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  "White Like Me" film kicks off series

  Bria Lamonica

  On Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019, in the Bumps Room of the Memorial Union, students gathered to enjoy Chinese food and watch the film “White Like Me.” The showing was the first of the new “Dine-In Discourse” series hosted by the University of Maine Women’s Resource Center (WRC).

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  The Maine Campus article on 'End Racism Protest' held on UMaine Mall

  Maine Campus and Charles Cramer

  This article from the Maine Campus, University of Maine's student newspaper, titled "'End Racism Protest' is held in the UMaine Mall" from November 4, 2019 includes a description and the purpose behind the protest.

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  A Little controversy: Clarence Little in our history and on our campus

  Sierra Semmel

  Clarence Cook Little, or C.C. Little, was the sixth president of the University of Maine, serving from 1922 to 1925. Just prior to his stint as president of UMaine, he served as the president of the University of Michigan for a short period of time. He started the Jackson Lab in Bar Harbor and was a scientist, an academic and aresearcher. He was also a eugenicist.

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  Celebrating Jackie Robinson Day, Robinson's 100th birthday

  Leela Stockley

  On April 15, 2019, the baseball world marked Jackie Robinson Day with various celebrations around the country honoring Robinson who was a monumental figure in breaking the racial barrier in Major League Baseball. This year, the celebrations honored not only Robinson’s entry into the MLB in 1947 but also recognized Robinson’s 100th birthday, which would have been last Jan. 31. During his career, Robinson became an almost immediate superstar and was named Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player and gained notoriety both on and off the field for his athletic prowess. Robinson died from cardiac arrest at the age of 53 in 1972.

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  Editorial: Black Bear pride means protecting students from hate speech

  Liz Theriault

  On Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, Rep. Lawrence Lockman arrived at the University of Maine campus to give a keynote presentation at the “Crisis at the Border; A Citizen’s Guide to Resisting Racist Immigration Policies in Maine” event, organized by the UMaine College Republicans. It did not take long for many UMaine students and alumni to condemn this visit, citing evidence of violent, discriminatory and hateful statements made by Lockman in the past. The controversy stirred up by Rep.Lockman’s visit is a perfect example for how UMaine, its students and its administration need to take a moment to reassess how we discuss ideas, ensure student safety and encourage inclusivity and diversity.

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  Editorial: Why do we still need to defend Indigenous Peoples Day?

  Liz Theriault

  Indigenous Peoples Day is approaching, yet we are still discussing the man who committed mass genocide who is incorrectly credited for discovering America. There were already millions of people living in North America when the Europeans crossed the ocean in 1492, and common logic could argue that replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a way to recognize history. However, since Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill into law on April 26 replacing Columbus Day with IndigenousPeoples Day. With the holiday rapidly approaching controversy surrounding it has been ignited once more.

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  From cancel culture to changing culture

  Liz Theriault

  What do big-name celebrities like James Charles, Taylor Swift, James Gunn, Laura Lee, Kayne West, PewDiePie, Roseanne Barr, Shane Gillis, Logan Paul have incommon? They have, at one point in their careers, been “canceled.” Hoards of their social media followers took to Twitter, Facebook and Youtube to hurl insults and declare the celebrities “canceled.” Each of these celebrities has become the target of cancel culture. But what exactly does that mean? Cancel culture is defined by the holy grail of internet slang, the Urban Dictionary, as a “modern internet phenomenon where a person is ejected from influence or fame [because of] questionable actions. It is caused by a critical mass of people who are quick to judge and slow to question.”

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  Hateful rhetoric and online platforms foster environments where hate can grow in the United States

  Liz Theriault

  The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has released a report that the number of hate groups in the United States has risen for the fourth year in a row. The United States is now home to 1,020 hate groups, including neo-Nazis, white supremacists, black nationalists, neo-confederates and the Ku Klux Klan. Proliferation of racist, xenophobic and generally violent political rhetoric from specific leaders of our country and the ability to recruit members, organize events and raise money on online platforms have contributed to the violent attitudes of the United States that fail to reject and even fosters the rise of hate groups.

