Number of Black law students at U of A among lowest in the country, census shows

University of Alberta North Campus sign. Tuesday Dec. 21, 2021 (CTV News Edmonton)

The University of Alberta has one of the lowest numbers of Black law students, a new report from the Black Law Students' Association of Canada shows.

According to the report, released earlier this month, there are four Black law students attending an entry-level law program at the university out of a total of 547 students. 

The census notes that the U of A's law faculty does not have an official record of the number of Black law students enrolled in the Juris Doctor three-year degree program. Since 2020, the faculty has conducted a voluntary demographic survey.

The small number of Black students at the University of Alberta was not surprising to Ama Aidoo, president of the school's Black Law Students Association.

"There were three of us in my first year, and that was an exponential increase to what the faculty had seen in the previous year," Aidoo, whose parents are from Ghana, said. "It was hard to find each other."

The U of A tied with the University of New Brunswick for having four students in entry-level law programs.

Programs at the Thomspon Rivers and Lakehead universities were the only ones with fewer Black law students than the U of A, with a single student each, the census found.

Out of Canada's 22 universities with entry-level law programs, York University's Osgoode Hall Law School had the most Black students at 77.

'MASS PROBLEM THAT IS SYSTEMIC'

Releasing reports showing the number of students across Canada is important, Aidoo added, since it helps validate individual experiences.

"When you look at the numbers of the report, it's easy to kind of focus and see a mass problem that is systemic," she shared. "The numbers speak to a large degree themselves."

Both her parents attended university in Ghana, with her father earning a PhD and her mother completing two master's degrees. Aidoo said attending university wasn't a question, it was just for what program.

But for families without that history of university or higher level education, having a goal of getting a bachelor's degree, let alone a professional credential like a JD, can seem out of reach, she said.

"Not seeing yourself represented in these spaces can have a monumental impact on those who are coming to follow you," Aidoo told CTV News Edmonton.

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While the U of A has scholarship programs and is making an effort to review academic selection processes, Aidoo says more needs to be done to provide mentorship to Black youth.

"It really helps you navigate those intricacies of the process," she explained. "The LSAT, for example, one of the requirements to gain entry to a law school in Canada, is a game itself.

"So just having someone to help guide you if you are not familiar with the process or you don't know of many people in your community that have done it," Aidoo added, "can be the final door whether you will do or whether you will not."

In January, the Black Law Students Association and the University of Alberta hosted a pre-law information night for prospective undergraduate students. Attendees got to receive information, ask questions, meet professors and the dean.

"Things like that sometimes are lacking, really targeting Black students and saying, we want you here, is something more faculties need to do," Aidoo said.

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FOCUSED ON REMOVING BARRIERS: LAW DEAN

The Black law students chapter at the U of A was founded in 2019, Aidoo explained. At that time, the president of the club was the only Black law student.

"And that's the provincial capital," Aidoo said. "So I think it is a little sad that we are so few in number… Against such a systemic problem, change can be slow.

"If we continue to make efforts like what we are doing, we can actually start making change and moving and shaking," she added.

The U of A law faculty's dean told CTV News Edmonton that the institution is committed to creating a welcoming space for Black students, faculty and staff.

Dean Barbara Billingsley noted that in the last three years, the faculty has created five new awards and scholarships for Black students and offering an LSAT prep course every summer for students from low-income backgrounds.

"The Faculty of Law is also in the midst of reviewing our admissions policies, with particular focus on removing systemic barriers," Billingsley said.

"I called for this review to ensure our admissions policies and processes support a diverse and inclusive student body," she added in a statement.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Kyra Markov and Diego Romero