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Letters T IB&M INITIATIVE TURNS 20 he Indigenous Blacks & Mi'kmaq Initiative at Dalhousie Law School is entering adulthood. This year the program marks its 20th anniversary. "The IB&M Initiative recruits and supports Aboriginal and African- Canadian students at Dalhousie Law School," explains director Michelle Williams-Lorde. "It is important to note, that once admitted [the students] join the regular first-year class and complete all of the same course require- ments and exams as all other students." The groundbreaking program was established in direct response to three key factors. First, there was the pas- sion and commitment of African Nova Scotians and Mi'kmaq people across the province striving to gain access to legal education and to address racism in the judicial system. Second, there was an important report out of Dalhousie University, "Breaking Barriers: Report of the Task Force on Access for Black and Native People," which explored issues of access to education. Then there was the landmark report issued by the Royal Commission on the Donald Marshall Jr. prosecution. Established in response to the wrongful murder conviction of the native Nova Scotian, the commissioners concluded, "That racism played a role in Marshall's imprisonment is one of the most diffi- cult and disturbing findings this Royal Commission has made." Out of that disturbing reality, how- ever, have come important efforts to change the system. "[T]he Indigenous Blacks & Mi'kmaq Initiative, which started in 1989, came about in large part as a result of the report on Donald Marshall Jr.'s wrongful conviction, imprisonment, and related experienc- es," says Williams-Lorde. "So as the IB&M Initiative prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary this year, we will also be making time to remember the injustice that Mr. Marshall Jr. experi- enced — and the progress that resulted from his sacrifice." There is much to celebrate. "To date, we have over 125 African-Canadian and Aboriginal students who were admitted through the IB&M Initiative and have graduated from Dalhousie Law School," DIVERSITY REPORT says the program director. "The alumni are working in virtually every area of law — and are working across Canada and beyond." Many of them will carry on the legacy left by Marshall, who died earlier this year. He was 56 years old. — DM CENTRAL Animal law conference garners 150 attendees T here's no need to create civil rights for animals, but humans have an obligation not to harm any crea- ture. That was the opening message at Canada's first international animal law conference organized in May by the Université du Québec à Mon- tréal's international research group in animal law, better known by its French acronym GRIDA. It was delivered by honourary president, lawyer Joan Clark of Ogilvy Renault LLP, who has been active in promoting animal protection for three decades. About 150 people attended the two-day event that featured 18 guest speakers. They included: Dana M. Campbell, a long-time attorney for the criminal justice program of the California-based Animal Legal Defense Fund who spoke about the correlation between violence to ani- mals and violence to humans; David Cassuto, professor of law and director of the Brazi l-American Institute for Law and Environment at Pace University School of Law, on owning what you eat — prop- erty, animals, and the factory farm; David Favre, editor in chief of the Animal Legal & Historical Web Center at Michigan State University College of Law, on the new status for animals — living property; and Kathy Hessler, law professor and director of Oregon's Center for Animal Law Studies, on new paradigms in animal testing. Other subjects ranged from con- sidering the animals' perspective, legal treatment of animals in times of weath- er disasters as well as progress of the Nonhuman Rights Project that seeks to extend the fundamental rights of lib- erty and equality to such non-human animals as apes through litigation and public education. GRIDA president Martine Lachance, a judicial sciences profes- sor at UQAM, said the purpose of the conference was to bring together a group of researchers and students to explore the bases for a new under- standing of "animal law" and its determinants. — MIKE KING mking@videotron.ca www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com OC T O BER 2009 7