“When the law is reminiscent of the colonial legacy of control, oppression and violence, there is no room for a “tempered” emotion, nor should the requirement of “respectability” be met; Canadian law is anything but neutral, and its impact on the lives and livelihood of Black queer, trans and nonbinary women and femmes in Canada renders justified anger and other emotions.”

“Ontario has the opportunity to develop a licensing system that prepares candidates for real-world clients, communities, and legal challenges. Modernizing the process is both a policy decision and an ethical one. The profession benefits when its licensing pathways reflect fairness, competence, and the lived realities of legal practice.”

“Transformative legal shifts will result from this bill if—and only if—we make space for what I call “movement judicial education,” which is education for judges that is attuned to what’s going on in the community […] If not, this new legislative change will only serve to benefit the seemingly perfect victim in cases of sexual assault, again leaving Black women and femmes to fend for ourselves.”

“Just because bar examinations have been the practice for the past 63 years does not mean it must remain that way for the next half-century. It is due time we scrap bar examination. It will improve access to justice for many marginalized communities, and it is a matter of urgency that it be addressed.”

“We need more Black queer women and femmes elected. We need to create safer spaces where people who are diverse actually feel accepted and responded to and not in a tokenistic way. So often, diversity feels good for many until the conversation hits home. We need people at the table who can speak from lived experiences.”

“My Black femme identity is not “woman” and does not subscribe to binary limitations. It is infinite and limitless. It is rooted in resistance, accountability and healing. It is both soft and fierce. It unapologetically loves my Blackness and femininity simultaneously.”

“One thing that this pandemic has shown me is that the law, the profession and the practice is always evolving and we all have a role to play. Not everyone will work at a law firm, and that’s absolutely OK.”

“However, we cannot ignore the fact that this requirement may be dangerous in some respects because some folks may be required to out themselves by virtue of using particular pronouns when they are not quite ready to do so. Thus, we need to make room for choice, and allow folks to define themselves for themselves and on their own terms.”

“I hope that Black women are given the space to be courageous. I want people to know that you don’t need to shrink and hide parts of yourself in order to do the work that you do. For me, it’s a liberating choice to be able to say that I’m a lawyer, and I’m Black and I’m queer.”

“The reality is that Black womxn continue to (and have always) put their lives on the line for change. They are working front-line jobs, sustaining their communities, and leading movements while also being policed via criminalizing legislation and criminalized by well-funded institutions that terrorize them on a daily basis.”