Today’s announcement (February 24, 2010) of an agreement between the Africville Genealogy Society and various governments will mark the culmination of a decades-long, sometimes seemingly endless and too often hopeless struggle.

The deal—like almost anything to do with Africville—will be controversial. But as we consider what it means, it is worth looking back at how long—and how hard—it has been to get to this point.

Over the years, I’ve done a number of stories and columns—not to mention a novel, Reparations—about the struggles of Africville’s former residents. Here are a few of them:

• Irvine Carvery’s a ‘born optimist’
• A 1994 profile of the former Africville resident who started the Afrciville Genealogy Society and launched the fight for recognition of the injustices done to them.
  
• Column on the Carvery sit in
• A May 1991 column about the Carvery brothers’ sit-in
• Seaview Park church replica will honor memory of Africville
  This Halifax Daily News column originally appeared on December 18, 1991. Incredibly, today’s settlement includes yet another promise to build the replica of the still unbuilt-church.
• Irvine, the UN and the Hotliners
• The local aftermath of the 2004 UN report on reparations.
• The compensation issue drags on
• The city attempts to pressure the Geneaology Society. A column from March 1995.
• Victor and Eddie’s excellent adventure
  Revisiting the story of Irvine’s brothers who staged a camp-in at the site of their old community to try and force the city to acjknowledge their grievances.
• An update on the eve of another Africville reunion
  From The Coast, July 27, 2006
• Yet another year… and still no church
  From The Daily News, July 26, 2007

If you’d like to know more about the real Africville, you may also want to check out these web sites, as well as the Africville Genealogy Society website.