Surviving law school and the practice and profession of law as an Indigenous, Black, or racialized lawyer can be exhausting.
Having some resources can be helpful.
A few essential reads/quotes…
“[J]udges who do not see the harm of rape or of racist speech are considered to be simply interpreting what is before them. They are not seen to possess norms and values that derive directly from their social location and that are sustained by such practices as considering individuals outside of their social contexts. Stories of members of marginalized groups must therefore ‘reveal things about the world that we ought to know’. These stories are ‘a means of obtaining the knowledge we need to create a just legal structure’. (Looking White People in the Eye – Sherene H. Razack)
“In first year, I internalized this characteristic of colonialism and oppression, believing if I could only change, perhaps fit in a little better, my law school experience would be rewarding. Both the institution and some of my teachers reinforced this belief. Since then I have understood that the greatest obstacle was not myself, but the very structure of the institution and the legal studies program.” (Thunder in my Soul: A Mohawk Woman Speaks – Patricia Monture-Angus)
“When she first started to feel that something was happening, it was her body that informed her, and not her mind.” (Birdie – Tracey Lindberg)
“For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change.” (Sister Outsider – Audre Lorde)
