Parents can鈥檛 measure the true influence they have on their children. Sometimes it鈥檚 simply the way they navigate their challenges and successes that have an impact on the next generation.
Cecil Allan Fraser, B.A. 1958, LL.B. 1961, the first Black graduate of the Queen鈥檚 law program worked hard, got along well with his classmates, and forged a successful career as a lawyer.
Fast forward 62 years, and his son, Justice Hugh Fraser, Artsci鈥74, reflects on his father鈥檚 successes as a student-led bursary is established in his father鈥檚 name for future Black law students at Queen鈥檚. 鈥淚 don't think my dad ever considered himself a trailblazer,鈥 says Justice Fraser. 鈥淎t least it wasn鈥檛 part of discussions that we had around the dinner table.鈥
As he discusses his father, Justice Fraser would be remiss to avoid discussing his own career as a lawyer, a judge, and an Olympic sprinter.
Justice Fraser moved to Kingston, Ontario from Kingston, Jamaica when he was seven years old. His father was finishing law school. When it was his turn to pick a university, Fraser chose Queen鈥檚 despite the fact that he was a talented runner with the potential to attend American universities on scholarship. 鈥淢y parents knew what kind of education I was going to get at Queen鈥檚,鈥 he explains. 鈥淪chool was of primary importance in our household. My parents didn't understand the sports department too much.鈥
Justice Fraser completed his undergrad at Queen鈥檚, but was unsure about his future. 鈥淎s I grew more mature, I realized law was something I was keen to pursue,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t wasn't a conscious decision to follow in my father's footsteps, but that was certainly a big influence.鈥
Once he decided on his path, his career took off quickly. Like his father, he wouldn鈥檛 immediately realize the influence he would have on the industry and on the next generation. 鈥淎s I look back, I feel privileged to have been able to make an impact,鈥 he says. 鈥淵ou don't think of that as much at the front end of your career. At that point, you just do whatever comes through the door.鈥
The opportunities that came through his door were notable. To name just a few: He was a member of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, a participant in the Dubin Commission of Inquiry after Ben Johnson鈥檚 positive drug test, and he made the ruling in the infamous Ipperwash case that found a police officer guilty of killing Ojibwa protester Dudley George.
Justice Fraser admits to being hesitant in 1993, when he was called to the bench at the relatively young age of 41 , but he felt a responsibility to answer the call. 鈥淎t that point, there were not a lot of Black lawyers with the kind of seniority you needed to even apply to become a judge,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 felt that if the opportunity was there and I turned it down, who knows how long it will be for the next person behind me?鈥
鈥淧rogress is often much slower than we hope for,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 know I have it better than my father鈥檚 generation, and my children have it better than I did, but that鈥檚 not to say we鈥檙e anywhere close to where we should be.鈥
Still, he says the progress he鈥檚 observed is undeniable. 鈥淚 see it in the improved diversity of the classes from when I was a student,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 see it in court where the lawyers are a more diverse group. And on our bench in the Ontario Court of Justice there have been far more minority appointments over the years as well.鈥
But perhaps the biggest sign of progress, according to Justice Fraser, happened recently at Queen鈥檚. 鈥淜ingston and Queen鈥檚 have been wonderful for my family,鈥 he says, 鈥渂ut I don鈥檛 think any of us could have dreamed that there would be a bursary in my father鈥檚 name. To hear that he was being recognized in that way was a tremendous joy.鈥
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