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  Educational Event Co-Sponsored by University of Maine Black Student Union on 'Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women'

  University of Maine Black Student Union and University of Maine Peace and Justice Center

  This poster is on an education event for 'Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women' hosted on April 4, 2019 at the Peace and Justice Center in Bangor, Maine. The objective of the event was to spread awareness, inform, and find solutions to the problem about subject. The event was led by Desiree Vargas and was co-sponsored by numerous organizations, including the University of Maine Black Student Union.

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  The University of Maine Office of Multicultural Student Life's Flyer for Black History Month February 2019

  University of Maine Office of Multicultural Student Life, University of Maine Black Student Union, and University of Maine

  The University of Maine's Office of Multicultural Student Life and Black Student Union co-hosted events for Black History Month from February 1-28, 2019. This flyer includes the events hosted with dates, times, location, event, and who hosted the event.

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  "The 'Problem' of Blackness in the Revolutionary United States" at this week's Socialist and Marxist Studies Series

  Taylor Abbott

  University of Maine history professor Liam Riordan gave this week’s lecture as part of The Socialist and Marxist Studies Series, which has happened almost every week at UMaine since 1988. The series is also coached by Maine Peace Action Committee, which is mainly a student group through the Division of Student Affairs, and also receives support from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Riordan teaches in the history department at UMaine with a specialization in American history and Revolutionary history from 1760-1830. Riordan’s lecture was titled, “The ‘Problem’ of Blackness in the Revolutionary United States.”

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  Editorial: Challenging diversity in Maine

  Sarah Allisot

  Education is one of our best safeguards against ignorance. Without the crucial work of activist groups, representation would take a serious blow in our mostly-white state. Race demographics from the 2010 U.S. Census report that Maine is 94.8 percent white, with the remaining population split among several racial groups. The census also reports that black residents of Maine make up less than 1 percent of our population. Forbes reported on the 2016-2017 academic year demographics of the University of Maine, showing a modest 2 percent population of black students. Needless to say, Maine is mostly white, and very sheltered from diversity as a whole.

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  Editorial: The privilege to be socially active

  Sarah Allisot

  In January, the cosmetics company L’Oreal Paris signed on Amena Khan, a British blogger with over half a million followers on Instagram, for a hair product advertisement. This move made a big statement among not just the beauty community, but social activists too — Khan wears a hijab, and is credited as being the firstwoman to wear one in a major mainstream beauty ad. This decision by L’Oreal spoke to the global push for more representation in media, giving hope to other hijab-wearing women that their voices are relevant, important and beautiful. But the celebration was cut short. The reason: tweets from 2014, in which Khan expressed her views on Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Khan’s tweets strongly denounce Israel’s actions and the harm brought upon the large number of civilians. News outlet Al Jazeera reported that the tweets were brought to attention by right-wing U.S. media outlet, The Daily Caller.

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  Editorial: Understanding our foul mouths

  Sarah Allisot

  The language we use matters, regardless of how small individual words seem in the moment. It’s too easy to disconnect from a place of privilege and safety and ask,“Who cares?” The answer to that misguided question is people — living, breathing people who face aggression because we let coined phrases and words come out before really thinking about them. And that’s the best scenario. There are always those incidences where language is used as a weapon, meant to degrade or devalue certain people with the powerful backing of social context. Words don’t translate in a vacuum, free from our social landscape. That’s why searching for the “real” definition of a word in the dictionary is nothing more than a ploy distracting from the real point — that words have multiple meanings, and many of them aren’t pretty.

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  Culturally Responsive Teaching: Meeting Students Where They Are through Understanding Who They Are

  Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning and Rising Tide Center

  Event announcement for a guest presentation by Dr. Daniel Tillapaugh, UMaine Visiting Libra Scholar and assistant professor of counselor education at California Lutheran University, on how "culturally responsive teaching and learning can providing meaningful, transformative experiences for both faculty and their students."

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  GSS discusses community events

  Ryan Cox

  The Muslim Student Association reported on their three-day trip to the Reviving the Islamic Spirit conference in Toronto, Canada. The group’s goal, beyond enjoyment of the event, was to find speakers for Islamic Awareness Week.

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  Diversity Committee explores Maine-Wabanaki relations

  Emily Coyne

  On Dec. 7, 2018, the University of Maine Psychology Department’s Diversity Committee hosted the event “Truth, Healing, and Change in Dawnland.” Focusing on the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), this presentation aimed to offer attendees an understanding of relationships between native and non-native people in Maine.

