The Letter: An American Town and the Somali Invasion will premiere Friday, April 29 at the Eveningstar Cinema, with showtimes at 3:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., and 9:00 p.m. through Thursday, May 5. Ziad Hamzeh will discuss his film after Saturday's performance. For ticket information, call 729-6796.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
UMaine Celebrates Black History Month
(It's a little late, I know, but it's still important)
By Brett Zeigler
The Maine Campus
Thursday, February 13, 2003
Black history may not be a subject that weighs heavily on the minds of students at UMaine, and understandably so. With so little diversity in Maine, race is rarely an issue in the day to day lives of students. That is exactly why February is black history month. Black history month is a chance for people to see an aspect of American history often ignored and a chance for non blacks to get a better view of the black community.
"In Maine especially there are so few interactions with African-Americans, there's a tendency to look at blacks through the lens of the media which gives a sensational view of blacks," UMaine Sociology Prof. Marwin Spiller said. "Black history month gives a more diverse view of the black experience."
Some people argue that designating a month for black history does more to separate it from mainstream history, but Spiller said that, for now at least, it is a necessity.
"It is necessary to recognize achievements but only until black history is fully integrated into the school's curriculum," he said.
Spiller says black history month is not just a time for people to learn about the achievements of African-Americans, but also a time of introspection for the black community itself.
"Black history month is also a time to reflect on the status of black America today, and to look at the current status you have to look at the history, achievements and set backs coming from within the community. The black community should be critical of itself all the time but particularly during black history month."
Spiller uses the music community as one example.
"We should celebrate hip hop culture, but say to the artists 'what is this music you're putting out?," Spiller said, citing that some music is detrimental to black culture in that it promotes themes like violence and misogyny.
Spiller noted that, compared to other places, black history month in Maine "sort of just goes by," and although not widely recognized on campus the black student union and the office of multi-cultural student affairs are planning a few activities in recognition of black history month. On Wednesday Spiller took part in a panel discussion on the state of black males in America. There also will be a series of debates during throughout the month and the annual black history month dinner/celebration on the 21st.
In addition to events during black history month the University of Maine offers black studies courses year round. There is some doubt though as to weather these courses will continue to be offered next semester due to a lack of staff. Spiller, however, is not worried.
"The turnout has been really good," he said, "you know there's a lot of interest. I anticipate black studies will be around for a while."
The Maine Campus
Thursday, February 13, 2003
Black history may not be a subject that weighs heavily on the minds of students at UMaine, and understandably so. With so little diversity in Maine, race is rarely an issue in the day to day lives of students. That is exactly why February is black history month. Black history month is a chance for people to see an aspect of American history often ignored and a chance for non blacks to get a better view of the black community.
"In Maine especially there are so few interactions with African-Americans, there's a tendency to look at blacks through the lens of the media which gives a sensational view of blacks," UMaine Sociology Prof. Marwin Spiller said. "Black history month gives a more diverse view of the black experience."
Some people argue that designating a month for black history does more to separate it from mainstream history, but Spiller said that, for now at least, it is a necessity.
"It is necessary to recognize achievements but only until black history is fully integrated into the school's curriculum," he said.
Spiller says black history month is not just a time for people to learn about the achievements of African-Americans, but also a time of introspection for the black community itself.
"Black history month is also a time to reflect on the status of black America today, and to look at the current status you have to look at the history, achievements and set backs coming from within the community. The black community should be critical of itself all the time but particularly during black history month."
Spiller uses the music community as one example.
"We should celebrate hip hop culture, but say to the artists 'what is this music you're putting out?," Spiller said, citing that some music is detrimental to black culture in that it promotes themes like violence and misogyny.
Spiller noted that, compared to other places, black history month in Maine "sort of just goes by," and although not widely recognized on campus the black student union and the office of multi-cultural student affairs are planning a few activities in recognition of black history month. On Wednesday Spiller took part in a panel discussion on the state of black males in America. There also will be a series of debates during throughout the month and the annual black history month dinner/celebration on the 21st.
