Weymouth Falls receives community spirit award alongside reunion celebration - Action News
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Nova Scotia

Weymouth Falls receives community spirit award alongside reunion celebration

The historic African Nova Scotian community of Weymouth Falls is receiving the Lieutenant Governor's Community Spirit Award. The award ceremony is coinciding with community's first reunion celebration since the pandemic began.

Reunion is the first since the pandemic began

A group of people are smiling on the steps of a building.
The Weymouth Falls homecoming began in 1995 and originally occurred every three years. This photograph is from the 1997 reunion. (Submitted by Shekara Grant)

On Saturday, the historic African Nova Scotian community of Weymouth Falls is receiving the Lieutenant Governor's Community Spirit Award.

Weymouth Falls was selected for the award in 2022, but the ceremony was delayed so it could happen alongside the community's biennial reunion celebrations the first since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Up to four Nova Scotian communities are chosen each year for the award, which celebrates their power,strength and diversity.

Weymouth Falls is my heart, it's my love, it's my home.- Marveline Clayton

Marveline Clayton was born in Weymouth Falls and submitted details about her life growing up there as part of the award process.

"Growing up everybody was one big family, one big community," Clayton said. "You hadfreedom to walk the roads, play games in the field, play ball on the corner."

She moved to Ontario in 1976 for better job prospects and to follow her older sister.

"Weymouth Falls is my heart, it's my love, it's my home," Clayton said. "No matter where I go, what I've done in my life, how many vacations I've been to around the world that's one of the best experiences of my life going back home."

Three people are smiling wearing formal, purple clothing. Two people are wearing necklaces and one is wearing a tie.
Marveline Clayton, right, with her children Roslyn Clayton, left, and Ryan Clayton. (Submitted by Shekara Grant)

She said that the Community Spirit Award gives her a sense of pride and feelings of joy.

"Someone's going to see it and hear it and know about it and spread the word that Weymouth Falls is a wonderfulbeautiful place to live in."

Last year, it was Clayton's niece Shekara Grant who submitted the community for the award.

Grant is an eighth-generation Black Loyalist and her grandmother is from Weymouth Falls.

"We have very, very deep roots there," she said.

A collage of two photos. On the left, a woman is smiling and wearing glasses and earrings. On the right two children are holding hands.
Shekara Grant has been attending the community's biennial reunions since she was a child, and is shown in the left photo and the right photo in red. (Submitted by Shekara Grant)

The community is one of over 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities and was established by Black Loyalists.

Grant said it was once a vibrant community, but started to deteriorate with a lack of opportunities and investment from the province.

"Despite this, every two years when we have the reunion, somehow a road that probably has a population of 50 becomes populated with almost a thousand people coming home, sharing stories and sharing their legacy," she said, adding that this story is why she nominated Weymouth Falls for the award.

Grant said the award symbolizes resilience, strength and a path forward for the community.

"Weymouth Falls is still here. We're not going anywhere," she said. "There's a lot of work being done in that community to attempt to rebuild it and hold on to that legacy."

The ceremony begins at 12:30 p.m. at the Weymouth Legion and will be followed by a car parade.

Weymouth Falls receives community spirit award alongside reunion celebration

1 year ago
Duration 3:17
The CBC's Amy Smith's interview with Shekara Grant. Grant is an eighth-generation Black Loyalist and says the Lieutenant Governor's Community Spirit Award symbolizes resilience, strength and a path forward for the community.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check outBeing Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of.You can read more stories here.

A banner of upturned fists, with the words 'Being Black in Canada'.

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