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Laurier student’s artwork featured on Region of Waterloo’s first-ever Black History Month bus wrap
Feb. 11, 2025
Print | PDFVanessa Nkansah-Okoree’s artwork is on the move in Waterloo Region.
Nkansah-Okoree (BSc '23), an artist and master’s student in Wilfrid Laurier University’s Health Sciences program, is the artist behind the Region of Waterloo’s first-ever bus wrap celebrating Black History Month.
Her design reflects the theme ‘Black Excellence: Past, Present, Future’ selected by the Region of Waterloo’s Black History Month committee in partnership with the Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region (CCAWR). A Grand River Transit bus running throughout Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo in February will be wrapped with Nkansah-Okoree’s design.
Nkansah-Okoree at the rear of the bus featuring her design for Black History Month.
The design, selected by the Region of Waterloo’s Black History Month committee, was publicly revealed Feb. 2 during Legacy and Triumph, a Black History Month kick-off event hosted by CCAWR at Federation Hall at the University of Waterloo. Nkansah-Okoree attended the event with family and friends.
“I cried when I saw my art on the bus,” says Nkansah-Okoree. “It was such an overwhelming feeling, but in a good way. A lot of work went into this project, so to see it all come together was really special. It meant so much to have my family and friends with me as my design was unveiled.”
Nkansah-Okoree’s design features 14 distinctive Black individuals ranging in age from young school children to older adults to align with the bus wrap’s theme. Each side of the bus features six busts unique in skin tone, hairstyle, attire and accessories. On the back of the bus, the design includes the faces of two Black seniors, one man and one woman, with the twisted limbs of a quiver tree in the background. The phrase, “With our ancestors behind us and our futures in front of us, there is nothing we can’t do” sits above the tree branches.
The Region of Waterloo's Black History Month bus will run throughout Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo.
A gradient of green, yellow and red make up the background of Nkansah-Okoree’s design. Additional creative elements such as flowers and butterflies are sprinkled throughout. Nkansah-Okoree, whose works blends anime and cartoon styles, created the design digitally using Procreate on her iPad.
“Vanessa’s design beautifully represents the vibrancy and diversity within the Black community, which is why it was selected,” says Stella Appau, a reconciliation, equity, diversity and inclusion coordinator at the Region of Waterloo and member of its Black History Month committee. “It has been a pleasure to work with Vanessa on this project.”
Appau says the Region of Waterloo’s creative services team worked with Nkansah-Okoree to ensure elements of her design flowed around the windows, doors and wheel wells on the bus.
The Region of Waterloo has previously wrapped buses to mark Pride Month, Indigenous History Month and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
As with her master’s studies, which focus on health equity, Nkansah-Okoree sees art as an opportunity to enhance Black representation.
“When watching cartoons as a child, I didn’t see many Black characters,” says Nkansah-Okoree. “There was a lack of representation, which inspired me to start creating characters that reflected Black youth. My hope is that others might see themselves in my work.”
Artwork provides a creative outlet for stress and challenges Nkansah-Okoree to approach problem-solving in her research and studies in different ways. Nkansah-Okoree is investigating the biological role of melanin in the human body beyond pigmentation under the supervision of Nirosha Murugan, assistant professor in the Department of Health Studies.
Outside of her studies, Nkansah-Okoree collaborates with various Black and African organizations in Waterloo Region, including leading youth art programs for the African Family Revival Organization and the African Canadian Association of Waterloo Region and Area.
She is also member of the Black Students Association at Laurier’s Waterloo campus, which organizes the annual Beating the Odds (BTO) conference to inspire Black youth in Waterloo Region to pursue higher education. Nkansah-Okoree attended BTO in 2015 as a high school student at Waterloo Collegiate Institute.
“I think it’s important to find ways to bring representation into focus,” says Nkansah-Okoree. “I am working to put myself into conversations and spaces where I can contribute to representation.”