BLSA-Queen’s members show off the Small Chapter of the Year Award they received from the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada at a gala held in Toronto’s Westin Harbour Castle during Black Histories and Futures Month. “We are overjoyed, emotional, and excited!” exclaims BLSA-Queen’s President Uche Umolu, Law’25 (bottom row, far right).
BLSA-Queen’s members show off the Small Chapter of the Year Award they received from the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada at a gala held in Toronto’s Westin Harbour Castle during Black Histories and Futures Month. “We are overjoyed, emotional, and excited!” exclaims BLSA-Queen’s President Uche Umolu, Law’25 (bottom row, far right).
BLSA-Queen’s won the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada’s Small Chapter of the Year Award for going over and above to serve its members and communities.
BLSA-Queen’s won the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada’s Small Chapter of the Year Award for going over and above to serve its members and communities.

For going over and above to serve its members and communities, the Queen’s Chapter of the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada (BLSA-Queen’s) has received the national organization’s Small Chapter of the Year Award. The award was presented to the 23 student members in attendance at the Awards Gala held on Feb. 17 during the 2024 BLSA National Conference in Toronto’s Westin Harbour Castle.

“We are overjoyed, emotional, and excited!” exclaims BLSA-Queen’s President Uche Umolu, Law’25. “Over the past two years, our executive team has worked extremely hard to bring the Queen’s Law Chapter of BLSA to the forefront. We have tripled our numbers, increased our collaboration, and cultivated a fruitful relationship with our Faculty.”
 
To welcome the largest number of new members in the organization’s history, BLSA-Queen’s hosted a celebratory picnic last September. In other community outreach and social events, they hosted a Renaissance - Beyoncé Trivia Night fundraiser with the larger Queen’s Law community; an internal Christmas Games Night to build bonds; and a panel with a former BLSA-Queen’s president Caroline Marful, Law’23, and former finance director Micah Zierer-Clyke, Law’23, on preparing to network on Bay Street for the second-year job recruitment season. 

The Queen’s Chapter has also been very active in supporting its members in meeting their professional goals. They held a mentorship event with Justice Donald McLeod, Law’95, about his career path to the Ontario Court of Justice; and a webinar with Turnpenny Milne LLP partner Esi Codjoe, Law’03, about her journey in the labour and employment law field, to Ontario’s Human Rights Tribunal, and to partnernship with her firm. For second-year members, they organized a spring tour of five Bay Street firms in five days. BLSA-Queen’s also created a bank of their own first-year class outlines for current and future 1L members. 

Engaging with Black pre-law students, they participated in a “Law-101” event and mock trial with local high school students to introduce them to the legal environment and in a Law-Aspiring Black Students panel at McMaster on navigating and thriving as law students. 

One ongoing initiative to coach and support students academically involves upper-year Black students pairing with first-year students to discuss life at law school, job recruitment, and grades. As part of the Queen’s Law tutoring program, Umolu also mentors four Black students to ensure they have a resource and guidance as they navigate their first year.

“Black people at Queen’s Law are thriving,” says Umolu. “We hope this award inspires more beautiful young Black leaders to consider Queen’s Law in their future.”

To these prospective students, she adds, “There is a beautiful community here for you.”

By Lisa Graham