organization itself has become a divisive issue.
"There's also been a history where something is set up for the black community, but it's never run by the black community," says Carol Alward, a prominent member of the black community and a former law professor at Dalhousie University. "We generally have no input."
Rocky Jones, a member of the Africville Genealogical Society, says the board has missed the point of the organization by hiring Nixon.
"You would not ever put a man in charge of a woman's organization," says Jones. "However, people find it totally acceptable to put a white woman in charge of a black organization."
Nixon says she is surprised the issue has only become public now, almost three months after she started the job. She's also surprised by the reaction because she was told during interviews that black members of the board insisted that race was not considered to be a factor in the hiring process.
"They made it extremely clear to the white people on the board that they wanted to hire the best person for the job, and it didn't matter whether they were black, or whatever," she explains.
Despite the outcry from some members of the black community, Nixon says she still sees the job as her calling, and is glad she has the support of the Heritage Trust Board. She also says she has no intention of resigning over the issue.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ron Shaw
