Laurier expert alert: Black History Month

Jan. 31, 2023
For Immediate Release

WATERLOO — Black History Month is commemorated every February across Canada to remember the legacy of Black Canadians and the events tied to the history of the African diaspora. Wilfrid Laurier University has several experts available to comment on topics related to Black history, identity, achievements and contributions. Laurier’s Black History Month feature celebrates Black History Month and the thriving Black community at Laurier.

The following list includes Laurier experts who are available to speak at this time but does not represent the full breadth of expertise that exists at our institution. For a more comprehensive inventory of our faculty researchers, please consult the Experts at Laurier database.

Alexandra Boutros, associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies, is an expert on fan culture, popular culture, race and cultural production, and popular music, with a particular focus on hip-hop. Her research has focused on the intersection of media, technology and identity within religious, social and cultural movements. She has studied the Black diaspora, Haitian Vodou, Vodou in popular culture, ubiquitous computing, critical race theory, cultural studies and Afrofuturism, focusing on social networking arising out of images of Black technologized subjectivity. She has also created and taught a course on Canadian hip-hop icon Drake. Contact: aboutros@wlu.ca 

Karen Cyrus is an assistant professor of Ethnomusicology at Laurier. Cyrus’s areas of expertise include: Afrodiasporic community music making practices, pan-African children’s repertoires and social justice in music education. Contact: kcyrus@wlu.ca  

Florence Juma is an associate professional faculty member at Martin Luther University College in the department of spiritual care and psychotherapy. Her research focuses on historical theology specializing in church history and dogma. She is a registered psychotherapist in Ontario and a certified educator-supervisor with the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care. Juma is the author of Recapturing the Oral Tradition of Storytelling in Spiritual Conversations with Older Adults: An Afro-Indigenous Approach and Healing through Song and Stories: An African-indigenous response to trauma. Contact: fjuma@luther.wlu.ca

John Laband is a professor emeritus of History at Laurier and a research associate at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. His expertise includes the history of war and society in Africa during the colonial era with a particular emphasis on the Zulu kingdom. Contact: jlaband@wlu.ca 

Magnus Mfoafo-M'Carthy, a professor in the Faculty of Social Work, examines mental illness, disability and stigma among immigrant communities, as well as African ideals of family. He is also interested in postcolonial and critical race theories, social justice and anti-oppressive practice. Mfoafo-M'Carthy is a research fellow with the Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa and the Centre for Leading Research in Education (CLRiE). Contact: mmfoafomcarthy@wlu.ca

Edward Shizha is a professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts. His expertise includes Black African immigrants in Ontario, settlement experiences of African immigrants in Canada, discrimination in education and schools, education and postcolonial theory, and migration and transnationalism. Shizha is a research fellow with the Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa. Contact: eshizha@wlu.ca 

Dalon P. Taylor is a professor in the Faculty of Social Work at Laurier. Among her areas of expertise are migration, immigration, skilled migration, race, racism, anti-Black racism, community engagement, health inequities and social justice. Contact: dptaylor@wlu.ca

Barrington Walker is Laurier’s associate vice-president of equity, diversity and inclusion and a professor in the Department of History. Walker leads the university’s EDI strategy and provides expertise, guidance, mentorship and support to faculty and staff working toward EDI-related goals. Walker has written about and taught Black Canadian history, race, law and immigration, and Canadian social history. Contact: bawalker@wlu.ca

Dana Elizabeth Weiner, associate professor in Laurier’s Department of History, is an expert on race and rights in the 19^th-century United States. Weiner specializes in African American history, rights and activism in the American midwest and west, as well as the anti-slavery movement. She teaches about slavery, the U.S. Civil War and its aftermath, and rights movements. Weiner’s current research focuses on race, property, identity and citizenship claims among free people of African descent in 19^th-century California. Contact: dweiner@wlu.ca

Ciann L. Wilson, associate professor in Laurier’s Department of Psychology, centres her work within critical race, intersectional, and anti-colonial theories. Wilson engages in community-based health and well-being research with Black, Indigenous and racialized communities around topics including education, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, social determinants and well-being. Her areas of expertise also include anti-colonial theory, critical race and class theories, equity in education and HIV/AIDS. Last year, Wilson was honoured with the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations’ Status of Women and Equity Award of Distinction for her dedication to community transformation and racial justice. Since 2016, she has been a part of the Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association's Diversity and Equity Committee. Read more about her work. Contact: ciwilson@wlu.ca