The University of Maine School of Law will host its third public forum designed to examine the racism in our laws and institutions, and to discuss specific policies and practices that could be implemented to facilitate change through law.
On April 1, 2021 at 6:00 pm, Maine Law will host Racial Injustice: Using Racial Impact Statements to Inform Change. A racial impact statement, like a fiscal impact statement, is a tool to aid legislators in detecting unintended and unforeseen disparate impacts of proposed legislation prior to adoption and implementation.
LD 2, An Act to Require the Inclusion of Racial Impact Statements in the Legislative Process, has been enacted by the Maine State Legislature and signed by Governor Mills. Maine joins seven other states in requiring racial impact statements.
The April 1 Forum presents a distinguished panel that includes:
- Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross, the sponsor of LD 2;
- Rashmi Dyal-Chand, Professor and Associate Dean, Northeastern University School of Law;
- Meagan Sway, Policy Director of the Maine ACLU; and
- Angela Onwauachi-Willig, Dean of Boston University School of Law.
The event will be moderated by second-year Maine Law student, Schadrac Joseph.
The Racial Injustice Forums are presented by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force at Maine Law. The virtual forums are free and open to the public, but registration is required.
