Jamaican author inspires exhibition highlighting black professionals in Canada

A student-led exhibition featuring 52 black professionals is not only telling their stories, but sharing the reflections of the high school students who interviewed and photographed them.

The ‘We Are Canada’ initiative was created by students in the Leadership By Design (LBD) programme — the flagship leadership development and enrichment programme for promising Black youth of the Lifelong Leadership Institute (LLI).

They visited professionals in their workplaces, engaged them in conversation, photographed them, and wrote about what they learned.

“The result is a stunning, deeply moving collection that honours excellence, leadership, and legacy,” said Trevor Massey, chair of LLI.

Judah Henry, a grade-11 student in the Toronto District School Board who plans to pursue forensic science in his post-secondary education, interviewed Ricky Brooks, district chief at Toronto Fire Services.

Initially, Henry was hesitant because he had never done a full interview with anyone before, let alone a stranger.

“I knew that opportunities such as this experience will open up my future,” he said, noting that one of his biggest takeaways from the We Are Canada project is, “with hard work and dedication anything is possible”.

Henry issued a call of action to his colleagues.

“We have seen how much of an impact our interview subjects have had on our country. What is stopping us from doing the same? The road may not be easy, but we can’t let anyone or anything throw us off our path. I challenge us to take our new-found perspective on Black success into the classroom, into the school environment, and into the broader community to make a real difference.”

Another student, Dayna Ince-Mercer, who is in grade 11 in the York Region District School Board, interviewed Donovan Vincent, public editor of the Toronto Star.

“I was glad that the LBD also saw my hard work that I put into it and the passion that I have for it. It felt really good. I felt really validated,” she said about her portrait of Vincent being included in the exhibit.

Vincent said Ince-Mercer asked probing questions about the business and could become a future journalist or lawyer.

Keynote speaker Dr Upton Allen, professor of paediatrics at the University of Toronto, and head of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), said when generations meet intentionally, something transformative can occur.

“This initiative is not just about photographs and profiles on a wall. It is about connections. It is about storytelling. It is about shared wisdom. It is about strengthening identity. It is about expanding networks. And it is about understanding that Black history in Canada is not only historical — it is present, dynamic, and unfolding.”

Allen said when young people meet professionals who look like them, something shifts internally.

“Possibilities expand. What once seemed distant becomes tangible. Careers that were abstract become attainable. Leadership becomes visible. But this is not a one-way transaction. The older generation benefits, too.”

He said professionals are reminded of why they began their journeys in the first place.

“We revisit our own struggles, sacrifices, and turning points. We remember the mentors who opened doors for us. And we are challenged to think about the legacy we are building. Mentorship is not simply advice. It is the passing on of experience, resilience, values, and hope.”

Upton said the initiative showcases Black Canadians contributing across every sector and says clearly, “We are not peripheral to Canada. We are foundational and central to the Canada of the future.”

The We Are Canada initiative, he said, is in many ways nation-building at the micro level. It affirms continuity between generations.

Thanking the students and their parents, professionals featured, and the LLI team, Massey said that in 2012, Kamala-Jean Gopie, a philanthropist, had an idea of publishing a book titled Jamaicans in Canada: When Ackee Meets Codfish, which celebrated Canadians of Jamaican ancestry making a difference in Canada.

He said the book underscored the importance of having a platform of reference for following generations.

“It was this extraordinary work by Ms Gopie that inspired the We Are Canada initiative.

Gopie, a Jamaican-Canadian philanthropist, said the book is historical and they discussed the need to do something for the next generation.

“This project is forward-looking, whereas the book, essentially, was a historical piece,” she said, noting the importance of telling a story and highlighting the range of contributions that people have made, all below the radar.

Angela Henry, director of communications and marketing for the LLI, said she had the pleasure of seeing students come into the programme at grade 10 and watch them blossom as they move on to post-secondary level in grade 12.

Her colleague, Lenworth Wallace, manager for projects and measurement at LLI, said the students started discussing the project in October and it was led by them.

The public exhibition was launched in the lobby of the SunLife building in downtown Toronto on February 21 and will run until March 18 during work hours, Mondays to Fridays.

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