Sunday, February 18, 2024
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Monday, February 7, 2022
Saturday, February 8, 2020
U of T Faculty of Law launches Black Future Lawyers program
Joshua Lokko knew from a very early age that he wanted to study the law.
“I liked to read – and my mom said I liked to argue,” he says.
Lokko is the first in his family to attend law school. When he arrived in Toronto from London, Ont. to study law and business administration at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law and Rotman School of Management, he soon learned he was one of only six Black-identified students in his law class of nearly 200.
“Over the course of the last couple of years, we got involved in the [law] school and the school reached out to us. Together we collaborated to figure out how we could solve this problem of low Black representation,” says Lokko, who serves as the president of the national Black Law Students’ Association of Canada.
Those discussions ultimately led to the creation of the new Black Future Lawyers (BFL) program, which will engage and support Black-identified undergraduate students interested in studying law, as well as current Black law students. BFL will offer opportunities to participate in special events, conferences and lectures, as well as mentorship and job shadowing. The initiative was inspired by the U of T Faculty of Medicine’s Black Student Application Program.
“Black Future Lawyers evolved from taking Medicine’s model and thinking about how it could be applied to law school,” says Lokko, adding the program is a collaboration between the U of T Black Law Students’ Association, Black law alumni and U of T Law.
BFL aims to engage Black-identified undergraduate students, helping demystify the pathways to law while also helping students see themselves and be successful in the profession, Lokko says.
Next year, U of T Law will open its Black student application stream. Applicants must meet the standard academic requirements for admission, but they will also be offered the opportunity to provide an additional personal statement and at least three reviewers from the Black community will read their application.
“Black students often under-emphasize, or don’t include, Black-related extra-curricular participation in fear of reviewers discounting their experience,” Lokko says. “The new option will help applicants feel confident that those who are reading their applications are equipped to understand their experiences.”
The new program builds on earlier efforts by the law school to increase representation. In 2005, the Faculty of Law created one of the largest law-related youth outreach programs in North America. Law in Action Within Schools (LAWS) has since had a transformative impact on high school students facing personal or systemic barriers to success. The award-winning access program is designed to support and motivate students by exposing them to law and justice through workshops, mentorship and employment programs. Many graduates have continued on to post-secondary education and second-entry programs, including law.
Lokko, who plans to practise corporate law when he graduates this spring, says his long-term goals for BFL extend well beyond U of T’s campus.
“We hope to establish BFL chapters at every major university in Canada, building a community for Black students no matter where they are,” he says. “It’s a great step towards ensuring that future generations of Black law students see law school as a place where they belong and can be successful.”
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
IPRIDE 2017
IPRIDE 2017 was held in ATL. We had a great time and the children's accomplishments were amazing, Well Deserved Praise!
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Congratulations to Naomi, Sarah, Ezra for being invited to join the National Honors Society.
The National Honor Society (NHS) is the nation's premier organization established to recognize outstanding high school students. More than just an honor roll, NHS serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Cameron Reed Voted Senior Class President
The First Israelite SGA Senior Class President of Paulding County
Hello, my name is Cameron Reed and I proud to say I am the first Israelite Senior Class President of Paulding County High School. I thank my God the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for blessing my with this leadership role. At first I had a lot of critics even my so called friend doubted me. They told me “I am too dumb, not qualified, or you are black and white people always win that type of positions.” All the critics and haters just made me work even harder to get success. I worked hard for this position. I created a funny video and the link is below. I and my family had prayed about it and God of Israel heard. God of Israel blessed me with the position to be the SGA 2016 Senior Class President.
Hello, my name is Cameron Reed and I proud to say I am the first Israelite Senior Class President of Paulding County High School. I thank my God the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for blessing my with this leadership role. At first I had a lot of critics even my so called friend doubted me. They told me “I am too dumb, not qualified, or you are black and white people always win that type of positions.” All the critics and haters just made me work even harder to get success. I worked hard for this position. I created a funny video and the link is below. I and my family had prayed about it and God of Israel heard. God of Israel blessed me with the position to be the SGA 2016 Senior Class President.
(video)
Way to go Cameron!!!
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