SHELBURNE, N.S. — The late Dr. Elizabeth Cromwell CM, Birchtown, is one of five people being invested into the Order of Nova Scotia this year.
Lt.-Gov. Arthur J. LeBlanc, Chancellor of the Order of Nova Scotia, made the announcement on Nov. 1.
"As the Queen's representative in this province and as Chancellor of the Order of Nova Scotia, it is my honour and great pleasure to welcome and invest the newest appointees to the Order," said LeBlanc. "These five outstanding Nova Scotians have worked hard to improve the lives of all our citizens through their exemplary dedication and commitment."
The 2019 recipients will be recognized at the 18th investiture ceremony on Nov. 26, at Province House in Halifax. The other recipients are: Francis Dorrington, New Glasgow; Dr. Noni MacDonald, Halifax; Ann MacLean, Ingonish Beach; and David McKeage (posthumous), Halifax.
The Order of Nova Scotia is the highest honour of the province of Nova Scotia, recognizing those who have distinguished themselves in many fields of endeavour and have brought honour and prestige to themselves and their province. Ninety-nine recipients have been invested into the Order of Nova Scotia since it was established in June 2001. A total of 106 eligible nominations were received this year. Recipients from the eligible nominees are recommended by an independent advisory council to the Chancellor of the Order of Nova Scotia.
ABOUT DR. ELIZABETH CROMWELL
Dr. Cromwell, who passed away on Oct. 2, has been recognized and honoured for her work in preserving and promoting Black history in Nova Scotia numerous times. She was awarded the Canada 125 medal, as well as a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal. In 2014 she received an honorary degree from Mount Saint Vincent University, as well as an honorary degree from Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law in May of 2017. In the same year she was appointed to the Order of Canada as a member (CM) for her contributions to Black Heritage Preservation and Education in Nova Scotia.
“Dr. Elizabeth Cromwell, C.M., is an African Nova Scotian and a Black Loyalist descendant of great strength, vision and perseverance,” reads her biography for the Order of Nova Scotia. “She spent the majority of her career as a caseworker supervisor with the Shelburne County Children’s Aid Society. She was dedicated to volunteering for organizations across the province as well as in her community for the Christ Church Anglican Council and parish and was a founding board member of the Shelburne County Cultural Awareness Society, the precursor to the Black Loyalist Heritage Society.
“In the 1980s she fought against the environmental racism of a proposed landfill in her community, which led to the formation of the Shelburne County Cultural Awareness Society in 1989. The society successfully blocked the proposed landfill, which would have destroyed valuable African Nova Scotian archaeological items and records.
“Dr. Cromwell collected genealogical information and other historical information to promote the contributions of the Black Loyalists and their descendants in Nova Scotia. She was instrumental in mobilizing the community to promote Black Loyalists and African Nova Scotian history," her bio reads.
“Under her leadership, the society secured a national historic site and monument board designation for the historic event of the landing of Black Loyalists in Canada in 1783. Dr. Cromwell was instrumental in assisting Lawrence Hill in his research in the writing of 'The Book of Negroes,' which later was turned into a movie that was filmed in the Town of Shelburne. Her passion and dedication to preserve the history of the Black Loyalists and share this history with the broader community culminated in the development and construction of the Black Loyalists Heritage Centre which opened in 2015."
She has been described as a staunch advocate for celebrating African Nova Scotian history, and the journey of black loyalists who arrived in Birchtown.
"Her voice and persistent determination helped give black history its rightful place in the provincial and national narrative," her Order of Nova Scotia biography states.
