Deacon Ralph Jones Speaking During A Public Meeting At Seaview African United Baptist Church, Africville.

Deacon Ralph Jones Speaking During A Public Meeting At Seaview African United Baptist Church, Africville.

This photo shows Deacon Ralph B. Jones of the Seaview United Baptist Church delivering a speech during a 1962 community meeting held inside the church. The gathering was organized in response to the City of Halifax’s plans to demolish Africville and forcibly relocate its residents, a proposal that created deep uncertainty and tension within the community. In the image, Jones stands before his neighbours, addressing them with conviction and clarity. His presence reflects his role as a trusted and authoritative figure within the community, someone residents looked to for guidance, stability, and moral strength. As a leader of the church, the central organization of social life in Africville, he would have been someone residents looked to to unify the community and re-affirm the shared mission of fighting for their home.

Photographer: Bob Brooks

Gone but Never Forgotten; Bob Brooks' Photographic Portrait of Africville in the 1960s

Nova Scotia Archives

23 August, 1962

Nova Sotia Archives