Parents can’t measure the true influence they have on their children. Sometimes it’s 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’s 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’74, reflects on his father’s successes as a student-led bursary is established in his father’s name for future Black law students at Queen’s. “I don't think my dad ever considered himself a trailblazer,” says Justice Fraser. “At least it wasn’t part of discussions that we had around the dinner table.”
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’s despite the fact that he was a talented runner with the potential to attend American universities on scholarship. “My parents knew what kind of education I was going to get at Queen’s,” he explains. “School was of primary importance in our household. My parents didn't understand the sports department too much.”
Justice Fraser completed his undergrad at Queen’s, but was unsure about his future. “As I grew more mature, I realized law was something I was keen to pursue,” he says. “It wasn't a conscious decision to follow in my father's footsteps, but that was certainly a big influence.”
Once he decided on his path, his career took off quickly. Like his father, he wouldn’t immediately realize the influence he would have on the industry and on the next generation. “As I look back, I feel privileged to have been able to make an impact,” he says. “You 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.”
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’s 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. “At that point, there were not a lot of Black lawyers with the kind of seniority you needed to even apply to become a judge,” he says. “I 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?”
“Progress is often much slower than we hope for,” he says. “I know I have it better than my father’s generation, and my children have it better than I did, but that’s not to say we’re anywhere close to where we should be.”
Still, he says the progress he’s observed is undeniable. “I see it in the improved diversity of the classes from when I was a student,” he says. “I 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.”
But perhaps the biggest sign of progress, according to Justice Fraser, happened recently at Queen’s. “Kingston and Queen’s have been wonderful for my family,” he says, “but I don’t think any of us could have dreamed that there would be a bursary in my father’s name. To hear that he was being recognized in that way was a tremendous joy.”
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