The History and Contemporary Reality of Black Communities in Maine
How has Maine’s history of racism continued to impact communities today?
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Course Information
- Audience: Public health professionals, medical professionals, researchers
- Format: Webinar
- Date/Time: Wednesday, June 29th 2022
9:00 AM – 12:30 PM EST - Price: Free
- Length: 2 part series, 3.5 hours each
- Credential(s) eligible for contact hours: Sponsored by New England Public Health Training Center (NEPHTC), a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designated for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) and/or Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES) to receive up to 3.5 total Category I continuing education contact hours. Maximum advanced-level continuing education contact hours are 0. Provider ID: 1131137 Event ID: PM1131137_06292022.
If you are not seeking a CHES/MCHES contact hours, if you complete the post-test and evaluation, you will receive a Certificate of Completion. The Certificate will include the length of the course.
- Competencies: Health Equity Skills
- Learning Level: Awareness
- Companion Trainings: Race as a Social Construct in Data and Practice
- Supplemental materials:None
- Pre-requisites: None
About this Webinar
Participants will learn about the history of slavery and racism in Maine, including the role of eugenics and the term Vacationland. Presenters will talk about our shared ancestry and how the slavery has impacted the way the world functions today. Participants will also learn specific examples of racism and how it plays out in communities.
What you'll learn
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Describe how Maine’s history with slavery has impacted genocide, immigration, disinformation and racism in American culture.
- Describe the hidden history of black communities in Maine.
Subject Matter Experts
Myron M. Beasley, PhD
Bob Greene
Pedro Vazquez
Myron M. Beasley, Ph.D. is Associate Professor and Chair of American Studies at Bates College. His ethnographic research explores the intersection of cultural politics, material culture and social change. His book, Disturbers of the peace: Performance, Art, and politics of the African Diaspora is currently in press by Routledge. Having conducted fieldwork in Morocco, Haiti, and Brazil he writes about art and food and the constructions of identity and culture. He is also an international curator and he is a trustee of the Maine Historic Society. He has been recognized with distinguished awards and fellowships by the Andy Warhol Foundation, the Whiting Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, the Kindling Fund, The Davis Family Foundation, the Reed Foundation, and Dorathea and Leo Rabkin Foundation. His writing appears in Liminalities: The Journal of Performance Studies, The Journal of Poverty, Text and Performance Quarterly, Museum & Social Issues, The Journal of Curatorial Studies and Performance Research, and Gastronomica.
Bob Greene is a native of Portland and the eighth generation of his family to be born in Cumberland County. His roots in Maine stretch back into the 1700s. After graduating from Portland High, Bob went off to college and a career as a journalist, covering among other things airplane crashes, Mississippi River floods and the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He has met three presidents: Harry Truman, Lyndon Baines Johnson and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. And, as The Associated Press Tennis Writer, Bob traveled the world covering the sport. After retiring he returned home to Maine where his genealogical research has led to his deep knowledge about Maine’s Black history. He currently teaches a Black History of Maine course at OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute} at the University of Southern Maine. Bob also is the 2021 recipient of the Maine Historical Society’s Neal Allen Award, which is presented each year for exceptional contributions to Maine History.
Pedro A. Vázquez (he/him/his) is a community leader and organizer holding multiple roles dedicated to abolitionism, anti-racism, and uplifting of the community. His work highlights the need for just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive initiatives in all structures of society and demands accountability to aim beyond the cosmetic. A father of 6, he specifically engages with young people in recognition of their brilliance and natural ability to lead.
Registration
Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.
Acknowledgement: This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31685 “Regional Public Health Training Center Program.” This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.