Black United Front facts for kids

The Black United Front, also known as The Black United Front of Nova Scotia or simply BUF, was an important organization for Black people in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was formed in 1965 during a time when people were fighting for equal rights, like the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

The BUF was started by leaders like William Pearly Oliver and Burnley "Rocky" Jones. It was inspired by the ideas of the Black Panther Party, which had a "Ten Point Program" outlining their goals. In 1968, a famous civil rights leader named Stokely Carmichael, who was known for saying "Black Power!", even visited Nova Scotia to help organize the BUF. The organization worked hard for the community until 1996.

The Black United Front made many positive changes for Black Nova Scotians. They held meetings to talk about important issues like getting jobs, finding good homes, and improving education. They even created their own community police group to help prevent unfair treatment by police in Black neighborhoods. They also built a park for young children called the Tot-Lot. The BUF also offered free or low-cost legal help to the Black community. Their work had a big impact and challenged the way things were in Canada.

Important People

Many dedicated people were part of the Black United Front. Here are a few:

• Burnley "Rocky" Jones
• Yvonne Atwell was a member and later served as the president of the Black United Front for many years.
• Buddy Daye

The BUF also helped fund the "Upfront Television Program" from 1986 to 1989, which was hosted and produced by members.

Their Goals: The Ten Point Program

The Black United Front's goals were based on a "Ten Point Program." These points showed what the organization wanted for Black people and other groups facing unfair treatment. Here are their main goals:

1. We want freedom. We want to be able to guide the future of Black and other communities that are treated unfairly.
2. We want everyone in our community to have jobs.
3. We want an end to businesses unfairly taking money from our Black and other communities.
4. We want good homes where people can live safely.
5. We want excellent education for all people. We also want an education that teaches us our true history and our role in today's world.
6. We want our community to be healthy and to use the free health care available in this country.
7. We want an immediate stop to police brutality and the killing of Black people, other people of color, and all people who are treated unfairly.
8. We want an immediate end to all wars.
9. We want fair rights for all Black people and others who are held in prisons and jails.
10. We want land, food, homes, education, clothes, fairness, and peace.

Their Newspaper

From 1986 to 1988, the Black United Front published its own newspaper called The Rap. You can find all issues of this paper online, as the Nova Scotia Archives has made them available digitally.

See Also

• Black Panther Party
• Poor Boy's Game
• Speak It! From the Heart of Black Nova Scotia
• Malcolm X
• Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia
• Black Nova Scotians