In addition to events during black history month the University of Maine offers black studies courses year round. There is some doubt though as to weather these courses will continue to be offered next semester due to a lack of staff. Spiller, however, is not worried.
"The turnout has been really good," he said, "you know there's a lot of interest. I anticipate black studies will be around for a while."
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Tim Wise: Activist, Author and White (click here)
Tim Wise, the anti-racist author and acivist, came to the University of Maine campus to speak. With the credentials of being one of the people who helped to bring down the campaign of the white racist David Duke, his talk let me see for myself a white person with the strength and knowledge to talk about racism from the perspective a white person.
The main point of his remarks is that white culture is the dominant racial culture in the United States. It was this culture that created the racist climate in this country and it is this climate that can change it. Many whites think that it isn't their responsibility to change the racist climate of the counrty. That someones elses job, meaning black, brown, yellow and red people are the ones that have to do it. By saying this, white people can let themselves off the hook and not deal with this county racist legacy, one that affects everyone, including white people.
His book, White Like Me, takes us into his life as a white man growing up in the last quarter of the 20th century, looking at himself and society through the eyes of person who grew up in a country that gave him priviliges and advantages that were never asked for. Without apology, he explains why it is so hard for white people to look at and acknowledge race, especially when they grow up thinking that they are not a race. This is the experience of every white person who starts down this road; opening their eyes to the reality that is race and how race affects them and everyone around them.
If you haven't heard him speak or read any of his books, I suggest that you do.
The Case Of Squawpoint Road
In a town that I drive through sometimes is a road named "Squawpoint Road". Under Maine law, this word is illegal to use in the State of Maine for the purposes of identification. This law was amended by efforts of the Passamaqouddy tribe, one of four tribes in Maine, who introduced legislation in the Maine Legislature.
Under the law, anyone can file a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission if they find one of these offensive words used in the state. I decided to send a letter to the town to let them know about the law and illegal name. This is the letter that I sent:
Dear Selectman ***:
I am writing to inform you that the town of *** is in violation of having an offensive name assigned to a road. The road in question is named “Squawpoint Road”, off the *** Road, in ***, Maine.
As defined by Maine Revised Statues, Title 1, Chapter 27, Section 1101, subsection 1A, an “offensive name” is, “the designation of… "squaw" as a separate word or as part of a word.” Subsection 2 of the above law defines “place” as, “any natural geographic feature or any street, alley or other road within the jurisdiction of the State, or any political subdivision of the State.”
As indicated by the laws above, the road in question, “Squawpoint Road”, is offensive and is within the political subdivision that constitutes the municipality of ***, which is within the jurisdiction of the State of Maine.
Originally, the word "squaw" meant a "woman" or "female" in the Algonquin language that was spoken in the Northeast and parts of the Midwest. It is still spoken to this day. Over time, European settlers corrupted the word to mean a Native women who is not sophisticated or someone ones property. This misunderstanding was from the lack of knowledge of the language on the European settlers part.
The reason why I am doing this is that Native-Americans have had their lives dictated to them by White culture and this was one way of determining who they want to be and how they want to live. This was the same reason that the word "nigger" was declared offensive. This by no means takes the sting out of the words when they are used in a derogatory way. It just makes it harder to use them as public place names.
For now, I have decided not to file a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission. This does not mean that I won't file a complaint. It just depends on what will be done on their part.
I sent the initial letter on March 23 of this year and just received a responce from the town. I will be posting their responce in an upcoming post in a couple of days.
Something Interesting: Top 10 Whitest Law Schools (click here)
I am always amazed at what I find on the internet. I came across this website that lists the top 10 whitest schools in the United States. It ranks the Univeristy of Maine Law School, in Portland, Maine, as the second whitest in the nation.
Knowing that people of color, other than white, are underrepresentated at the USM Law School, in an article written in Maine Today, the law school is making attempts to correst this by reaching to other communities in the Portland area where the school is located.
