Відео

Aaron is a great guy!

Jordan Peterson, being a man of reason, could admit that. He's a man. I don't know what the rest of you are.

White Privilege doesn't exist PERIOD. Mr. Katz can speak of Jewish Privilege because white people aren't stupid and his assertions make him so disingenuous, I'd like to pull him out of his gated community and start right where a REAL white kid has to. Face the quotas, the company benefits of hiring minorities, the affirmative action of the last 60 years. There are so many European kids suffering from underemployment Mr. Katz seems nothing less than ignorant and using racism to fix racism. He should throw his law degree in the basket and start learning about cause and effect, reason and logic, and a few math courses wouldn't hurt because he has lost his way....or maybe he knows exactly what he's doing, in which case, even more kudos to the woman for speaking up. Everyone else here is racist.

Awesome! I don’t get it... but it’s awesome!

So good! I’m already 3 minutes in and I’m hooked

So good! Great presentation! 100%

Forty three comments unanimously condemning someone who doesn't accept the concept of white privilege as applied in diversity training. That kind of skew indicates a pretty strong dogma. The word is applicable since there is no empirical evidence that said training actually accomplishes anything at all for minorities.

For Leah Baldacci: You asked the panel, “How do we perform this introspective look on racism without, at the same time, proclaiming that attorneys like myself have white privilege and making other, what I find ‘racist remarks’ toward the white race as we delve into racism of other ethnicities?” The answer is that you cannot . One bit of evidence supporting this answer is that you, a self-identified millennial, attempted to speak for the universe of millennials, as though all of them, regardless of race, ethnicity, faith, ability, socio-economic class, sex, gender identity, sexuality, national origin, etc., share the same world view as you, a woman whose white privilege allows her this presumption. If you’d like to be enlightened, consider reading WHITE FRAGILITY by Robin DiAngelo. Her book is a thoughtful response to white people who take offense at being told they have white privilege.

THIS is sexism. A male apologizing to everyone because a woman didn’t say the correct thing in his eyes. Lol Leah was right. Wow!

Well done! Black lives matter!

Say what now? This is disgusting. Leah’s comments highlighted the very privilege she denied having. And then to come up with illogical comparisons and say a statement that black men had the right to vote before white women. And even the way she said it was more like the nerve of you to do that before me. You missed a huge statement Leah, they were lynched, beaten, killed, harassed, etc. I’m a millennial black woman attorney. Apparently, Leah and I didn’t take the same history classes or read the same books. I am saddened to know that in a virtual room full of attorneys, no one said anything. Your silence implied that Leah took a boardroom conversation and brought it into the virtual room. Sounded like business as usual. A discussion on implicit bias and a clear example of it came up. Yes, you missed the mark. You all need to go to training again.

I have practiced law in Chicago and Miami and now live here in Maine. In moving to Maine I did experience culture shock when I saw how white it is here. I always feared that this lack of diversity might lend people to think that racism isn't rampant in this country. The overt lack of understanding illustrated by the in the comments of Attorney Leah Baldacci blatantly reinforce these concerns. I have no doubt that I have benefited from my white privilege and it has made much of my life easier than that of my friends, colleagues and fellow citizens of color. I am shocked and dismayed that attorney Leah Baldacci is so unaware of her privilege and bias that she would make the assertions she does here. I am sorry she is feeling uncomfortable but that is exactly what we should be feeling. The ignorance she is apparently proud of is exactly why these conversations are necessary and why we have a duty to call it out when it happens. I am thankful to seeing others reaction here but clearly there is much work that needs to be done.

