HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS

Dr. Afua Cooper Doctor of Letters, honoris causa Thursday, October 6, 2:30 p.m. Ceremony B

Afua Cooper is a multidisciplinary scholar, author and artist whose research on slavery, Black education, women studies and the African Diaspora has improved social justice and cultural awareness and brought international attention to issues of racism, inclusion and Black culture in Canada.

Cooper is one of the leading figures in African-Canadian studies and is principal investigator for A Black People’s History of Canada project at Dalhousie University, where she holds a Killam Research Chair. Her scholarship and her art, which includes numerous exhibits on Black history, slavery and freedom, bridges the gap between academia and the world at large. Cooper’s 13 books span genres from history to poetry to children’s literature. Her much lauded work, The Hanging of Angelique: The Untold Story of Slavery in Canada and the Burning of Old Montreal, broke new ground in the study of Canadian slavery.

Cooper has received the Portia White Prize, been named one of the most influential Canadians by Maclean’s and served as Halifax’s seventh Poet Laureate.

Dr. Anne Giardini Doctor of Laws, honoris causa Friday, October 7, 9:45 a.m. Ceremony C

SFU Chancellor emeritus Anne Giardini is a celebrated business leader, lawyer and writer. The SFU alumnus is acclaimed for her groundbreaking leadership in law and in the Canadian resource industry, contributions to numerous corporate boards and for championing the advancement of women, higher education and the arts. She has been named one of Canada’s 25 most influential lawyers and one of Canada’s most powerful women.

Constructive, principled and articulate, Giardini brings her trademark enthusiasm and expertise to numerous causes. Serving on SFU’s Board of Governors for five years and as Chancellor from 2014–2021, she inspires the entire university community and is an exemplary role model for students.

The multi-talented Giardini is also the author of two novels and a book of writing advice, a member of the Order of British Columbia and an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of her contributions to the forestry sector, higher education and literature.

Dr. Michelle Good Doctor of Letters, honoris causa Friday, October 7, 2:30 p.m. Ceremony D

Michelle Good is a Cree author, lawyer and advocate determined to ensure the hardships faced by residential school survivors and the impact of their struggle is not forgotten. She helps guide us toward reconciliation and decolonization. A member of the Red Pheasant Cree Nation, Good spent over two decades working for Indigenous organizations. At 43, she obtained a law degree to advocate on behalf of residential school survivors and at 58 received a Masters of Fine Arts degree. Good penned her debut novel, Five Little Indians, about the life-long impacts on survivors trying to find their way after residential school. The novel reveals the brutality of the Indian residential school system and its continuing intergenerational impact. Released to critical acclaim, Five Little Indians won the HarperCollins/UBC Best New Fiction Prize, the Governor General’s Literary Award, Amazon First Novel Award and the Kobo Emerging Writer Award. It was a finalist for the Writer’s Trust prize and longlisted for the Giller Prize.

Dr. Rupert Raj Doctor of Laws, honoris causa Thursday, October 6, 9:45 a.m. Ceremony A

A trailblazing trans activist, Rupert Raj has spent more than 50 years fighting for trans rights in Canada. Transitioning from female to male in Ottawa in 1971, Raj has helped thousands of transsexual, transgender, genderqueer, intersex and Two-Spirit people in North America and abroad through the peer-support groups he co-founded and his work as a gender consultant and psychotherapist. As a professional trainer, Raj delivered transpositive training workshops to healthcare professionals, educators, employers, lawyers and politicians. As an expert witness, he has testified on behalf of transgender human rights complainants. He has edited three transsexual newsletters, written several trans-focused papers for scholarly journals and has authored three books, including Trans Activism in Canada and his 2020 autobiography. In addition to numerous awards, Raj was inducted into The ArQuives in 2013 for his many years of service to the gender diverse community.