The Lynn Jones African-Canadian & Diaspora Heritage Collection

Saint Mary’s University, in cooperation with Dr. Lynn Jones, African Nova Scotian leader and activist, now proudly houses The Lynn Jones African-Canadian & Diaspora Heritage Collection in the University Archives.

The Collection documents the lives of Lynn, her family, and over 50 years of African, African Diasporic and African-Nova Scotian heritage and history.

Key parts of the collection include materials on:

• civil rights and social justice struggles in Halifax, Canada and beyond
• Lynn’s career as an athlete, politician, union activist, and work as an election observer for the 1994 South African Presidential election of Nelson Mandela
• the activism of Lynn’s brother, Burnley “Rocky” Jones and many others
• thousands of news clippings, programs, reports and other material documenting Black life (e.g. the histories of local Black communities and institutions, an obituary collection, news coverage of local and international racial segregation and apartheid, clippings on famous athletes and environmental racism).

You can listen to a CBC Information Morning Radio Interview with Dr. Jones on the occasion of the official community launch of the Collection in April, 2017:

Staff in the Archives have completed an inventory and description of the materials in the Heritage Collection, which provides the basis for a formal Finding Aid, available at Memory NS.

You can also access The Lynn Jones African-Canadian and Diaspora Heritage Collection Inventory, which goes into detail on items in the collection.

Is the collection available online?

Currently, we have a small sample from the archival material in Dr. Jones' collection available below. We are in the processing of digitizing newspapers and newspaper clippings from the collection.

Who might use the Collection?

Researchers, community members tracing a family tree, educators and students, community organizers….

Learn about supporting work with the Collection

Donations to The Lynn Jones African Canadian & Diaspora Heritage Collection will be used to support student research in and work with the Collection, event planning and publicity linked with the Collection, and community honoraria for work with the Collection.

How can you access the full Collection?

Visit the Saint Mary's University Archives (Patrick Power Library, 3rd floor) during regular Archives hours or by appointment: Archives contact 902-420-5508 or hansel.cook@smu.ca