Hosted by Maine Black Community Development
The State of Black Maine Symposium is a daylong event that will be held annually on Juneteenth—now a paid state holiday in Maine—with the aim of creating and sustaining a public platform that amplifies Black Maine voices, unifies across difference, builds solidarity, fosters collaboration, holds space for creative expression, and inspires bold collective visioning. While foregrounding community elders and cultural knowledge keepers, this multigenerational event reserves a place of equal prominence for youth leaders.
Through plenary convenings, keynote addresses, panel discussions, and exhibitions, the State of Black Maine Symposium will foster a deeper understanding of Maine’s Black history while addressing the broad spectrum of conditions experienced today by the state’s Black populations across sectors such as employment, education, environmental justice, health, housing, criminal justice, and economics. These proceedings will raise awareness about existing racial disparities and aim to generate momentum toward the development of solutions.
A collaboration with the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations; Maine Humanities Council; Maine Arts Commission; Maine State Archive; Maine State Library; Maine Historical Society; Cultural Affairs Council; University of Southern Maine; and Maine Black Educators Collective.
