Assistant Professor Desirée de Jesús, whose research explores Black girlhood and belonging in Canada, has led a project which is part of the upcoming exhibit at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF Lightbox), entitled Vibrant Visions: The Art of Black Girlhood in Canada. Desirée de Jesús collaborated with historian Crystal Webster and educator Kisha McPherson on the project in which Black girls in Toronto and Vancouver were asked to make collages featuring images they found in magazines to express what it is like to be a Black girl in Canada. This exhibit is part of Mapping Black Girl Geographies and Belonging in Canada, a research project funded by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant.
The free exhibit can be viewed from February 9 - 22 at the TIFF Lightbox Atrium Gallery as part of Black History Month. A special screening of the films Rocks and On a Sunday at Eleven, followed by an onstage conversation with director Alicia K. Harris, will take place on the evening of Wednesday February 19 in conjunction with the exhibit.