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  Social media activism the subject of recent discussion

  Emily Turner

  On Nov. 6 the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Colloquium Series held its second discussion of the fall semester. Dr. Judith Rosenbaum gave the talk titled “#TakingAKnee: Exploring justice, respect, and patriotism on Instagram and Twitter.” Rosenbaum is an assistant professor of communication and journalism at the University of Maine whose research includes social and health effects of media. The theme of this talk surrounded creating meaning on social media platforms. It featured discussion on the hashtag #TakingAKnee and how this social movement has opened a new dialogue nationwide. Rosenbaum recognized that Colin Kaepernick played a large role in initiating the protest against police brutality. From there, other celebrities took to social media to demonstrate support while others, especially those involved in the Blue Lives Matter movement, feverishly declared it as a sign of disrespect.

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  Logo for University of Maine's Black Student Union 2018

  UMaine Black Student Union

  The is the logo design for the University of Maine's Black Student Union created in 2018. The image is a raised fist with the 'Black Student Union 2018' above and around the knuckles in the fist. The font is yellow with black outline.

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  The University of Maine Student Government Club Feature on the Black Student Union

  University of Maine

  This newsletter from the University of Maine Student Government's Club Feature on the Black Student Union dated September 26, 2018. The purpose of the feature was to recognize the club's activism and education on anti-racism. It includes the events held by the organization and its goals.

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  Flyer of the The University of Maine's Black Student Union hosted event of Black History Month Book Circle

  University of Maine Black Student Union

  This flyer by the University of Maine's Black Student Union was created for the event 'The Black History Month Book Circle' hosted at UMaine Raymond H. Fogler Library on February 26, 2018. This event was to celebrate Black authors and cultural representation in literature.

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  The University of Maine's Black Student Union Flyer for Hair Care Fair

  University of Maine Black Student Union

  This flyer was created by the University of Maine's Black Student Union for their Hair Care Fair hosted at the Office of Multicultural Student Life on Sunday May 6, 2018. This event was free of charge for the UMaine community.

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  The University of Maine Office of Multicultural Student Life and the Black Student Union Flyer for Black History Month February 2018

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

  This flyer was created by the University of Maine's Office of Multicultural Student Life and Black Student Union for Black History Month events from February 1-28, 2018. This flyer includes the events hosted with dates, times, location, event, and who hosted the event.

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  50th Anniversary of The Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ceremony Poster

  University of Maine Office of Multiculture Student Life

  Poster for the 50th Anniversary of The Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ceremony organized by the University of Maine's Office of Multicultural Student Life in 2018.

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  The University of Maine's Rainbow Resource Center hosted its LGBTea Party discussion on Race and Gender

  University of Maine Rainbow Resource Center and University of Maine

  The University of Maine's Rainbow Resource Center in the Memorial Union hosted its LGBTea Party discussion on the topics of Race and Gender. The event was held on February 13, 2018 from 2:00 to 3:00pm. Questions posed on the flyer are "How do our racial and gender identities intersect?" and "What is White Feminism? How do we combat it?" Snacks were provided at discussion.

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  Doug Allen talks about Trump, one year later

  Jack Barber

  On Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017, the Socialist and Marxist Studies Series held a lecture titled, “The Election of Trump: One Year Later,” in the Bangor room in the Memorial Union. The lecturers included Doug Allen, a University of Maine professor of philosophy; Kimberly Hammill of the Bangor Racial and Economic Justice Coalition; and Maia Dendinger, the statewide officer for the Socialist Party of Maine.

