Place names communicate powerful ideas about who belongs and what matters. Here in Maine, problematic names abound. Learn what we can do about them.
Hosted by Atlantic Black Box and the Permanent Commission on the STatus of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations
Thursday, December 14, 2024
5:30 – 7:00 pm
online
Register here
Place names have a lot to teach us about our history, values, and present-day relationships with one another. Even when these names fade into the backdrop of our lives, they continue to inform our sense of place in subtle but important ways, communicating ideas about who belongs and what matters.
Here in Maine, racist and problematic place names have long marred the landscape and continue to impact our communities today. Examining this toponymic landscape through an equity lens provides insights into whose perspectives have been privileged and, by contrast, whose experiences have been dismissed and forgotten.
Which members of our communities get to see themselves reflected on the landscape? What could place justice actually mean?
The Place Justice initiative was launched in January 2023 by the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations and is carried out in partnership with Atlantic Black Box.
Join members of the Place Justice team and national place name advocates on Thursday, December 14, 2023 at 5:30 pm EST for an online panel event where they will share findings from their research into Maine’s problematic place names, offer guidance for equitable and just approaches to naming, describe the current regulatory process in Maine, note important movement at the national level, and voice their support for a new State Names Board.
Panelists
Richard Silliboy
Mi’kmaq Nation Vice Chief, