African Canadian Legal Clinic
Need legal advice?
Seeking information in a specific legal area? Can't afford a lawyer? Want to know where to go to find more information? The ACLC provides access to material that will help you to understand and exercise your legal rights.
African Canadian Youth Justice Program
Learn how the ACLC's African Canadian Youth Justice Program serves African Canadian youth involved in the justice system while providing community supports.
National African Canadian Initiative
The ACLC supports the National African Canadian Initiative on Full Participation and Capacity Building.
Welcome to the ACLC
The African Canadian Legal Clinic (ACLC) is a not-for-profit organization established in October 1994 expressly to address anti-Black racism and other forms of systemic and institutional discrimination in Canadian society.
As a specialty clinic funded by Legal Aid Ontario, the ACLC provides advice and represents African Canadians in all legal forums, particularly in the courts through race-based test cases that are likely to result in significant legal precedents. Besides participating in test cases, the ACLC consults on the African Canadian community's behalf and submits legislative and policy briefs, and makes oral submissions on several issues.
- employing a litigation strategy based on test cases
- effecting law reform by monitoring legislative changes, regulatory, administrative, and judicial developments
- engaging in advocacy on the part of African Canadians
- providing legal education aimed at eliminating racism in Canada, anti-Black racism in particular
Empowering the community at the local, provincial, and national levels, is one of the ACLC's most important functions. To accomplish this, the ACLC engages in the following activities:
- maintains a library and legal resource centre
- publishes a newsletter
- convenes conferences and seminars
- hosts public hearings
- facilitates coalition building, briefings, and consultations
- provides summary legal advice
- writes manuals and protocols
- holds educational workshops
- writes op-ed pieces for media publication
- holds press conferences on pertinent issues
Learn more about the ACLC.