Ubuntu in Action: Ending Violence against Women in Rural Nova Scotia

Ubuntu teaches that “I am because we are.” It reminds us that our lives are bound together, that none of us is fully well when some of us are unsafe. As African Heritage Month comes to a close, and we head into International Women’s Month, this blog is a love letter and a warning: a love letter to the brilliance and resilience of Black women-identifying people in rural Nova Scotian communities, and a warning that the status quo is killing them.

In 2024, Nova Scotia formally declared intimate partner violence (IPV) an epidemic, after a unanimous vote in the legislature. Since then, homicides linked to IPV have continued, and advocates have been clear that declarations and dollars alone are not enough. The province has launched a Ministers’ Table on gender-based violence, co-led by the Minister of Justice and the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, bringing together community voices to shape the government’s response. These are important steps, but for Black women-identifying people in rural communities, the ground reality often looks very different from what’s written in policy documents.

Alice House, which supports women and children healing from IPV, recently highlighted how Black women in Nova Scotia experience violence within “layers” of history, racism, and systemic inequity. For many African Nova Scotian women, fear of child welfare, mistrust of police and courts, stigma in tight-knit communities, and experiences of discrimination in health and social services can make it harder—and sometimes more dangerous—to seek help. When systems respond slowly, or not at all, Black women are asked to carry the burden of survival on their own shoulders. That is the opposite of Ubuntu.

Ending gender-based violence, is not a quick fix and cannot be left only to those living it. Ubuntu calls us to go far, together. That means: learning the signs of IPV and GBV, seeking bystander training, challenging harmful jokes and “mind your business” mindsets, resourcing Black-led and survivor-centred services, and holding institutions accountable for truly equitable, culturally safe responses. Most of all, it means refusing to accept a status quo that costs women their lives. I am because we are—and because we are, we must all act.

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