Permanent Commission presents racial-disparities report and interactive mapping tool to lawmakers

Bridal Ritchie, Executive Director of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations, presented the commission's annual report and new data tools to the Maine State Legislature's State and Local Government Committee on Feb. 10, outlining research products, community grants and upcoming reports intended to help policymakers and community organizations track racial and tribal disparities across the state.

The commission, created in 2019 and composed of 17 seats, said in its presentation that its statutory mission is to "promote, implement, and coordinate programs that create and improve opportunities and incorporate the goal of eliminating disparities for historically disadvantaged racial, indigenous, and tribal populations," and that statute mandates annual reporting and public engagement. "We are very pleased that the State and Local Government Committee is our committee of jurisdiction," Ritchie said.

Ritchie highlighted several resources now available to lawmakers and the public. The commission has published a State of Racial Disparities in Maine report analyzing state-specific data across housing, income, health care, transportation and tribal sovereignty. It also launched Mapping Maine Communities, an interactive map that overlays U.S. Census and American Community Survey data with indicators for infrastructure, climate, social mobility and other measures so users can zoom into towns or legislative districts. "On our website, under the heading Reports and Resources are all of our materials," she said.

The commission described near-term deliverables including a statutorily mandated report on restorative justice due in the coming weeks, a forthcoming data-justice report that examines tensions between the demand for more data and privacy risks, and an interactive dashboard focused on social drivers of health at the Maine level. Ritchie said some materials are expected to be released within a month or two and others will be staggered over subsequent months.

Ritchie described community engagement and small grantmaking that the commission has supported. Using Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan funding, the commission awarded mini grants of $5,000 or less to community-based organizations to build social capital and support local programming. The commission noted examples including a Black History Month Community Wellness Fair and collaborations with Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness and the Department of Corrections to bring Indigenous ceremony into correctional facilities as part of reentry supports.

The commission also summarized training and partnership work, including collaborations with Wabanaki Reach on Wabanaki Maine history trainings for state employees and elected officials, and said it had been invited to participate in the Ending Hunger by 2030 working group and to provide input to the Criminal Record Review Committee. Ritchie stated the commission is required by statute to be involved in the statewide data governance program and that its authority includes research, public engagement and the ability to introduce legislation, though she said the commission has not introduced legislation to date.

There were no formal votes or committee actions recorded during the presentation. Ritchie offered to provide hard copies of the State of Racial Disparities report and one-on-one demonstrations of the interactive map for members who requested them. The committee proceeded to a brief question period and thanked the commission for the briefing.