Violet King, the first Black woman lawyer in Canada Born in 1929, Violet King broke several important barriers over the course of her extraordinary life: she was the first Black student to graduate from the University of Alberta’s faculty of law; she was the first Black woman lawyer in Canada, called to the bar in 1954; and she was the first …
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During Black History Month, Irwin Law would like to highlight the Honorable Justice Donald F. McLeod. Justice McLeod today is regarded as a visionary and trailblazer, although he came from humble origins. After immigrating from England to Canada, he was raised by a single mother living in low-income developments in Toronto and Scarborough. At ten years old, Justice McLeod remembers …
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Charles Roach was a Canadian lawyer, activist, and community leader who fought for social justice and equality for marginalized communities. Born on June 18, 1933, in Trinidad and Tobago, he grew up in a family of activists, and his parents were involved in the fight for independence from British colonial rule. In 1955, Roach moved to Canada to study engineering. …
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Daniel Hill was a pioneer in human rights in Canada and a prominent writer and historian in the field of Black history in Canada. He grew up in the United States, was educated at Howard University, and served in the highly segregated US Army during World War II. According to his son, Lawrence, “It rankled him to think that he …
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© Naomi Moyer in collaboration with historian Funké Aladejebi, 2017 / Taken from: https:/graphichistorycollective.com/project/poster-2-chloe-cooley Chloe Cooley was an enslaved Black woman whose struggles against her enslaver precipitated the 1793 Act to Limit Slavery in Upper Canada. This Act was the first legislation to restrict the slave trade in the British Colonies that became Canada. Most of what is known about …
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Dr. Jean Augustine is a Grenada-born immigrant, social justice advocate, educator, politician, and Canadian trailblazer. She is the first African Canadian woman to be elected to the House of Commons, and, in 1993, she was elected in the riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore (and sat in Parliament until 2006). In that time, her roles included Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister; Minister of …
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David Shannon has held positions in academia, law, social services, and human rights in both Ontario and Nova Scotia, and worked with the United Nations to advance disability rights on an international level.
The Honorable Harvey Brownstone was born in Paris, France, in 1956 and grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, where his father was the director of the Hamilton Jewish Community Centre and his mother owned a highly successful clothing line. He attained his law degree from the Queen’s University and was called to the Ontario bar in 1983. From a young age, …
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A significant legal figure who had a profound influence on the history of Canadian law, the Honourable Justice Julius Isaac served in many important roles, including as a judge of the Supreme Court of Ontario and as a chief justice of the Federal Court of Canada—the first Person of Colour to be appointed to that bench. Born in 1928 in …
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