Laura Mae Lindo

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Laura Mae Lindo

| image = Laura Mae Lindo, ONDP MPP for Kitchener Centre.jpg

| caption = Lindo at an event during the 2018 Ontario provincial election

| honorific-suffix =

| office1 = Critic, Citizenship and Immigration Services

| term_start1 = August 23, 2018

| term_end1 = July 13, 2023

| leader1 = Andrea Horwath (2018-2022)
Peter Tabuns (interim) (2022-2023)
Marit Stiles (2023-)

| parliament3 = Ontario Provincial

| term_start3 = June 7, 2018

| term_end3 = July 13, 2023

| predecessor3 = Daiene Vernile

| successor3 = Aislinn Clancy

| riding3 = Kitchener Centre

| party = New Democratic

| birth_name = Laura Mae Monique Lindo

| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1976}}

| birth_place = Scarborough, Ontario, Canada

| residence = Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

| education = {{ublist| University of Toronto|York University}}

| occupation = {{hlist | Non-profit director | post-secondary administrator}}

| relatives = Alvin Curling (uncle)

| spouse =

| children = 3

|website = {{url|http://lauramaelindompp.ca}}

}}

Laura Mae Monique Lindo (born 1976) is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 provincial election.[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/ontario-election-2018-kitchener-centre-riding-results-1.4695748 "NDP's Laura Mae Lindo wins in Kitchener Centre"]. CBC Kitchener-Waterloo, June 8, 2018. She represented the electoral district of Kitchener Centre as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party. In January 2023, Lindo announced that she would step down as MPP in July to take a position with the philosophy department of the University of Waterloo. She officially resigned on July 13, 2023.{{cite web |author1=The Canadian Press |author1-link=The Canadian Press |title=Ontario NDP member resigns Kitchener Centre seat, cites child-care challenges |url=https://www.cp24.com/news/ontario-ndp-member-resigns-kitchener-centre-seat-cites-child-care-challenges-1.6478769 |website=CP24 |publisher=Bell Media |language=en |date=13 July 2023}}

Early life and education

Born in Canada, Lindo's parents immigrated to the country from Jamaica. Her mother Osra Lindo graduated from York University with a bachelor's degree in gender and women's studies at the age of 79.{{cite news |last1=Otis |first1=Daniel |title=79-year-old Toronto grandmother earns first university degree |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/79-year-old-toronto-grandmother-earns-first-university-degree-1.4130986 |access-date=13 January 2022 |work=CTVNews |date=11 October 2018 |language=en}} She is the niece of former Ontario MPP and Speaker Alvin Curling.{{cite news |last1=Rubinoff |first1=Joel |title=Kitchener Centre MPP Laura Mae Lindo: "I know what it's like to not be heard, so I think I listen more to people whose experiences are different than me" |url=https://www.toronto.com/news-story/9217393-kitchener-centre-mpp-laura-mae-lindo-i-know-what-it-s-like-to-not-be-heard-so-i-think-i-listen-more-to-people-whose-experiences-are-different-than-me-/ |access-date=13 January 2022 |work=Toronto.com |date=11 March 2019 |language=en-CA}} Raised in Scarborough, Lindo has lived in Kitchener since 2014.

Lindo graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in philosophy in 1998 followed by a second BA degree in African studies and philosophy from York University.{{cite book |editor1-last=Allen |editor1-first=Marlene D. |editor2-last=Williams |editor2-first=Seretha D. |title=Afterimages of slavery : essays on appearances in recent American films, literature, television and other media |date=2012 |publisher=McFarland |location=Jefferson, N.C. |isbn=978-0786490165 |pages=233–234 |chapter=About the Contributors}} Her Master of Education degree, completed at York, examined Ontario's high school philosophy program. Lindo also holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in education. She completed her studies at York University in 2011 with a thesis titled "I'm Writing for Freedom!" Mapping Public Discourse on Race in Comedy.{{cite thesis |last=Lindo |first= Laura Mae Monique |date=2011 |title=I'm Writing for Freedom!" Mapping Public Discourse on Race in Comedy |degree=PhD |publisher=York University |docket= |oclc=794163436 |url= |access-date=}}