I appreciate your issuing this response. I only listened to the June 15 Bar Talk after the fact. Even so, and though coming to it with some forewarning, I found myself so surprised and disturbed by Leah Baldacci's comments that I was at a loss for words for some time. Her view of the meaning of 'white privilege' is not mine. I think the most important thing about using the term is to spur change by educating, not, as she had apparently understood, to blame and make people feel guilty. I understand the term white privilege to be shorthand for a factual observation of current reality of life in this country. I.e., if you are considered to be a white person, you can take for granted many, very basic things, things that people of color can not take for granted or simply do not enjoy at all solely because of the color of their skin. If we members of the Maine Bar remain unaware of the reality of white privilege, thus defined, and do nothing to become aware and help change that reality, that reality will continue to contribute to injustices for people of color and undermine equality under the law, and thus also the rule of law. For that reason, I definitely did not want her statements to be left apparently representing the MSBA and I am glad you have later made clear they do not. Her commentary does support the immediate need for the Bar and the Maine Judicial system to do the kind of introspective systematic and the systemic review, as discussed by Chief Mead, of the judicial system in which we work and of ourselves as individuals, and related fact gathering and analysis. Leah's comments reaffirm that these kinds of reviews and discussions about race are not easy and often not comfortable. We have to make the effort though. Without waiting for a symposium or presentation to be developed, I think we could all benefit by collecting and sharing reading lists, with MSBA help, and discussing books we find helpful to get educated about racism in this country and to develop a more common, broader view of terminology, relevant history and the places and ways racism permeates our system and our society, and how it negatively and disparately impacts black people, indigenous people and people of color in Maine, as well as elsewhere. Becoming aware is essential to change and to prevention of harm. I have learned so much in the last few years, and I am still learning, about the ways I have benefited from and been raised in a system imbued with white privilege. At the top of my reading list of powerfully helpful reads are "Between the World and Me", by Te Nehisi Coates and "White Fragility", by Robin DiAngelo. There are many, many more.

Are you telling me that a lawyer doesn't have the capacity to understand that if you skew the financial and political systems to disadvantage one particular group it will also advantage those who are not in that targeted group? Seems pretty basic.

Ignorant.

As a person of color, I am appalled and dismayed with Leah Baldacci's ignorant, racist ideology, and the reinforcement and support of her racist attitudes, with your silence. Disgrace to your profession.

Thank you for addressing this matter. In retrospect, it appears that Atty. Baldacci provided the best possible justification, support and defense of the mandated racial bias training she chose to rail against.

It did not take "courage" to center herself and her white fragility, to willfully deny the systemic nature of white privilege and of racist policing, and to basically be the "I'm not racist but..." poster child. Shame on her and on the facilitator for amplifying her racism.

This lasts women's "question" shows a complete lack of understanding of both the concept of white privilege and racism generally. The moderators tolerance and affirmation of her denial uneducated denial of racism. Since she wants to point to the history of women's suffrage, the suffragettes worked only to gain white women's right to vote and excluded black women from their demonstrations. Not that that actually matters to the issue at hand. The denial and minimization of the impact of racism is racist and furthers white supremacy. In short, this is some "all lives matter" bs!

I am glad to see so many members of the Maine Bar speaking out here. I am a paralegal in Maine, and was also shocked to see the executive director of the Board of Overseers, Maine's Acting Chief Justice and the president of the Bar Association stay silent as this happened. The majority of lawyers may not be litigators, but theoretically all have had education and training in logic and rhetoric - basically, debate skills, in order to be able to respond quickly and competently. After seeing video clip yesterday, I emailed the Bar Association, the Board of Overseers, and a name partner at the firm where Attorney Baldacci now practices, and where I happen to have worked for over 4 years quite some time ago.

Hi Thad. Joe Lewis here. I appreciate very much your thoughtful comments. Thank you for posting this video. I also regret not saying anything at the time. I can't remember the last time I was so surprised by the content of someone's speech that I was unable to process and respond in real time. So I get it. Please repost the June 15 Bar Talk video. It is important context for a holistic understanding of what you are talking about here. It is also instructive as to the challenges we face as a society as we come to grips with the fact that so much of our nation is thoroughly clueless as to the distinct experience of black americans. Thanks for your consideration.

I am a physician living in Maine and find Leah Balducci’s comments offensive, and the silence deafening. One cannot separate racism from white privilege; they are bound together as white privilege created and perpetuates racism. If she cannot think of a single moment in her life when the color of her skin made things easier for her than she has no self awareness. She comes off as self involved, fragile, and entitled, and I find it concerning that she practices law given her obvious bias.

