Lawyer disciplinary board wants to ditch 'overseers' from its name

The state Board of Bar Overseers, which investigates complaints against Massachusetts lawyers, wants to change its name to the Board of Bar Oversight, because of the link between the word "overseers" and Southern slavery.

In a formal request to the Supreme Judicial Court, which has ultimate say, the board writes this is an outgrowth of an effort started after the George Floyd murder to do more than just issue proclamations condemning racism, and that in addition to hiring its first ever director of diversity, equity and inclusion, board members concluded its name had to change:

The word "overseer" has a pernicious history in our country, tied inextricably to chattel slavery. On southern plantations, an overseer was the slaveowner’s delegate in day-to-day governance, trusted to enforce order and obedience. Overseers were the most visible representatives of white supremacy. As defined in the Online Etymology Dictionary, an overseer was "one who has charge, under the owner or manager, of the work done on a plantation." In autobiographies by slaves such as Frederick Douglas and Solomon Northup ("Twelve Years a Slave"), overseers were described as heartless, brutal and cruel. They were an inevitable and indispensable product of an economy built on human chattel. As noted by University of Louisville president Neeli Bendapudi, "The term overseer is a racialized term. It hearkens back to American slavery and reminds us of the brutality of the conditions and treatment of black people during this time." We agree with this statement.

Accordingly, the board proposes that the Supreme Judicial Court change the name of the organization from Board of Bar Overseers to Board of Bar Oversight. While "oversight" has a similar meaning and purpose to "overseer," it elides the negative historical connotations. Changing the name to Board of Bar Oversight allows the board to continue to use the abbreviation "BBO," which is a well-known acronym in the Massachusetts bar. We aim for minimal disruption.

The SJC is accepting comments on the proposed change until April 19.

Via Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.