“As a group, we are committed to increasing our visibility here at Queen’s Law and throughout the wider Queen’s community and to collaborating with the other Black affinity groups on campus,” says Uche Umolu, Law’25, President of the Queen’s Chapter of the Black Law Students’ Association (BLSA-Queen’s). “The events we have chosen to participate in this month are academic-related and designed to reflect the beauty in the Black culture. We hope that the diversity of these events will inspire us as we move on to be a voice for our community.”

To kick off Black Histories and Futures Month, BLSA-Queen’s members are taking part in two launch events today. At the first one, they are joining Queen’s students, faculty, and staff to view a display revealed by the Queen's Medicine Black Medical Student Association. At the late afternoon event, a virtual Opening Ceremony hosted by Queen’s Human Rights and Equity Office (HREO), Dainelle Barham, Law’23, will be emceeing the “Black Histories: Remembering” panel featuring Judith Brown, a highly regarded Kingston advocate for the African and Caribbean communities, and Lavie Williams, a campus and community leader. 

Tomorrow, BLSA-Queen’s members will be joining Queen’s community members to watch and discuss the 2021 film, Judas and the Black Messiah, for “Black Screening Talks” co-organized by the Yellow House Student Centre for Equity and Inclusion and Queen’s HREO. 

Jodeen Williams, Law’23, will be competing in the Julius Alexander Isaac Moot taking place at the Ontario Court of Appeal from Feb. 2 to 4. Named after the first Black judge to sit on the Federal Court of Canada and go on to become its Chief Justice, the moot focuses on an area of law in which issues of equity and diversity arise. 

The Isaac Moot is organized by the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada (BLSA Canada), which also hosts a national conference. For this year’s edition being held Feb. 16-19, 12 BLSA members will be travelling to Halifax, where they will be attending panels on various areas of law, a career fair with employers from all practice areas, and a gala dinner featuring performances and awards that celebrate Black leaders in the legal community, Black students, and BLSA Chapters at law schools from across Canada. “We’re looking forward to interacting with other Black law students across the country and cross-sharing ideas to improve our law school experience, says Umolu who will be taking over Queen’s Law’s Instagram on Feb. 17. 

BLSA-Queen’s has also been busy planning its own events and activities.  

Throughout February, members will be featuring Black icons and highlighting prominent Black Queen’s alumni on Instagram. The Black icons will also be displayed on the digital screen in the Queen’s Law Building atrium. 

On Feb. 28, BLSA-Queen’s hosts an employment law session with Esi Codjoe, Law’03, a partner with Turnpenney Milne LLP in Toronto. She is a former Vice Chair of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and was named one of the Top 25 Most Influential by Canadian Lawyer magazine in 2018. Codjoe will discuss her journey through law school, her adjudicative experiences at Ontario’s Human Rights Tribunal and Landlord and Tenant Board, her litigation experience in hospitals and with health professional clients, and her path to partnership. There will be a Q&A after the talk, so attendees are encouraged to come with questions.  

These events are open to the entire Queen’s Law community. “This is an opportunity to build knowledge and learn more about the Black community,” says Umolu. “As law students and future lawyers, our job is to create a space and platform that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. By participating in these events, Queens Law students are presented with an opportunity to be engaged both diversely and ethically in issues that affect the Black community.” 

BLSA-Queen’s has more plans lined up for March. They will be holding a one-day outreach conference for local high school students, meeting students offered admission to the Queen’s JD program during Welcome Day, having mentorship discussions with Black alumni, and touring firms. 

Find out about other events being held in Kingston to recognize and celebrate Black Histories and Futures Month on the city’s events calendar. 

By Lisa Graham