A White Woman in Maine is Afraid

I’m watching a video by More Perfect Union’s John Russell (one of the most interesting reporters on YouTube might I add) and he’s sitting at a table with three supporters of Democratic Senator, Susan Collins. Alongside him is her Democratic opponent, Graham Platner, ‘an oyster farmer and Marine Corps veteran [1].’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlRswCllI5w

The conversation hasn’t really started when the only female sitting at the table is white woman whose opening statement is, “Being an independent, I vote for who I think the best candidate is. I voted for Susan Collins because of her experience. And her, in the past, reaching across party lines. Things have changed. This is the first time I’ve been scared of my government.”

“This is the first time I’ve been scared of my government.”

Those eleven words are extremely impactful for me because as a white woman, she’s at the top of the food chain.

Whether she’s a white woman amongst the poor, she gets first dibs.

If she’s in the lower underclass of those who have limited education, low income and few resources, as a white woman, she automatically has a shot.

Even if she’s a working-class white woman, she will always get by because she could never be amongst the 600,000 black women currently unemployed in the US today.

But if she is a middle class, upper middle class, or upper power elitist, it’s like, “Ma’am, you are good.” Like, good, good.

So, for a white woman, in Maine, to say that this is the first time she’s ever been afraid of the government is startling.

But why?

For kicks and giggles, let’s just take this interview for example.

She’s literally seated at a table surrounded by four white men, one of whom is a decorated veteran running for Senate.

As a white woman, at that table, she has already been given access. She is an automatic beneficiary of inalienable rights, privileges, and protections. In fact, there are those present, some of whom she’s never met, who would literally die protecting her while others would go out of their way to ensure she is comfortable and has what she needs.

After leaving her seat at the table, one of those gentlemen will even open the door while another will ensure she gets into her car safely.

She’ll drive down the roads of Maine where officers will either nod or not even notice as she passes by in a car with gas she can afford.

She’ll pull into a fairly manicured driveway and walk into the safety of a cape cod, ranch or colonial style home that she probably owns outright or where at least, her mortgage is paid.

Safe to say, she probably has health and dental insurance, works at either a decent paying job, has a 401k or some type of small savings and she may even have a retirement fund.

She’ll walk past photos of her sons or daughters, who probably have graduated college and are living fairly decent lives elsewhere with her grandbabies who’ll enjoy the same. And for the rest of her life, she may even enjoy the love and support of a husband, who God forbid, should he pass, as his beneficiary, she’ll continue to live life as a well-provided for white widowed woman.

Now mind you, much if not all, of my story is made up, yet the framework for this pretend story rings true, no matter her rung in society.

The safety and financial security, which is embedded in her skin, is something most will never know. And to be fair, that is not her fault.

She had no control of who her parents would be.

She was born white, and for all intents and purposes, she is probably not a racist. Dare I say, she is probably what some would label, ‘a good white woman’. I mention this only because it is indicative of her statement.

“This is the first time I’ve been scared of my government.”

If someone who has that much insulation, can wholehearted say that “she’s scared” of the government, then what does that say about the rest of us?

She’s literally seated at the proverbial table, in every aspect of life.

She has a seat where decisions are made. Hence, her vote for yet another white woman, Susan Collins.

She’s seated at a table where she was invited which means she has the comfort in knowing her input is valued. Yet, even at that table, where 63.3% [2] of those in the federal government are white, she is still afraid. And did I mention, to date, Maine has never elected or appointed an African American to Congress. [3] Never. So, her fear is not one rooted in a status threat or that of a majority-group anxiety.

In a state where ‘in 2024, 55% of violent crimes were aggravated assaults, 11% robberies, 31.7% rapes, and 2.3% murders,’ [4] her fear is justified. Especially when 91% of its residents are white.

Yep, a whopping 91%.

Therefore, this white woman has every reason to be afraid because the crime in her State is not happening at the hands of immigrants or Blacks, but her fellow whites. And this is not me pointing my plus-sized finger at whites. This is me saying under no uncertain terms that her fears are very real.

Even still, you would think my earlier presumption of her insulated safety was far-fetched. Yet there’s a white woman - in Maine - who has every right to be concerned because as a Black woman, I have those same concerns.

Concern, not fear because…

God has not given me the spirit of fear but of power, of love and of a sound mind.

But when a white woman in a State where 91% of the population is white and has never elected a Black person in its 206-year history, is still afraid of the government, tells me something is very wrong.

Sources

1-Wikipedia contributors. “Graham Platner.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 8 May. 2026. Web. 9 May. 2026.

2- Legal Clarity Team. “Percentage of Government Employees by Race: Key Data.” Legal Clarity, 4 Apr. 2026, https://legalclarity.org/what-is-the-percentage-of-government-employees-by-race/.

3- U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Historian, and Office of Art & Archives. “Black-American Members by State and Territory.” History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/BAIC/Historical-Data/Black-American-Representatives-and-Senators-by-State-and-Territory/.

4- USA Facts. “What Is the Crime Rate in Maine?” USA Facts, updated 20 Mar. 2026, https://usafacts.org/answers/what-is-the-crime-rate-in-the-us/state/maine/.