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  Daley leads the Black Student Union's quest to march in DC

  Jordan Houdeshell

  The rain on Friday afternoon drove many people into the Memorial Union to socialize and do homework, but fourth-year Kirsten Daley didn’t mind the influx of people as she tabled and tried to raise funds for the Black Student Union’s (BSU) trip to Washington D.C. for the Unity March for Puerto Rico. “We are trying to go to DC to go to the Unity March for Puerto Rico to stand in solidarity with Puerto Rican hurricane survivors as well as protesting the Jones Act,which is keeping aid from getting into Puerto Rico where it needs to go,” Daley, who is president of BSU, said. Although they were able to receive funding from student government for transportation and hotel costs, they recently found out that student government will not provide funding for gas or tolls.

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  Celebrating diversity through a Multicultural Thanksgiving

  Bria Lamonica

  On the evening of Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017, dozens of people celebrated Thanksgiving in the the North Pod of the Memorial Union at the University of Maine to celebrate the annual Multicultural Thanksgiving potluck. Hosted and organized by the Office of Multicultural Student Life (OMSL) and the Student Heritage Alliance Council (SHAC), the purpose of this event was to celebrate and share the real meaning of Thanksgiving by bringing together people of all religions, cultures and ethnicities for a diverse meal. “This event is a great way to meet new people and experience foods and traditions from other countries and cultures. The wide variety and range of ethnic foods meantthat there was something for everybody, and there was a great turnout,” Toni Tello, a first-year student, said.

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  Addressing the topic of diversity through Umaine's "Diversity Dialogue"

  Hannah Noriega

  On Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017, The University of Maine hosted a Diversity Dialogue. The program was an opportunity to openly discuss topics surrounding diversity between the general public, UMaine students and staff and guests from the Tree Street Youths program from the Lewiston-Auburn area. This event was hosted by the College of Education and Human Development. The mission of Tree Street Youth is “to support the youth of Lewiston-Auburn through programs rooted in academics, the arts, and athletics in a safe space that encourages healthy physical, social, emotional, and academic development while building unity across lines of difference.” The program has served over 800 students. The majority of students that attended from Tree Street youths were refugees or asylum seekers from African countries.

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  Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine Film Series on the 'Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement' documentary

  Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine

  This flyer was created by the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine, located in Bangor, for their film series. The film featured was 'Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement' documentary and the event date was Friday, February 17, 2017 at the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine.

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  Goodell releases new statement about NFL protests

  Haley Sylvester

  Former NFL football star Colin Kaepernick started an epidemic during the 2016 preseason games when he began protesting the national anthem. On Aug. 14 and Aug.20, Kaepernick went unnoticed while sitting during the national anthems in his first two games as a San Francisco 49er. He was not in uniform and did not play duringthese games. The third game, however on Aug. 26, he gained national attention. The 49ers released a statement later that night confirming he sat during the anthem.

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  Trump fires back at NFL over player protests

  Haley Sylvester

  President Donald Trump has created quite the controversy on social media in the past week over certain NFL players decision to kneel during the national anthem before their games to protest racial oppression and inequality in the United States. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was the first player toprotest the national anthem last season by sitting down during a preseason game, and then kneeling during week one. Since the start of the 2017 season, players from several NFL teams have chosen to protest by kneeling, sitting, raising their fists, placing their hands on teammates’shoulders and locking arms during the national anthem.

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  #MeToo

  Liz Theriault

  Opinion piece about speaking out with stories of sexual harassment on social media using the hashtag #MeToo.

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  Cultural appropriation and costumes

  Sam Tracy

  Every year the conversation about politically-correct Halloween costumes rears its ugly head, only to die down once the holiday is over. The conversation consists of one side claiming disrespect and insensitivity toward their cultures and identities, and the other side arguing about the limits of political correctness. In recent years, more and more college campuses are taking the subject seriously. So far, the University of Maine has not been one of them.

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  Kneeling for the flag

  Sam Tracy

  During the past few weeks, there’s been upset about athletes kneeling during the anthem before professional sports games. It was August 2016, when Colin Kaepernick sat down during the anthem before a game for the first time. Kaepernick was an NFL quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers at the time. After his act went viral, Kaepernick told the media he sat for “the oppression of people of color and ongoing issues with police brutality.”

