The month of February marks Black History Month. At our firm, we are celebrating the contributions of Black Canadians, and continue to amplify Black voices. We encourage everyone to learn about and reflect on the historic and ongoing inequity and discrimination faced by the Black community. The horrors of anti-Black racism persist in Canada. Further, the legal profession has a history of racism, discrimination, and unequal access that continues to this day. Our firm continues take action and advocate for change.
All of the members of our firm will be joining the Law Society’s Black History Month Program on February 10, 2022, entitled EDI Strategic Toolkit: Evaluating Organizational Inclusion. We encourage you to do the same.
We also encourage you to attend the Humber Centre for Human Rights Equity and Inclusion’s virtual forum titled, Forum: How to Be an Effective Ally to Indigenous and Racialized Woman – March 8 from 1-2PM. There is a great panel: Nahannee Schuitemaker, Denise Christopherson, and Dr. Elizabeth Tunstall. Join and learn.
We applaud the leadership taken at Nelligan Law in 2021. They developed the "Black Canadians in Law: A Timeline". It is excellent. Great leadership Nelligans!
We also encourage you to support the many Black-owned businesses and organizations, two of which we would like to highlight:
The Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC) is a non-profit organization that provides legal services for Black Ontarians. As a community legal clinic, BLAC engages in combatting racism both at an individual and systemic level. BLAC has intervened in many cases, including the recent landmark decision R. v. Morris, where the Ontario Court of Appeal considered the issue of racism in the Canadian criminal justice system.
Black Girl Hockey Club is a community space for Black women in hockey and “the folks that love us”. It aims to inspire and sustain passion for hockey in the Black community, and disrupt racism on and of the ice. The Black Girl Hockey Club offers a variety of educational programs, scholarships, and community spaces. They are running a “Get Uncomfortable Campaign” now. Participate!
Help us promote Black Canadians, their stories, their businesses, their organizations, and their leadership. Send us your links, stories, and ideas so that we can promote you/them throughout the month and the year.
We are all in this together. One people's inequity is a society’s disgrace. We invite you to continue taking an active role in addressing anti-Black racism and creating a more equitable legal profession.