Staff

Raine Laurent-Eugène is the Founder, CEO, and Chair of the Jessie My Love Foundation, a Canadian nonprofit committed to creating safe, sustainable futures for Black and Indigenous women and their families. Rooted in lived experience and driven by structural awareness, Raine’s leadership is both visionary and deeply practical. She brings over a decade of experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), working with institutions such as the Ontario Association of Art Galleries, CAMH, Museum of Inuit Art, and the City of Mississauga.

Under her direction, Jessie My Love Foundation offers free housing, transitional employment, childcare, and regenerative farming opportunities designed to foster long-term independence and emotional safety. Raine holds an Honours degree from the University of Toronto and is completing a second in Communications at York University.

Her work is not rooted in charity, it’s a strategic blueprint for justice. She believes in creating systems that honour ancestral wisdom while protecting future generations, especially those historically excluded from safety, ownership, and power.

Raine continues to build Jessie My Love as both sanctuary and structure, a place where healing meets self-determination, and where Black and Indigenous women don’t just survive, but thrive.

Afrah Aden is a Somali-Canadian multidisciplinary artist weaving writing, film, and archival practice into portals of memory and healing. Her work centers Black queer resistance, tracing its echoes across digital landscapes and ancestral timelines. She’s deeply committed to food justice as a way to build a more equitable and connected world.  She’s dedicated to advancing the work of Jessie My Love Foundation and support for Black & Indigenous women and families, recognizing these as foundational to long-term healing and autonomy. 

Elizabeth Underhill is a curator, arts programmer, and museum educator committed to building inclusive, community-driven cultural spaces. She currently works for the City of Mississauga, where she develops public programs and cultural initiatives that foster local engagement, historical awareness, and lifelong learning. With over a decade of experience in the visual arts and cultural sector, Elizabeth has developed a reputation for thoughtful, interdisciplinary programming and collaborative curatorial practice.

Prior to her role in Mississauga, Elizabeth worked with Oakville Galleries, where she contributed to exhibitions and educational programs that bridged local relevance with international perspectives. She has curated exhibitions at institutions such as Xpace Cultural Centre and the Art Gallery of Mississauga, championing emerging artists and underrepresented voices in contemporary art. Her curatorial work often explores themes of identity, place, and social change, and she has collaborated with artists working across disciplines including installation, performance, and socially engaged practice.

Elizabeth is currently pursuing a Master of Museum Education at the University of British Columbia, where her research focuses on equity, learning, and participatory approaches in museum spaces. She holds a BA in Art History from the University of Toronto and continues to draw on her academic background to inform her work at the intersection of education, curation, and public engagement.

A strong advocate for cultural access and creative dialogue, Elizabeth brings a deep care for community storytelling, the power of visual culture, and the evolving role of museums in public life.