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  Racist narratives during natural disasters

  Sam Tracy

  Hurricane Harvey is the first Category 3 or higher hurricane to make landfall in the United States since 2005. The hurricane reached peak intensity as it hit southern Texas on Aug. 25, 2017 and barraged western Gulf states like Louisiana and Texas especially. With it, floods have destroyed hundreds of homes and displaced over 30 thousand people. At least 47 people are dead. Houston is particularly affected by flooding and many speculate the city will be uninhabitable for weeks to come. Economic estimates range from $10 billion to $190 billion, according to a report from the private weather firm AccuWeather. USA Today reports this as “equal to the combined cost of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, and represents a 1% economic hit to the gross national product.”

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  Logo Design for University of Maine's Black Student Union Spring 2017

  University of Maine Black Student Union

  This is the logo design for the University of Maine's Black Student Union created in Spring 2017 by members. The design is a raised fist with 'Black Student Union' in green, yellow, and red letters layered on top of the fist within a black circle. At the bottom of the fist, at the wrist, is 'University of Maine' in white letters.

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  Diversity week and Islamic Awareness week bring community together

  Allya Uteuova

  Students and members of the University of Maine community came together to celebrate the differences and similarities that make up our campus during Diversity Week and Islamic Awareness Week, March 27–31, 2017. Put on by the Office of Multicultural Student Life, Diversity Week started back in 2014. So, what exactly is diversity? When people hear this word, they often associate it with multiculturalism. Diversity is the make up of a group of people who have different characteristics. These characteristics can differ in socioeconomic backgrounds, abilities, countries, races, genders and religions. Multiculturalism is the difference between cultures. It is meant to preserve people’s cultural identity within a larger society, as well as foster acceptance among different cultures.

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  Editorial: Remaining apolitical unrealistic for companies and teams

  Sarah Allisot

  When brands and teams announce their stance on a social or political issue, reactions are mixed among the American public. Some of us respond positively and feel more comfortable and confident in an entity that aligns with our standpoint on issues, but not always. The Global Strategy Group researched consumer feelings about companies that took a clear stance on issues. When a company is on the same side of an issue, consumers “…in the 18-25 and 26-35 age groups are most likely to demonstrate an increased intention to purchase from a company,” Forbes reported. The rates for increased support are 8.1 percent and 21.1 percent, respectively.

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  Humannization of non-violent inmates critical to prison reform

  Kim Crowley

  The United States prison system is in desperate need of reform. We are the world’s leading jailer, creating trends of mass incarceration, racial disparity and widespread prison overpopulation. The statistics surrounding U.S. criminal justice, specifically our national prison system, are dismal at best. Over 2 million U.S. citizens arecurrently in prison. State prisons, as a group, exceed their maximum nominal inmate capacity by 15 percent. Federal prisons exceed their capacity even more so by 36 percent.

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  Diversity Week highlights many walks of life across UMaine community

  Josh Fabel

  According to Director of Multicultural Student Life, Silvestre Guzman, Diversity Week has occurred on the UMaine campus for at least eight years, and has become a popular string of events within the past few years. This year, the week was comprised of many smaller events that occurred everyday such as meditation, karaoke and a couple of educational seminars on different diversity topics, such as religion. The events were put together with the assistance of the Caribbean Club, The Student Heritage Alliance Council and the Muslim Students Association as well as other heritage groups on campus.

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  Faculty, Ph.D. student explore poverty, racial privilege and reform in rural schools

  Casey Kelly

  As Maine students return to the classroom from summer vacation, many will do so in communities facing a host of economic and social challenges. Rural parts of the state have been hit especially hard by declines in the state’s timber industry. When a mill closes in a small, Maine town, more often than not there’s no new business waiting in the wings to hire all of the suddenly out-of-work residents. The result is poverty and all of its attendant social problems, which affect schools in a variety of ways.