Reading the discussion remarks at the end of the website is also interesting. Although they never say it explicitly, in a number of the discussion remarks (2 and 5), Maine is somewhat an anomoly because of it's high white population.
Knowing that people of color, other than white, are underrepresentated at the USM Law School, in an article written in Maine Today, the law school is making attempts to correst this by reaching to other communities in the Portland area where the school is located.
Reading the discussion remarks at the end of the website is also interesting. Although they never say it explicitly, in a number of the discussion remarks (2 and 5), Maine is somewhat an anomoly because of it's high white population.
Making Racism In Maine A Thing Of The Past
Maine is unique in that it is the "whitest" state in the nation. Most people in Maine will be born, live, and die, without seeing another person of color, except on T.V. and on the movie screen. It is from here that they will "learn" who these people are, when all they are learning are the stereotypes that get reproduced and never challenged. The racial make-up, and biased media, affects how residents of this state see, and interact with, themselves and others of different races. Even though this is a reality for most of the "white" population in Maine, I believe Maine can be an example of where healthy racial relationships can be the norm and racism be challenged and eliminated.
For this to happen, Maine's "white" population will need to embrace the task of looking at race and racism head on, without fear or reservation. Most white people are afraid to talk about race in any way for fear of not knowing what to say, or being seen as a bigot when they do say something. I can only encourage the white residents of Maine to look at how "white-American culture" has influenced your lives and see how it perpetuates racism in our daily lives without us ever questioning it.
For racism to truly end, it has to be white people to stand up and challenge it at every level within our society. All other people of color: black, red, brown, and yellow, have done all they can to stop racism. They have done a lot but they can go no further. That is because white people are still holding the power when it comes to keeping racism alive in the United States. Therefore, it is white people who are the only ones that can stop it.
As a white person who was born, raised, and still lives in Maine, I am challenging the socially prescribed racism I was taught in my everyday life, and I will be doing this for the rest of my life. I can see apprehension and frustrations on the faces of many Mainers when they interact with people of other colors. It doesn't have to be this way. For it to change, it will take a conscious choice of looking deep down inside within ourselves and face the ugliness that is our racist past, and what this past has done to us and to other races in our country.
It won't be easy. I'm not going to lie to you. I want you to go into this with your eyes open, wanting to do this, learning from the experience, and making it part of your life. I would like to live a life where I can look back upon it on my finals days and know that this State of Maine did all it could to making racism a relic of the past.
This is all I, and other people of color, are asking us to do and we need to do it.
For this to happen, Maine's "white" population will need to embrace the task of looking at race and racism head on, without fear or reservation. Most white people are afraid to talk about race in any way for fear of not knowing what to say, or being seen as a bigot when they do say something. I can only encourage the white residents of Maine to look at how "white-American culture" has influenced your lives and see how it perpetuates racism in our daily lives without us ever questioning it.
For racism to truly end, it has to be white people to stand up and challenge it at every level within our society. All other people of color: black, red, brown, and yellow, have done all they can to stop racism. They have done a lot but they can go no further. That is because white people are still holding the power when it comes to keeping racism alive in the United States. Therefore, it is white people who are the only ones that can stop it.
As a white person who was born, raised, and still lives in Maine, I am challenging the socially prescribed racism I was taught in my everyday life, and I will be doing this for the rest of my life. I can see apprehension and frustrations on the faces of many Mainers when they interact with people of other colors. It doesn't have to be this way. For it to change, it will take a conscious choice of looking deep down inside within ourselves and face the ugliness that is our racist past, and what this past has done to us and to other races in our country.
It won't be easy. I'm not going to lie to you. I want you to go into this with your eyes open, wanting to do this, learning from the experience, and making it part of your life. I would like to live a life where I can look back upon it on my finals days and know that this State of Maine did all it could to making racism a relic of the past.
This is all I, and other people of color, are asking us to do and we need to do it.
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