A Legacy of Action: How Black Youth Shaped Mississauga's Future
- DM&C
Banner by The City of Mississauga
A Legacy of Action: How Black Youth Shaped Mississauga’s Future featured a poignant community conversation that reflected on the Black community’s resilience and activism in Mississauga today and during the 1980s and 1990s. This event continued the discussion generated by Generation X Marks the Spot, an exhibition curated by Dayo Kefentse that launched at Bradley Museum in February 2024.
The event was co-produced with the Museums of Mississauga, a milestone made even more significant as the City marked its 50th anniversary. Leaders who have contributed to shaping the city’s legacy shared personal stories of a Black activist movement that sparked after the untimely death of Michael Wade Lawson in Mississauga in 1988.
The conversation was moderated by our very own Dayo Kefentse and consisted of two panel discussions.
A community conversation
The first panel, Activism Then, explored how activism looked and felt as the group labelled Generation X was coming of age. There was a strong community reaction that followed Michael Wade Lawson’s death in 1988 and it galvanized Black youth in advocating for social justice. Valerie Williams, who was a child & youth worker in Mississauga during that time, recalled her reaction to that event. Heather Carter, who became a youth advocate with Peel Regional Police after Lawson’s death, also lent her perspective as a Mississauga resident who was then a teenager and felt the impact of his death quite personally.
The second panel, Activism Now, looked at the current needs of Black youth as they look toward the 2030s and 2040s. Davantee Glaves of Black Youth School Success Initiative shared that Black youth are seeking examples of Black excellence. Deputy Chief Marc Andrews of Peel Regional Police, was inspired to join policing after the death of Michael Wade Lawson and noted that it was this pivotal moment that mobilized people to action and “action is what spurs change”. Since then, Andrews asserted that the police services have worked on building relationships with the community and will continue to do so. As a father, grandfather and Deputy Chief, he hopes these movements for meaningful change will help shape a positive future for Black youth today and generations to come.
Panelists include:
Heather Carter
Valerie Williams
Marc Andrews
Davantee Glaves
A community gathering
A Legacy of Action welcomed 250 guests including community leaders such as Quammie Williams, who opened with the African Ancestral Acknowledgement, and Ginelle Skerritt, who offered final remarks with a thoughtful and empowering summation as the event transitioned to celebrating DM&C’s 25th anniversary.
The event was punctuated by the selection of vendors who provided guests with food, informational resources and musical stylings during the break. Last, but certainly not least, DJ Jonathan Shaw who set the tone with his astute mix of tunes that reflected the past and present eras with the carefully curated soundtrack that expertly complimented the subject matter and ingratiated the atmosphere.
A Legacy of Action: How Black Youth Shaped Mississauga’s Future created an engaging and memorable community conversation that inspired the kind of reflection and action we need to create a better Mississauga and GTA for current and future generations.
Thank you to the Museums of Mississauga and our vendors who made the event a success!
