A History Exposed: Panel Discussion

This panel will highlight untold stories and historical perspectives that challenge and expand our understanding of Canada’s past. Black history experts will discuss the culture, resilience and leadership of people of African descent, sharing important contributions made by Black Canadians to our country and locally in Mississauga.

Hosted at the Living Arts Centre’s Studio Theatre, the discussion will feature distinguished historian, poet, and author Dr. Afua Cooper, alongside scholar Dr. Cheryl Thompson, local historian Justine Lyn, and municipal leader Nakia Phillips.

Panelists

Dr. Afua Cooper

An acclaimed historian of slavery and Black feminist studies, Dr. Afua Cooper has been at the forefront of the development of the field of Black Canadian Studies for the past three decades.

A leading public intellectual, she has curated or co-curated 10 exhibits on Black history and has worked with all levels of government in promoting Black public history.

She was the chief knowledge officer, and animator for the Ontario Bicentenary to Commemorate the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act and led the Committee to Memorialize the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Dr. Cooper was instrumental in getting the Royal Ontario Museum to issue an apology to the Black community over the “Into the Heart of Africa” exhibit, demonstrations against which led the ROM to change its curatorial practice with respect to Black and ethnic programming.

Dr. Cooper lead the establishment of the Black and African Diaspora program at Dalhousie University where she taught for 13 years. Afua is an award-winning author and writer of 13 books, which span the genre of history, poetry, biography, and children’s fiction. She currently holds the acclaimed position of Distinguished Professor at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Cheryl Thompson

Cheryl Thompson is an Academic, Public Speaker, Founder and Director of Mapping Ontario’s Black Archives (MOBA), a user-experience design platform that has created public access to Black archival collections in Ontario. She is also Director of Black Creative Lab, a digital platform that shares content on Black artists, dancers, writers, and researchers. As an Associate Professor, and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Black Expressive Culture & Creativity, she has secured multiple grants, including an Ontario Early Researcher award, and several Social Science Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grants. Thompson has authored four books – Staging Blackface in Canada: Public Amusements, Variety Shows, and Racial Acts in an Age of Imitation, 1898–1919 (April 2026); Canada and the Blackface Atlantic: Performing Slavery, Conflict, and Freedom, 1812-1897 (2025), Uncle: Race, Nostalgia, and the Politics of Loyalty (2021), and Beauty in a Box: Detangling the Roots of Canada’s Black Beauty Culture (2019). In 2021, she was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists for her contributions to Black Canadian studies.

Justine Lynn

Justine Lyn is a heritage professional with a decade of experience in museums, archives, and cultural organizations across Ontario. Born and raised in Mississauga, she is of mixed Chinese-Jamaican heritage and a proud descendant of the Windrush generation. Justine holds an HBA from the University of Toronto Mississauga and a diploma in Museum Management and Curatorship from Fleming College.

Her career has spanned roles at institutions such as the Museums of Mississauga and the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum. From 2021 to 2024, she served as Collections and Resource Coordinator at Heritage Mississauga, where much of her work focused on 19th- and 20th-century Black history. Justine currently works as the Archives Assistant at Norfolk County Archives.

Nakia Phillips

Nakia Phillips is a dynamic leader with over 15+ years of experience in customer service, municipal operations, quality assurance, public health, and the banking sector. As Manager of 311 Mississauga, which is the hub for Municipal customer service for The City of Mississauga, he oversees a team of nearly 80 staff, delivering efficient, accessible, client centric, customer service for Canada’s 7th largest city.

He is a passionate advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion, co-facilitating the City of Mississauga’s Black Employee Resource Group and serving on the Employee Equity Advisory Committee. In the past he has led EDI initiatives at the City of Toronto. His contributions also include leading city-wide initiatives such as The City of Mississauga Employee United Way campaign, and he was a vocal advocate in launching the City of Mississauga Women’s Employee Resource Group which is led by women facilitators from his 311 team.

A recurring speaker/panelist with the Public Sector Network, that connects public sector professionals throughout Canada and the world. Nakia is recognized for his expertise in leadership, service excellence, customer service, employee empowerment and recognition. He is a proud father of two and a travel enthusiast.