Upper Canada Village, Keisha Cuffie, and Helen Muleme

2026 Governors Awards

Upper Canada Village, Keisha Cuffie, and Helen Muleme have been awarded a National Trust Governors Award for the opening of Upper Canada Village’s permanent Black history exhibit. 

Located in Morrisburg, ON, and founded in 1961, Upper Canada Village is one of Canada’s largest living-history sites. It depicts a rural English Canadian community of 1866. The Village is home to more than 40 carefully preserved and reconstructed buildings, many of which were relocated to this site before the flooding of the “Lost Villages” during the development of the St. Lawrence Seaway Project.   

The new exhibit focuses on local Black history of what was then Upper Canada in the 1860s, sharing the personal stories of Black figures who shaped the region. The project was spurred on by Helen Muleme, with programming developed through extensive research with input from Black History Program Development Coordinator, Keisha Cuffie, and through consultation with local Black communities. The exhibit represents a commitment to rediscovery by reintroducing the stories and contributions of individuals who have been unrepresented in the historical narratives at Upper Canada Village.   

Using artefacts, archival documents, individual and family stories, excerpts from oral histories, newspaper accounts and photographs, the exhibit elevates stories that speak to Black resilience, achievement, and legacy. The exhibit serves as a foundational building block for broader, long-term conversations about Black history as an integral part of Canadian history.  

The National Trust Board of Governors chose to highlight this project as a powerful example of expanding the historical narrative to include historically marginalized perspectives.