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  International Coffee Hour helps spreading culture across campus

  Bria Lamonica

  Carrying supplies, treats and decorations through the halls of the Memorial Union, members of the International Student Association (ISA), Of��ce of InternationalPrograms and Black Student Union (BSU) gathered together to host their weekly Coffee Hour. Held every Friday at 4 p.m. in the North Pod of the Union, International Coffee Hour is a sponsored event meant to share and spread diverse cultures represented oncampus. The hour of celebration also gives students and staff a chance to connect with students from different countries and backgrounds. “This event was in celebration of Black History Month, and it went better than we could have expected, with a great turnout,” Silvestre Guzman, director of the Office of Multicultural Student Life, said. “These activities expose international students to the different types of heritage months we have here in America, and also what kinds of programs and fun things we do at UMaine. It helps us build an inclusive community where international students, as well as multicultural and domestic students, can feel comfortable learning and growing.”

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  A little hall with a big, complicated history

  Lindsey Moran

  In the middle of the University of Maine mall sits Little Hall, named after the president of UMaine from 1922-1925 and founder of Bar Harbor’s Jackson Laboratory, Clarence C. Little. The building is home to the departments of Psychology, Modern Languages and Classics, as well as the Franco-American Studies Program. Little Hallsees droves of students every year dedicated to furthering UMaine’s mission to improve the quality oflife for people in Maine and around the world.

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  10 ways to make a difference at Umaine

  Sarah O'Malley

  One of the many amazing things about the college of our hearts always is its endless opportunities to make an impact, whether it be on this campus, in the state of Maine, for the United States or on a global scale. The best way to get involved is to collaborate with some of the amazing service, activist or political student clubs. With so many options, meetings and events it’s hard to know where to begin. Here are 10 organizations that are a great place to start.

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  Black History Month kicks off at UMaine with the Black Lives Matter flag raising

  Sarah O'Malley

  As snow fell upon the first day of February, many University of Maine students, faculty and community members congregated between the Memorial Union and Fogler Library in the name of racial justice. Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, marked the start of Black History Month, and the Offce of Multicultural Student Life (OMSL) and the Black Student Union (BSU) have partnered to put together an impressive lineup of events spanning the entire month.

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  The New Immigrant Experience Enlightens at Umaine

  Sarah O'Malley

  If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to immigrate to a foreign nation, last Wednesday’s panel titled “The New Immigrant Experience: Sharing Stories and Dispelling Myths” hosted by the University of Maine International Programs provided three unique perspectives on that experience. The event took place on March 28in room 100 of the Donald P. Corbett building on campus and went from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Beginning with a Taste of Africa reception in the foyer, attendees were encouraged to try traditional African dishes and mingle among each other. After about an hour,attendees congregated in the large lecture hall to begin the panel. The three panelists present were Abdi Iftin, Hamza Abdi and Angela Okafor, with UMaine Journalism and Communication Professor Liliana Herakova moderating.

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  Classroom Alternatives, 2018-19

  Kendra Scheele

  Promotional brochure from the Office of Student Life distributed to UMaine faculty members, listing classroom encounter programs offered through various university services, departments, and organizations.

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  Editorial: Cultures are not costumes, watch what you wear on Halloween

  Liz Theriault

  The timing is like clockwork. The calendar is creeping closer to Oct. 31 and the privileged cries of not understanding the impact of Halloween costumes incorporating blackface has hit the airwaves once more. This time, Megyn Kelly, former host of “Megyn Kelly Today” on NBC, sparked this discussion when she defended the use of blackface for costumes on national television.

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  Racism in our backyard

  Liz Theriault

  Maine can be quiet. Humble. Secluded. Lost in the upper northern woods of New England, the large state can feel separated from the rest of the nation. Problems and politics are diluted by the rocky shores of Acadia, the dense enclosures of forests and the strong sense of community. This is “Vacationland” after all. So when a small, rural Maine community is thrust under the bright light of the national media spotlight, it tends to burn. Jackman, Maine is one of those small communities. Recently featured on media outlets including The Washington Post, CNN and USA Today, the story of a racist town manager being fired has grabbed headlines and sparked controversy.