Cheryl Thompson is an Assistant Professor at Ryerson University in the School of Creative Industries. She is the author of Beauty in a Box: Detangling the Roots of Canada’s Black Beauty Culture. She previously held a Banting postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto. Dr. Thompson's next book Uncle: Race, Nostalgia and the Politics of Loyalty will be published by Coach House Books in February, 2021. She has also published articles in The New York Times, Conversation, Toronto Star, Montreal Gazette, Spacing, Herizon’s Magazine, Halifax Coast, and Rabble.ca. She grew up in Scarborough, and currently resides in Toronto.