Why did you take the June 15 Bar Talk down?

I am not an attorney. I've never listened to Bar Talk before, and I only listened to this episode from 23:00 and forward (Attny Baldacci's comments) because a friend posted the link on Facebook. I take away a few main concepts from her comments. She offers a false equivalency between having white privilege and being racist. She seems to think, therefore, that being told she has white privilege is an attack on her character the same way being called a racist would be an attack on her character. All her commentary suggests to me that she really doesn’t know what she doesn’t know, which creates and underscores an opportunity for education (or a revision of the current education being provided on this topic) - not just in the legal community, but for everyone. I recently saw a post or comment somewhere on Facebook that said something along the lines of “if you’ve never had to have the Supreme Court say you had certain rights [insert marriage, voting, religion, education, etc here], you have privilege." It’s as simple a summary of the concept as I’ve encountered. Attny Baldacci seems to lack that basic understanding. She doesn’t have the same privilege or degree of privilege I do as a white, hetero, raised-Christian, able-bodied male, but she has privilege, nonetheless. Having privilege does not make someone racist, or sexist, or homophobic. Being unable or unwilling to acknowledge one’s privilege does not necessarily make one racist, sexist, or homophobic. To be clear, I do not know Attny Baldacci and I neither support nor agree with her stated positions. I think her stated position illuminates her ignorance of the nature of the problems. I question her judgment in speaking on behalf of an entire generation. I, like other commenters here, would have loved for someone to have pushed back on her position in real time. I also, however, understand that most people aren’t yet prepared to do that in real time, which speaks both to general discomfort with the topic and a lack of preparedness to speak in response to an uncomfortable topic. These conversations have not consistently been part of our normal discourse, and it has, frankly, been easy to avoid the topic for many people. (Being able to avoid the topic can also be an example of privilege, by the way.) But recent/current events are elevating the issues to a degree that I’ve not experienced in my adult life. We must have the uncomfortable conversations. And we must prepare ourselves to have the conversations. I’m not sure that demonizing and chastising Attny Baldacci is going to lead to productive conversations and, ultimately, education. I’m not sure anyone would feel particularly inclined to be part of a conversation in which they are simply castigated. Hopefully the MSBA will use this example, this opportunity, to emphasize what is and is not expected of its members while concurrently further engaging its membership in respectful, productive dialogue on this critical topic.

And now her husband has sent a letter doubling down on Leah"s remarks.

Mainer here. Not a lawyer but I'm absolutely disgusted by Baldacci's comments. It's no surprise though considering she is the daughter in law of a former Governor who also had a terrible track record on race in this state. As the judge said words matter and you just let a woman spout racist garbage for the last 7 minutes of your State association meeting without a single person pushing back.

As a female millennial Maine attorney, the offensive comments made by attorney Baldacci horrify me. I really hope everyone understands that her opinion is hers alone.

Maine was the first State in the Union to admit a Black attorney, Mr. Macon Bolling Allen in 1844. I am ashamed to see that this forward-thinking legacy is now so diminished that no one among the presenters or participants spoke against Ms. Baldacci’s benighted remarks.

Unfortunately, much of the country already has a backwards reputation of Maine that we're all hanging out in the woods making art from moose turds. But the comments by Leah Baldacci DO NOT reflect Maine values at all. This is an open and welcoming place for all. I'm a millennial attorney who moved here three years ago and I want everyone to know that her views are not representative of any other attorney I have practiced with. Leah, white privilege doesn't mean your life hasn't been hard; it means that the color of your skin isn't one of the things making it harder. How can you be this ignorant? How did nobody on the panel speak up to correct these appalling remarks?

The silence was deafening! That no one spoke up, regardless of the excuses, is unconscionable. It's actually worse than her comments because it appears that others supposedly "knew better", on the other hand she knew NOTHING!

WOW. As a millennial Maine attorney, I can't condemn Leah Baldacci's statements strongly enough. And I'm disgusted by the panel's complete failure to challenge her bigoted and irrational statements. To take just a few points ... We need to be giving more support to white Christian heterosexual members of society?! Are you serious?? White Christian heterosexual members of society have every advantage. Not all teachers are pedophiles so therefore not all police officers are racist? I think this bizarre analogy misses the point altogether, which is that the system of policing in this country was built on and inextricably intertwined with the mission to keep white people's property secure and that the police's power to use force has been overwhelmingly applied against people of color in this country. In my view - not that Attorney Baldacci cited any particular argument that she was attempting to rebut - it's not that police officers are bad or racist, it's that the endeavor of policing in America is inherently authoritarian and racist. While I suppose you could argue that the endeavor of teaching in America is also inherently authoritarian and racist - certainly a lot of our curricula are - I wouldn't go that far and I doubt Attorney Baldacci was trying to say so either. To the assertion that sexism is a bigger problem in Maine than racism ... Why can we only fix one problem? (Leaving aside the question of how you quantify which problem is greater in Maine. I think Attorney Baldacci's question about the makeup of the bar was perhaps intended to suggest that because there are more female attorneys in Maine than attorneys of color - though what about those who fall into both categories? - we should be more concerned with sexism. But wouldn't it follow that because we have fewer attorneys of color, they face more prejudice as a result and also a cause of their scarcity?) Overall, I reject the notion that we have limited resources to fight discrimination. As a white, millennial woman, I don't begrudge my neighbors of color ANY action and energy directed towards making Maine a better place for them to live. A less racist Maine benefits us all, and it's a shame that Attorney Baldacci can't see that. If we are going to move forward and justify the pride we have in our state and our bar, we need to get better, faster, and more adamant in challenging poisonous rhetoric like that of Attorney Baldacci's. A (belated) statement by the MSBA is a necessary step here.

I agree that all of us in attendance, myself included, might should have spoken up. I think we were just too baffled by the idiocy of what was happening in the moment.

I'm an attorney in California and came across this video, excited to hear Acting Chief Justice Andrew Mead talk about implicit bias, only to be auditorily assaulted by Attorney Baldacci's ignorant and patently racist comments and the screeching silence of the MSBA in response. It's baffling to me that an attorney--I assume in good standing with the Maine Bar--is unable to understand white privilege, its history, and its impact on Black people and people of color. It's even more bewildering that in a meeting discussing racism and bias, none of the other attendees managed to challenge Ms. Baldacci on her racist comments.

It is supremely disappointing to me as a lawyer in Maine to watch all the speakers FAIL to respond to Leah Baldacci's white privilege comments. What is the point of all this, the point of releasing statements about equality, and then just sitting back and thanking her for her comments?

Wow...Attorney Baldacci, that was white privilege defined. I'm shocked and horrified by your remarks. You need to take a step back and reevaluate what you've just said.

Excellent case study in white silence and white fragility, along with a breathtaking example of an incapacity for intersectional imaging.

~29:00: "So I guess my question is: how can we perform this introspection without proclaiming that attorneys like myself have white privilege, and making other - what I find - as racist remarks towards the white race... as we delve into racism of, um, other ethnicities"

The comments made by Leah Baldacci are ignorant and wrong. This is really disgusting. Talking about "white privilege" isn't "racist." I am really bothered that no one on the panel pushed back on her misguided and harmful commentary.

As a millennial Maine attorney, the comments made by attorney Baldacci do not represent me. It is incumbent on us as officers of the court to face injustice where we see it. By denying that there is a problem of implicit racial bias, we only ensure its continuation. The existence of white privilege should not be up for debate. Of course it makes white people uncomfortable, because it implicates us directly; even though we recognize the abhorrence of racism. But it is the insidious nature of implicit bias and white privilege (because we do not consciously intend to be propagators of racial inequality) that makes it so necessary for us to acknowledge it, and actively work to eliminate it. I’m extremely saddened by attorney Baldacci’s comments. The MSBA should look at this as a manifestation of the need to mandate comprehensive implicit racial bias training for all members of the bar.

Wow! As a black Maine resident, scratch that, as a human being I am appalled there was no push back on the comments made by attorney Baldacci.