Black families start the school year with new legal services to fight anti-Black racism in Ontario schools

The Black Legal Action Centre and Ontario's Student and Family Advocates partner to offer free legal support to Black students and families during the 2022-2023 school year

TORONTO, Aug 30, 2022 /CNW/ - The Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC) is partnering with Ontario's 17 Black-led Student and Family Advocate Programs (SFA's) to support and empower Black children in schools across Ontario.

BLAC has received $50,000 in funding through Parents of Black Children (PoBC), the lead organization for the SFA's Community of Practice, and has committed to using $50,000 of BLAC's own donations to provide enhanced legal representation in the area of human rights and education law.

This initiative will enhance BLAC's existing programs and services in the area of education law and will allow BLAC to support more families seeking legal support in navigating anti-Black racism in the education system, regardless of their income. Funding was provided through the Ontario Black Youth Action Plan. 

"Because BLAC receives most of its funding from Legal Aid Ontario, we can generally only represent people who make below a certain income. The problem is that families that make $40,000 or $50,000 a year make too much to qualify for legal aid but not enough to pay a lawyer, " said Moya Teklu, Executive Director and General Counsel at the Black Legal Action Centre. "We know that socio-economic status does not protect you from anti-Black racism, and this initiative and the expanded services that we're now going to be able to deliver, reflect that reality."

Nonye Okenwa is the new lawyer hired through this initiative. She joins BLAC staff lawyer Piera Savage, in providing legal services for Black families seeking assistance with issues in the education system such as challenging or negotiating Individual Education Plans, appealing suspensions or expulsions, and bullying or harassment.

The 17 Black-led SFA's who have partnered with BLAC on this initiative represent and support Black families across Ontario by providing free wraparound services to students and families experiencing anti-Black racism in schools including advocacy support, case management and systems navigation.

"This partnership with the Black Legal Action Centre is a game changer in helping families take legal action when their children are experiencing anti-Black racism," said Kearie Daniel, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Parents of Black Children. "Advocacy support is available for parents across the province, but this legal support levels the playing field by making a legal route for justice available to all Black parents.  We all need support in ensuring our kids are protected in schools. These incidents will no longer be swept under the rug."

Families from anywhere in the province can access BLAC's education law services through a referral with their local SFA or through BLAC's standard intake process. Further information on the enhanced services provided through this partnership can be found at https://www.blacklegalactioncentre.ca/ or https://studentandfamilyadvocate.com/

For videos and more on this story, visit: https://dayo.ca/blac-sfa/

About Black Legal Action Centre

Established in 2017, the Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC) is an independent not-for-profit community legal clinic that works to combat and eradicate individual and systemic anti-Black racism through litigation, education, and advocacy. BLAC provides free legal services to members of Ontario's Black communities. BLAC also engages in community development, law reform, test case litigation, and public legal education. www.blacklegalactioncentre.ca

About Student and Family Advocate Program

The Student and Family Advocate Program (SFA) is a Black community-based program designed to support Black families and students as they engage with the education system. There are 17 Black-led organizations with SFAs across Ontario providing navigational resources to support children in the education system among other institutions. SFAs acknowledge, understand, and address Anti-Black Racism and its impacts on Black families and students through advocacy, accountability and action for transformational change. The SFA Community of Practice is led by Parents of Black Children.

https://studentandfamilyadvocate.com/

SOURCE Black Legal Action Centre

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