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Dr. Harvey Amani Whitfield, a Â鶹´«Ã½ alum and expert in the history of slavery, recently returned to Halifax after 20 years to take up a new joint role at Â鶹´«Ã½ and the University of King’s College. 

Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, but raised in the Maryland/Washington, D.C. region, Dr. Whitfield returns as the Centennial Carnegie Chair in the History of Slavery in Canada at the University of King’s College and a professor of history at Â鶹´«Ã½.

Dr. Whitfield, who completed both a Master of Arts and PhD in History at Dal, spent 17 years at the University of Vermont and three years at the University of Calgary prior to his return. He specializes in research on Canadian and American slavery as well as general pre-1865 U.S. and Canadian history. 

This upcoming academic year, Dr. Whitfield will teach courses in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences covering topics including African Nova Scotian history, the rise and fall of the slave-holding republic, slavery and freedom in the Americas, and slavery and American political culture.

Dr. Whitfield has authored several books focusing on slavery, Black refugees and immigrants. His Biographical Dictionary of Enslaved Black People in the Maritimes won the . This award is dedicated to the best book in regional history, as well as to individuals or historical societies who have made significant contributions to local and regional history.

With the happening Friday (August 23), we asked Dr. Whitfield some questions to highlight the importance of this commemorative date. 

What are some aspects about the history of slavery in the Maritimes that Canadians might not fully realize or appreciate?

I would say how common slavery was throughout the region. Seeing enslaved Black people in Digby, Annapolis, Saint John, Shelburne or Charlottetown would not have been surprising to anyone in the late eighteenth century. Slavery existed throughout the British Empire in North America and the Caribbean, but Black people experienced bondage in divergent ways ranging from the sugar plantations of Jamaica or Barbados to the rocky and windswept shores of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Moreover, enslaved people were traded or moved with their owners from Virginia or New York to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI. So, it is important to understand enslaved Black people in the region as having connections with various British colonies throughout the Americas.  

Seeing enslaved Black people in Digby, Annapolis, Saint John, Shelburne or Charlottetown would not have been surprising to anyone in the late eighteenth century.

What are some ways that people can learn more? 

Well, the Nova Scotia Archives has a wonderful virtual exhibit about Black history with multiple sections on slavery including runaway advertisements from the Maritimes. The Provincial Archives in New Brunswick also has posted multiple documents related to slavery. There are several excellent articles about slavery in the Maritimes that were published in , which can be searched online. I have published a book entitled, Black Slavery in the Maritimes: A History in Documents, which provides a broad overview and several primary sources. I would also encourage people to read the reports on the history of slavery and racism at University of King’s College and Â鶹´«Ã½. 

What do you hope students take away from the courses you’ll be teaching in history, Canadian Studies, and Black and African Diaspora Studies during this upcoming academic year? 

I want them to understand that history and the experience of enslaved and free Black people is multifaceted and complex. Although there were common obstacles that most African Canadians faced, people had individual experiences that can sometimes defy easy categorization. Lastly, I want them to understand the importance of slavery to both Canadian and American history.