Career

Lindo is Kitchener's first Black MPP.{{cite news |title=Laura Mae Lindo joins Catherine Fife on the NDP benches |url=https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2018/06/08/laura-mae-lindo-joins-catherine-fife-on-the-ndp-benches.html |access-date=13 January 2022 |work=therecord.com |date=8 June 2018 |language=en}} She served as a Member of the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills, and as Critic for Citizenship and Immigration Services and Critic for anti-racism.{{cite web |title=Laura Mae Lindo (Kitchener Centre) |date=7 June 2018 |url=https://www.ola.org/en/members/all/laura-mae-lindo |publisher=Legislative Assembly of Ontario |accessdate=17 September 2018}} In 2018, Lindo was named a member of the Ontario NDP's first ever Black Caucus, alongside NDP caucus colleagues Rima Berns-McGown, Faisal Hassan, Jill Andrew and Kevin Yarde.[https://www.ontariondp.ca/news/ndp-establishes-first-official-black-caucus-ontario-history-0 "NDP establishes first official Black Caucus in Ontario History"]. Ontario New Democratic Party, April 15, 2019. Prior to her election, she worked as Director of Diversity and Equity at Wilfrid Laurier University.{{cite news |title=Laura Mae Lindo takes Kitchener Centre |url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/8658741-laura-mae-lindo-takes-kitchener-centre/ |accessdate=17 September 2018 |work=TheRecord.com |date=7 June 2018}} In December 2021, she introduced Bill 67, The Racial Equity in Education Systems Act which "embeds anti-racist language into pieces of legislation from kindergarten to grade 12, and all throughout post secondary", saying "when you define it, then it is real".{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/kitchener-centre-mpp-introduces-bill-to-fight-racism-in-schools-1.6271617|title=Kitchener Centre MPP introduces bill to fight racism in schools|publisher=cbc.ca|date=December 3, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://kitchener.citynews.ca/local-news/kitchener-centre-mpp-receives-support-on-racial-equity-bill-5121252|title=Kitchener Centre MPP receives support on racial equity bill|publisher=citynews.ca|date=March 3, 2022}}

After the resignation of Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath in June 2022 after the party's defeat in the Ontario general election, Lindo was seen as a potential candidate in the subsequent leadership election, but she decided not to run in November.{{Cite news |date=January 18, 2023 |title=Kitchener Centre MPP Laura Mae Lindo stepping down to take Ontario university job |work=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/kitchener-centre-mpp-laura-mae-lindo-stepping-down-1.6718233 |access-date=January 18, 2023}}

In January 2023, Lindo announced that she would be stepping down that July to join the University of Waterloo's philosophy department. She cited child care costs as a cause for her resigning her seat.{{cite web |author1=The Canadian Press |author1-link=The Canadian Press |title=Ontario NDP member resigns seat, cites child-care challenges |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9831059/ontario-ndp-member-resigns-seat-cites-child-care-challenges/ |website=Global News |language=English |date=July 14, 2023}} Lindo endorsed Debbie Chapman as the next NDP candidate in the by-election. However, the seat flipped to the Green Party candidate Aislinn Clancy.

Select publications

{{cite book |editor1-last=Carr |editor1-first=Paul R. |editor2-last=Lund |editor2-first=Darren E. |title=The Great White North? Exploring Whiteness, Privilege, and Identity in Education |date=2007 |publisher=Sense Publishers |location=Rotterdam, Netherlands |isbn=9789087901448 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6LymDwAAQBAJ |chapter=Whiteness and Philosophy: Imagining Non-White Philosophy in Schools}}
{{cite book |author1=Laura Mae Lindo |editor1-last=Allen |editor1-first=Marlene D. |editor2-last=Williams |editor2-first=Seretha D. |title=Afterimages of Slavery: Essays on Appearances in Recent American Films, Literature, Television and Other Media |date=2012 |publisher=McFarland |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |isbn=978-0786490165 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5X6BDKT3A1cC |chapter=A Comic Routine: The Place of Slavery in Identify Formation for the Twenty-First Century}}
{{cite journal |last1=Lindo |first1=Laura Mae |title=A Man and His Mic: Taking Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle to Teacher's College |journal=European Journal of Humour Research |date=November 2015 |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=54–74 |doi=10.7592/EJHR2015.3.4.lindo|doi-access=free }}

Election results

{{CANelec/top|ON|2018|Kitchener Centre (provincial electoral district)|Kitchener Centre|percent=yes|change=yes|prelim=no}}

{{CANelec/total|Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots|757|1.58|}}

{{CANelec/source|Source: Elections Ontario{{cite web|url=https://www.elections.on.ca/content/dam/NGW/sitecontent/2018/results/officialresults-yellowbook/votescastbycandidate/pdf/Valid%20Votes%20Cast%20for%20Each%20Candidate%20-%202018%20Provincial%20General%20Election.pdf|title=Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate|page=5|publisher=Elections Ontario|access-date=16 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228175029/https://www.elections.on.ca/content/dam/NGW/sitecontent/2018/results/officialresults-yellowbook/votescastbycandidate/pdf/Valid%20Votes%20Cast%20for%20Each%20Candidate%20-%202018%20Provincial%20General%20Election.pdf|archive-date=28 December 2018|url-status=dead}}}}

References

Category:Living people

Category:Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs

Category:Politicians from Kitchener, Ontario

Category:People from Scarborough, Ontario

Category:Women MPPs in Ontario

Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Category:21st-century Canadian women politicians

Category:Black Canadian politicians

Category:Black Canadian women

Category:York University alumni

Category:1976 births