Artist Quentin VerCetty Gives Lincoln Alexander Bust He Created a Nickname

 

By Neil Armstrong

Photo credit: Taylor Carr        Afrofuturist artist Quentin VerCetty

 

Afrofuturist artist Quentin VerCetty who sculpted the Lincoln Alexander Commemorative Bust now permanently installed at Queen’s Park says the nickname he gave it is — “The Linc Bust: Suited for Greatness” — because the former air force corporal, lawyer, politician, vice-regent and icon inspired him.

This marks the first instance of any likeness honouring a Black Canadian political figure to be displayed in any parliamentary setting in Canada. 

VerCetty says he got the name from a quote of the first Black Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, first Black Member of Parliament and first Black Cabinet Minister.

 

“A student asked him while he was chancellor of the University of Guelph in his 80s what keeps you going, you seemed to have done it all. And he said, ‘Every day I wake up and I suit up to be greater than I’d ever been before.’ I hope that any person who sees the statue also can see how they can be greater than they’ve ever been before and aspire to be great and make improvements in their life.”

 

The multidisciplinary artist said he was humbled and in awe to know that Alexander up until his last day was still working so, as an artist, it reminded him that, in Jamaican Patois, “di work cyaan done.”

 

VerCetty says he was asked by the LINC Bust Committee to submit a proposal for creating the sculpture, which he did, and they liked it, but he thinks he got the nod of approval because of his links to the former Ontario viceregal. He attended the Lincoln M. Alexander Secondary School in Malton, Mississauga, and met the former Black icon there while a student. VerCetty’s life partner, award-winning choreographer Esie Mensah, attended karate classes in Hamilton with Alexander’s late son, Keith, and granddaughters, Erika and Marissa. 

 

His parents are Jamaicans, and the artist feels that he is following in the footsteps of his ancestors as his great grandfather from Clarendon was a blacksmith who made art pieces out of car and bicycle parts. 

 

“I also felt like I was making not only my ancestors proud but Jamaica proud by bigging up one of their own. And then me being one of their own as well just shining in a bright light,” says the sculptor about creating the Linc bust. VerCetty said he is inspired and mentored by another great Jamaican sculptor, Basil Watson.

 

Reflecting on his personal journey, he said a month after meeting Alexander, he was kicked out of school for not making the best choices and sometimes people count themselves out.

 

One day he was skipping class and Alexander, who was visiting that day to address the assembly, walked into the building and spoke to him. VerCetty had no idea who he was and that the school was named after a Black man.

 

“The gentleman walked straight up to me and says, ‘Young man, I can see you doing great things. I hope you come to the assembly.’ And I had no clue who he was, and I didn’t go to the assembly. 

 

“I spent a lot of time wondering how different my life would have turned, how much heartache I would have saved my parents and myself, if I did end up going to the assembly and made better decisions. But my life is a testament of not giving up and constantly improving oneself. This idea of suiting up and trying to be greater than you’d ever been is something I feel I’m a testament of, because when he passed away in 2012, that’s when I decided to actually get my university degree, to make better for myself — so for me, it’s a full circle to be able to be the person to pay homage to this great man.”

The commemorative bust of Lincoln Alexander that was unveiled at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on January 21, 2024, Lincoln Alexander Day

 

VerCetty is encouraging visitors to the Ontario Legislature to spend time with the piece, and he wants people to read Alexander’s memoir titled “Go to School, You’re a Little Black Boy” The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander, written with Herb Shoveller.

 

On January 21, 2024, on what would have been the 102^nd birthday of Lincoln Alexander — and known nationally as Lincoln Alexander Day, since 2015, and celebrated in Ontario from 2013 — an unveiling ceremony was held at Queen’s Park to reveal the commemorative bust to Ontarians.

 

Starting with a procession of drummers, dancer, speakers and presenters, the afternoon was led by emcee and CBC TV anchor Dwight Drummond with the Canadian anthem sung by Coco LaRain, greetings from Ted Arnott, Speaker of the Ontario Legislative Assembly; Greg Fergus, Speaker of the House of Commons; Charmaine Williams, MPP for Brampton Centre and Associate Minister of Women’s and Social Economic Opportunity; Jill Andrew, MPP for Toronto-St. Paul’s and Ontario NDP Culture Critic and Women’s Issue Critic for the Official Opposition; Andrea Hazell, Liberal MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood; Mike Schreiner, MPP for Guelph and Leader of the Green Party of Ontario; and Patricia Barnes, MPP for Ajax, who brought greetings on behalf of Premier Doug Ford.

