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The Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and Maine Tribal Populations released its recommendations today. Let’s dive in. https://www.maine.gov/labor/pcrit/reports/2020_LegReport.pdf …
First, what is the Permanent Commission? It’s a government body created to promote programs that eliminate racial disparities for historically disadvantaged populations in Maine. These include Black Mainers, tribal members, people of color and immigrants.
The Permanent Commission’s report represents a historic moment for Maine: It is the first time a government body is recognizing institutional racism as a policy matter and putting forward prescriptions on how to address it.
What are some of those prescriptions? Short-term, the Permanent Commission has highlighted 26 priority bills that directly address racial disparities in our laws.
If the Legislature went back for a special session, passing these 26 bills would improve the lives of Black folks, tribal members, people of color and immigrants. These bills include bail reform, criminal record sealing, juvenile justice and tribal sovereignty.
Long-term, the Permanent Commission recommends a number of things. We’ll just highlight a few.
The Permanent Commission recommends really getting serious about criminal justice reform: arresting fewer people, locking up fewer people, and making reintegration easier for formerly incarcerated people.
The Permanent Commission recommends investing in communities so that they have the resources to create the solutions best for them. These communities have been historically disinvested from, or have been the targets of harmful practices. They need resources to repair these harms.
Impacted communities should be the ones deciding what is best for them. Policy solutions should come from the ones closest to the harm.
The Permanent Commission recommends creating a system for the Legislature to analyze the racial impact of legislation. Specifically, the Commission recommends the creation of a task force to forward long-term legislative priorities to overcome racial disparities.
Why does bringing a racial equity lens to legislation matter? A lot of laws are not racist on their face, but they have a racially discriminatory effect, or they are applied in a racially discriminatory way.
For example, punitive drug laws are one of the worst areas of racial disparities in Maine. Black Mainers represent only 1.6% of our population. Yet they make up 21% of Class A felony drug trafficking arrests.
As the Permanent Commission notes, the lasting effects of racism are not an accident. It took many hands to create a system of racist institutions, policies and practices, and it will take many hands to unmake it. That’s why racial equity has to be front & center in policymaking.
We appreciate the hard work the Permanent Commission put in to make this report and look forward to working to make its recommendations a reality. With this roadmap and a lot of hard work, Maine can lead the way to a fair and equitable future.
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