Corporate body

Black United Front of Nova Scotia

1968-1996

Black United Front, also known as The Black United Front of Nova Scotia or simply BUF, was a Black nationalist organization primarily based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Preceded by the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NSAACP), the BUF organization was founded by William Pearly Oliver and Burnley "Rocky" Jones, among others. It arose out of a meeting held on November 30, 1968, in Halifax to discuss the creation of an organization to act as an advocate and resource agency for the black community in Nova Scotia. An interim committee was established to secure funding. On August 15, 1969, the federal government announced its financial support, leading to the creation of the Black United Front (BUF). It was loosely based on the 10-point program of the Black Panther Party.

BUF did a lot to benefit the Black Nova Scotian community. The organization held discussions about employment, housing, and educational opportunities. The group also formed its community police force to keep hard drugs out of Halifax communities, prevent police brutality in communities of colour, and build a park for young children called the Tot-Lot. Additionally, they provided legal aid in the form of free legal advice and discounted or even free legal services to the Black community. The Black United Front reportedly "Shook up whites in Canada." It was one of the first advocates for a Black Cultural Centre (established in 1983) that promoted black culture and history via cable television programmes, black cultural expos, and black history month. It also conducted several demographic profiles of black communities to obtain little-known statistics on black populations. In late 1983, a funding crisis occurred when the provincial government withdrew its financial support due to what it considered to be funding irregularities. On October 10, 1984, funding was restored after an acceptable interim organization was created to restructure the organization. The reconstituted organization continued to promote earlier BUF objectives and paid greater attention to education and literacy, affirmative action, and the provision of legal services. By early 1996, however, negative media profiles, continuous underfunding, and a lack of accountability and government commitment led to the disbandment of the organization.