CLEBC is proud to share the second part to the immensely popular video “But I Was Wearing a Suit” — A grassroots project of a group of Indigenous Lawyers, with the support of the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC and the Law Society of BC
To encourage discussion about stereotyping and bias within the justice system, we asked for stories about Indigenous peoples’ experiences of micro-aggressions or micro-discriminations.
Over 50 people responded to this survey. Of those not comfortable submitting videos, their stories are read by others to protect their anonymity.
Of the submissions, six stories from a variety of perspectives were selected for this sequel. About 10 people from several organizations came together remotely to plan, coordinate and produce this video, which premiered at the Human Rights Conference on November 17th. The hope is that this series will continue as more stories are recorded.
We pose the question: If this is how Indigenous lawyers are treating in the legal system, what does this say about how the legal system treats Indigenous people in general.
This is a great opportunity to raise “cultural competency”—for us to examine ourselves as a profession and take steps to correct unconscious bias and stereotypes about Indigenous Peoples. How we treat each other in the legal profession reflects more broadly how we treat Indigenous Peoples as clients or who are otherwise involved in the legal system.
We encourage your comments and ask you to share this video wherever you see fit.