On May 17th, Deborah Deborah Ibonwa, MEJ attorney and policy advocate, and Commissioner on the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous & Tribal Populations, delivered these remarks for Black Voices Advocacy Day at the State House. 

"Good afternoon. My name is Deborah Ibonwa and I am an attorney and policy advocate at Maine Equal Justice. We are a civil legal services nonprofit civil legal aid and economic justice organization working to increase economic security, opportunity, and equity for people in Maine. I’m also proud to be serving my first term on The Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous & Tribal Population. In both positions, I work with teams who understand the importance of prioritizing racial justice in all the work we do.  

I hope that on this day legislators on all sides will grab the opportunity to really hear the experiences of your Black constituents. Especially in this unprecedented time of public health and housing crises and the significant, disparate tolls it takes on Black and Brown Mainers.  

Let’s be very clear: yes, there are Black people in Maine, yes, they are Mainers, they are your neighbors, your professional colleagues; and they make our economy stronger and our communities more vibrant in a million different ways.

And let this be clear as well: yes, there is racism in Maine and ending it should be a priority when making policy. When I say prioritize, I mean that we need constituents, community organizations, and lawmakers to band together to come up with solutions to racial disparities – and to stop using restrictive or poorly considered policies that perpetuate the disparities.  

No matter what policies you care about: health care, the environment, housing, or taxes and budget – it’s likely that there’s a disproportionate impact on Black and Brown Mainers that you serve. If you don’t deal with the disparities, there are and will be negative impacts on real people in your districts. We can change that, together.  

I urge our lawmakers to take advantage of this moment on Maine Black Voices Advocacy Day to truly hear the issues being brought to you by constituents and Black leaders alike and give deep thought on what your role can be in addressing these issues and reducing disparities. Rest assured that there IS something that you can do in your position, no matter what reasons you’ve been taught that you can’t. Thank you all for being here and thank you to the Permanent Commission for inviting me to speak. Let’s make the best of today."