Indigenous Blacks & Mi'kmaq Initiative
A catalyst for change
The Indigenous Blacks & Mi'kmaq (IB&M) Initiative at the Schulich School of Law was established in 1989 to聽increase representation of African Nova Scotian (Indigenous Blacks) and Mi'kmaq in the legal profession聽in order to reduce discrimination.
The Indigenous Blacks & Mi'kmaq Initiative works to ensure that African Nova Scotian and Mi鈥檏maq students, as well as other Black and Indigenous students, are represented at the Schulich School of Law. It involves聽community outreach聽and聽recruiting, providing financial and other support to students, developing聽scholarships聽in the areas of Aboriginal law and African Canadian legal perspectives, and promoting the聽hiring and retention of graduates.聽
Students who enter the Schulich School of Law through the Indigenous Blacks & Mi'kmaq Initiative join the regular first-year class, write the same exams, complete the same work and earn the same JD degree as all other students.聽
Since the Indigenous Blacks & Mi'kmaq Initiative began,聽more than 270 Black and Indigenous graduates聽have gone on to pursue careers with private law firms, the judiciary, community organizations and government. They have taken up a range of leadership roles across Nova Scotia and beyond.
The Indigenous Blacks & Mi'kmaq Initiative has been nationally recognized numerous times as a model for diversity in legal education.