The Peter A. Allard School of Law has announced a new gift of $2.157 million over the next five years from the Law Foundation of British Columbia (LFBC) to establish an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) infrastructure within the law school and support research and teaching related to racial justice. This gift is the first of its kind given to a Canadian law school and the largest donor investment in EDI infrastructure and research and teaching related to racial justice at UBC.

“We are deeply grateful to the Law Foundation of British Columbia for this significant investment,” said Dean Ngai Pindell. “Their partnership with UBC will provide the funding necessary to advance EDI and racial justice work at the law school, which is a focus of mine and of the law school’s strategic plan.”

The new capacity enabled by this funding forms part of the law school’s commitment to take concrete actions to advance equity, diversity, inclusion and antiracism in legal institutions and in British Columbia. Opportunities for taking concrete actions emerge with respect to the entire law school community across teaching, research and operations. Success will be measured by our ability to identify these areas of opportunity, to develop interventions and to monitor the effectiveness of these interventions. Existing opportunities include the development of Black students and lawyers at the law school and in positions of leadership, the production of cutting-edge scholarship exploring race, intersectionality and community, and the transformation of legal institutions provincially and nationally.

With this funding, the Allard School of Law is establishing the UBC Professorship in Race and Law, which will elevate and increase capacity for the law school’s teaching, research and advocacy efforts in the areas of race, racism and the law and the intersection of race with other grounds of discrimination. This position was also made possible by financial support from UBC via the Black Faculty Cohort Hiring Initiative. This initiative enables the university to achieve greater diversity, ensure amplified impact, elevate student learning and generate research breakthroughs.

The gift will also support the creation of two staff positions focusing on EDI work within the law school and an annual research fund valued at $30,000 to support research on racial justice.

“The Law Foundation of British Columbia and the Allard School of Law share an obligation to combat racism and discrimination within legal institutions and the justice system,” noted Josh Paterson, Executive Director of the LFBC. “We are pleased to be able to support the Allard School of Law in work that will help advance racial justice.”