 

Arnot reminisced that Alexander had timeless values that he lived by while he was the lieutenant governor of Ontario and was someone regal and down-to-earth. 

 

Williams described the former MP and resident of Hamilton as a great individual and a true public servant. Andrew underscored the value of artists and complimented VerCetty on the creation of the bust. She met the late vice-regal in her youth and remembered feeling seen by him when he accepted her greeting. Andrew spoke of the importance of the visual representation of the bust in the legislature.

Rosemary Sadlier, Chair of the LINC Bust Committee at the lectern. Behind her from left to right are other committee members: Fazela Haniff, Ingrid Wilson and Tusma Sulieman

 

Rosemary Sadlier, Chair of the LINC Bust Committee, said the unveiling ceremony was the culmination of ten years of work to see it come to fruition that day. She was delighted that Alexander’s family was onboard from the beginning. Sadlier underscored the importance of honouring the past and its connection to the present and future. She thanked the partner sponsors, Licensed to Learn, Black Opportunity Fund, and RBC for their support.

 

Nabil Ali, Chief Operations Officer, Licensed to Learn (L2L), said visiting the Linc bust will become a key component of their public educational tour program.

 

Mark Beckles, Vice President, Social Impact and Innovation, RBC, said when he was planning to run as a candidate for the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party in 2007, he met with Alexander who gifted his sons, William and Warren, with two copies of his memoir — something that had a transformative impact on their education.

 

Craig Wellington, Executive Director, Black Opportunity Fund, said Alexander challenged Canadians to be great and “all of us individually to be great.” Quoting African American activist and artist Paul Robeson, he described engaging in the installation of the Linc bust as a radical act, an act of revolution, which was also challenging the culture of the legislative building.

 

“Black children will see themselves reflected in this hall,” he said, before relating how 14 years ago he successfully spearheaded a campaign to have Chapters bookstore properly catalogue Alexander’s memoir. He had been to a few locations in search of the book and eventually realized that they had filed it “under “local interest/travel” along with travel maps and atlases, instead of in the “Canadian Biography” or “biography” sections and was only available in Ontario locations and online.” 

Craig Wellington, Executive Director of the Black Opportunity Fund

 

Pinball Clemons said Alexander was a gift to humanity and had a great head and a great heart.

 

Speaking on behalf of the family, Erika Alexander, granddaughter of Lincoln Alexander, said after listening to the previous speakers she realized that the words “big shot” and “movers and shakers” were frequently used by him. She noted that he was deliberate, resilient and personal. 

 

Erika said in 1985 when her grandfather was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, she was two years old, and it was her first time stepping into Queen’s Park. She thanked the Linc Bust Committee and congratulated VerCetty for the research and care he took in creating the bust of Linc. She also thanked Marni Beal-Alexander for being a companion to her grandfather in his later years.

 

“I’m very proud that this is happening; I’m proud for my family. I’m very proud of the committee for putting all this effort in for the past few years and really pushing to get something so honourable, such as a bust, and especially being the first Black figure in Queen’s Park — that really aligns with the trajectory of my grandfather’s life and the milestones that he made,” said Erika, noting that as people walk through Queen’s Park they will see a face that looks like someone they know or someone in their family.

Granddaughters of Lincoln Alexander: Erika Alexander, left, and Marissa Alexander, right, unveiling the bust of their grandfather at Queen's Park

The unveiling of the Linc Bust was done by Erika and her sister, Marissa Alexander.

Lincoln Alexander was elected to the House of Commons as MP for Hamilton West in 1968 and served as the federal minister of labour in 1979. From 1985 to 1991, he was the lieutenant governor of Ontario, and became the sixth and longest-serving chancellor of the University of Guelph from 1991 to 2007. In 2006, Alexander wrote his memoir.

Dr. Gervan Fearon, President of George Brown College, and Canadian spoken word artist Dwayne Morgan at a reception held after the unveiling ceremony at Queen's Park