Preface

• Author: Colleen Sheppard
• Pages: 9-10

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Preface

   this book project came to me when my daugh-

ter encouraged me to write a book that was accessible and non-

traditional. I thought about some of the case studies I was reading in

my research on discrimination — cases that touched me because of

the strength of the individuals involved, the commitment of family

members to each other, the harshness of exclusion and discrimin-

ation, the everyday situations that suddenly become moments of

injustice, and the insights they provide into the strengths and lim-

its of anti- discrimination law. And I decided to highlight these cases,

and the people involved in them, as a way of illustrating important

themes in equality law. The stories of discrimination included in

this book teach us about law, legal concepts, and norms; beyond that,

they teach us about human relations and resilience.

I was greatly assisted by inspiring and energetic research assist-

ants, whose interest and engagement in the project were invalu-

able. I wish to extend my sincere thanks to Emma Brown, Aliah El

Hounia, Dominique Grégoire, Maya Gunnarsson, Gabriella Jamieson,

Rebecca Jones, Natalia Paunic, Genny Plumptre, Nathaniel Reilly,

Rachelle Rose, Diana Stepner, and Angela Yang for their research

and editorial assistance. I love working with students and f‌ind their

intelligence, creativity, and hope for the future rejuvenating. I am

also indebted to Sarah Bardaxoglou, for her thoughtful comments on

the draft manuscript.