Black Law Students Association of Canada president Keri Wallace

By Samuel Getachew

A year after The National Black Engineers Conference held the biggest black students convention in Toronto for the very first time, the Black Law Students Association of Canada (BLSAC) convention will also mark its 20th year as well as host their convention here in Toronto.

According to their manifesto, BLSAC “recognizes the essential role that we will play as lawyers in furthering the aspirations of our community and Canadian society as a whole. We are committed to supporting and enhancing the academic, professional and networking opportunities for black law students in both official languages. We also recognize the need to pay it forward and have a very active mentoring program for high school and university students interested in a legal career.”

With inspiration from the American National Black Law Students’ Association, the Canadian association received support from the Attorney General of Ontario, Toronto Race Relations and the Law Society of Upper Canada came in the form of funding and mentorship. Through it all, the association was able to produce well researched and well read documents on subjects such as on the Canadian Law School admission policies and access to the justice system.
High profile guests such as The Honourable Justice Romain Pitt of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario, Rosemary Sadlier of the Ontario Black Historical Society and Ontario Minister of Health Promotion and Sport Margarett Best are some of the scheduled speakers. With topics such as racial discrimination and the effectiveness of the judicial system and human rights, equity and accessibility, the sold-out event is expected to be a memorable one. It is also hoped that is would be a mixture of networking and the building of a long lasting relationship between the future nation builders of Canada.

Keri Wallace is a third year law student at the University of Western Ontario as well as the current President of the Canadian Black Law Students. Sway caught up with her to discuss the importance of this association and the effects that two decades has had on society.

Why is BLSAC still important to black students and former students after all these years?
There are still systemic barriers to access to both a legal education and career. Our goal is to help and support current and prospective Black law students. This need is confirmed by the lack of representation of Black law students across Canadian universities. BLSAC events create a welcoming atmosphere where students feel comfortable to be themselves and speak with professionals about their experiences. Many leave the conference with life long friends. It means a lot to be in an environment with so many talented Black professionals who truly care about supporting the community. There’s a sense of empowerment at every BLSAC event and that is probably why our members develop such an attachment to the association.

Late last year, the Faculty of Law of the University of Quebec in Montreal became the first francophone chapter of the BLSAC. How important was that?
BLSAC is a national organization, so it is very important that we have an active francophone community. The French community experiences the same barriers and it is important that they are provided with the same support. We’re very excited about the current growth of BLSAC and hope to see more Quebec chapters joining.

Tell us about the mentorship program at the BLSAC
The mentorship program is one of the most important aspects of BLSAC. This year, our mentorship representative, University of Windsor law student Te-Anna Bailey, did an outstanding job mentoring students and matching undergraduate and high school students with mentors who are currently in law school. We hope that these relationships continue beyond the application process. Mentorship is an important start for law students. Mentors advise students on the rigors of law school, the expectation of the admission committees, and how a student can become a better candidate. Since there are few black students, black undergraduates and high school students may not know anyone in law school. Where other students have the advantage of having a family member or a friend who many have been through the process, not many blacks have this connection available to them. This is where BLSAC steps in, to provide those students with the advantage other applicants have. We hope that this leads to better candidates, which will increase the black student population at Canadian law schools.

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