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Abby Deshman

Abby Deshman is a lawyer and the Director of the Criminal Justice Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA). She graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law with an Hons JD in 2008, and obtained an LLM from New York University in 2010. At CCLA, Abby has led advocacy, research and analysis in a wide range of issue areas including freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, freedom of religion, police powers and oversight, and the criminal justice system. Previously, she served as a Corrections Advisor on the Ontario government’s Independent Review of Corrections and as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

Yodit Edemariam

Yodit Edemariam is a lawyer and the Director of Legal Services at the Rexdale Community Legal Clinic (RCLC) in Toronto. RCLC provides free services to North Etobicoke community members living on low incomes in the areas of housing and eviction prevention, income maintenance, employment, and immigration. The Clinic also engages in law reform advocacy, community development, and public legal education. Yodit has been with RCLC since 2010, the year she was called to the bar. Prior to that, she articled at Parkdale Community Legal Services and was a placement and summer student at Legal Assistance of Windsor. She has a particular interest in eviction cases based on allegations of illegal activity and impairment of safety.

Akosua Matthews

Akosua (Ah-­ko-sue-ah) Matthews is an associate at Kastner Lam LLP, leading the firm’s state accountability work. Her practice includes civil litigation, public law, human rights claims, coroner’s inquests, and advising on policy and legislative matters.

Akosua is a Rhodes Scholar and graduate of the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto. Akosua completed her articles with the Ministry of the Attorney General at Crown Law Office Civil and was called to the Law Society of Ontario in 2014. Akosua holds a BA (Hons) from the University of Manitoba, where she was the Gold Medalist in Philosophy, and an MPhil in Comparative Social Policy from the University of Oxford. Prior to Kastner Lam LLP, Akosua was a litigation associate practicing primarily state accountability law at Falconers LLP on behalf of individuals, families and First Nations governments. 

Anthony Morgan

Anthony Morgan is a racial justice analyst and strategist, educator, and lawyer. He is the Manager of the City of Toronto’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism (CABR) unit. The CABR unit is responsible for the implementation of the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism.  Prior to joining the City of Toronto, he was in private practice, specializing in the areas of civil, constitutional, and criminal state accountability litigation. Anthony has a special interest in anti-racist human rights advocacy, particularly in the area of anti-Black racism. He has appeared before various levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and has also represented the interests of African Canadians before United Nations human rights treaty bodies. Anthony is a frequent legal, social, and public affairs commentator on issues concerning race and racism, critical multiculturalism, and critical race theory in Canada.  He is a co-founder of the Sentencing and Parole Project, which aims to reduce the over-incarceration of Black Canadians. Also a freelance columnist, Anthony’s column, “Colour-Coded Justice,” appears regularly in the Monitor, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ bimonthly policy and current affairs magazine. Anthony’s column explores racial justice issues in Canadian life, law, and policy. Anthony holds an LLB and BCL from McGill University, Faculty of Law, and a BA (Hons) from the University of Toronto in Ethics, Society & Law. He is currently completing a Masters of Science in International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford.