{"id":66322,"date":"2020-03-19T09:45:21","date_gmt":"2020-03-19T13:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?p=66322"},"modified":"2020-07-13T09:34:12","modified_gmt":"2020-07-13T13:34:12","slug":"up-close-and-personal-with-policy","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2020\/up-close-and-personal-with-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Up Close and Personal with Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin record-block-editorial-leadin is-style-default-alt has-media has-media-focus-center-middle has-light-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"710\" height=\"475\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/hair-being-braided.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Hair being braided\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/hair-being-braided.jpg 710w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/hair-being-braided-636x425.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/hair-being-braided-500x335.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/hair-being-braided-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/hair-being-braided-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 710px) 100vw, 710px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Experiential Education<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUp Close and Personal with Policy\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">In the Legislative Policy &amp; Drafting Clinic, Dominique McClean (\u201921) worked on legislation to ensure equity in the state\u2019s cannabis market and to prevent discrimination based on hair styles and types.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar record-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">March 19, 2020<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/authors\/rebecca-beyer\/\">Rebecca Beyer<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p><br>The first time someone told Dominique McClean (\u201921) she should go into politics, she was waiting tables at an upscale restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, where she worked to help pay her way through school at the Ohio State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During shifts, she regularly opined on the news, especially as it related to issues of equality and fairness (she was a women\u2019s, gender, and sexuality studies major), and, one day, a coworker told her she \u201cshould be a mayor or something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The suggestion struck her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-66329\"><figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/dominique-mcclean.jpg\" alt=\"Dominique McClean ('21)\" class=\"wp-image-66329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/dominique-mcclean.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/dominique-mcclean-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/dominique-mcclean-344x344.jpg 344w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/dominique-mcclean-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/dominique-mcclean-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>Dominique McClean (&#8217;21)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c\u2018Actually, I do think I have a lot of good ideas\u2014maybe I could do something good for people,\u2019\u201d she remembers thinking. \u201cAnd then I thought, \u2018How do I get there?\u2019 That\u2019s when I started considering law school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For now, the second-year student is aiming for a career in transactional law based in part on her experience as a fellow in the <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/startuplaw\/\">BU\/MIT Startup Law Clinic<\/a> last summer. But she has explored the political path as well. At Ohio State, McClean interned at the Ohio General Assembly, and at BU Law\u2014where she serves as vice president of the <a href=\"http:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/sgalaw\/\">Student Government Association<\/a> (she will be president next year)\u2014she enrolled in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/experiential-learning\/clinics\/policy-drafting-clinic\/\">Legislative Policy &amp; Drafting Clinic<\/a><span>. As a student in the clinic last fall, she<\/span> had the opportunity to work on two high-profile matters in the Massachusetts legislature: efforts to ensure equity and inclusion in the newly legalized cannabis market in the state, and to prevent racial discrimination based on hair styles and types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McClean, a Boston native, first began to think more deeply about equality at Denison University in Ohio, which she attended before transferring to Ohio State. As a freshman, she enrolled in a women\u2019s studies class in part to please a member of the soccer team she was trying out for. She did not make the squad, but the class made an impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI cannot overstate\u201d how it feels \u201cwhen you walk into a room and people start talking about things you have experienced for ages, and finally being able to put a language to that,\u201d she says. \u201cI thought, \u2018I\u2019m not nuts.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Legislative Policy &amp; Drafting Clinic, McClean worked with the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy, which is working on a bill to support marijuana businesses in communities hit hardest by harsh drug laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are still systemic barriers to folks who have been disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs,\u201d McClean says. \u201cThis legislation would give them an opportunity to meaningfully enter the market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The clinic\u2019s efforts to broaden the scope of the Massachusetts hair legislation\u2014called an <a href=\"https:\/\/malegislature.gov\/Bills\/191\/H4295\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Act Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Natural Hairstyles<\/a>\u2014came in conjunction with the work of BU Law Dean <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/angela-onwuachi-willig\/\">Angela Onwuachi-Willig<\/a>, who has weighed in on similar laws around the country, including in <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyfreepress.com\/2020\/01\/26\/associate-dean-of-law-to-testify-at-hearing-for-hair-discrimination-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wisconsin<\/a> and California. In Massachusetts, the dean, clinic students, and Clinical Associate Professor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/profile\/sean-j-kealy\/\">Sean J. Kealy<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nydailynews.com\/opinion\/ny-oped-of-hair-and-fairness-20191216-jcufv6bc6bgejldgohwx7ggbay-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">are aiming to make sure religious institutions aren\u2019t exempt from its provisions<\/a> (unless a religion requires a certain hair style).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The legislation aims to prevent students and employees from being discriminated against because of how they wear their hair (one particularly egregious example involved a Black high school wrestler in New Jersey <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/news\/new-jersey\/new-jersey-wrestling-hair-dreadlocks-referee-alan-maloney-suspended-buena-20190918.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">who was forced to cut his hair before a match<\/a>). For McClean, the work on the bill drove home the power of personal stories in politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote record-block-bu-pullquote alignwide is-style-modern has-image-focus-center-middle has-tertiary-theme\"><div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote-inner\"><blockquote><div class=\"container-lockup\"><div class=\"container-icon-outer\"><div class=\"container-icon-inner\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container-text\"><hr\/><div class=\"quote-sizing\">It&#8217;s not very often that you stumble into something that has the potential to impact your future in positive ways.<\/div><footer class=\"caption\">Dominique McClean (&#8217;21)<\/footer><hr\/><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Although McClean, who is Black, says she hasn\u2019t personally experienced discrimination because of her hair, she was able to speak to the issue in a way that many of the other students in the clinic\u2014most of them white\u2014could not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe nuance that I\u2019m providing might sound insightful, but it\u2019s nothing to me,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s just me telling you literally what I have lived as someone who exists in the world as a Black woman who has hair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She added that \u201cit\u2019s a beautiful moment for [the hair bill] right now,\u201d noting the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.refinery29.com\/en-us\/2020\/02\/9383456\/deandre-arnold-oscars-dreadlocks-hair-love-2020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oscar awarded<\/a> to director Matthew A. Cherry for his animated short film <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kNw8V_Fkw28\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Hair Love<\/em><\/a>, which tells the story of a Black father learning to do his daughter\u2019s hair. \u201cIt\u2019s so wild the way people encounter difference. I\u2019m hoping this is a way to say Black people\u2019s normal is worthy, is valid, and should be protected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McClean said she was happy to have the opportunity to offer her perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">\u201cIt\u2019s not very often that you stumble into something that has the potential to impact your future in positive ways,\u201d she says. \u201c\u2018Would you like to help make the law that applies to you?\u2019 Yes, I\u2019d like to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories is-style-card has-three record-block-editorial-relatedstories\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-title\">Related<\/h3>\n\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"700\" height=\"400\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/nasa-milky-way.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"A view of the Milky Way, from NASA&#039;s Great Observatories in 2009.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/nasa-milky-way.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/nasa-milky-way-636x363.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/nasa-milky-way-500x286.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Alumni<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2020\/when-space-needs-an-advocate\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">When Space Needs an Advocate<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">March 11, 2020<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"700\" height=\"500\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/voting-booths.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Voting booths\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/voting-booths.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/voting-booths-636x454.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/03\/voting-booths-482x344.jpg 482w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Cybersecurity<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2020\/securing-the-vote\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Securing the Vote<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">March 3, 2020<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"700\" height=\"500\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2020\/02\/Atkins-Kimberly.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Kimberly Atkins (LAW\/COM&#039;98)\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/02\/Atkins-Kimberly.jpeg 700w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/02\/Atkins-Kimberly-636x454.jpeg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/02\/Atkins-Kimberly-482x344.jpeg 482w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Alumni<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2020\/kimberly-atkins-from-law-to-politics\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">From Law to Politics<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">February 6, 2020<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the Legislative Policy &#038; Drafting Clinic, Dominique McClean (\u201921) worked on legislation to ensure equity in the state\u2019s cannabis market and to prevent discrimination based on hair styles and types.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11260,"featured_media":66329,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"Experiential Education","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[3713],"bu-publication":[3742],"record-article-category":[3749,3758],"record-topic":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/66322"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11260"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66322"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/66322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70634,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/66322\/revisions\/70634"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66322"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=66322"},{"taxonomy":"record-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-article-category?post=66322"},{"taxonomy":"record-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-topic?post=66322"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=66322"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=66322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}