Romain W. Pitt

Pioneering lawyer the late Roman Pitt was a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Upon being called to the bar, he left a prestigious Bay Street law firm to form, with Eric Lindsay, the first partnership of Black lawyers in Canada. In 1994, he was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, becoming the first Black lawyer in Canada to be named to a Superior Court from private practice.

In the community, Pitt mentored high school students interested in pursuing careers in law and served on the boards of the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice and the Toronto Hospital. He was a founding director of Caribana, the annual celebration of Caribbean culture held in Toronto, and North America’s largest street festival. He played a leading role in the creation of the Black Business Professional Association and the Sickle Cell Association of Canada. For his contributions to law and the community, he was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, among other honours.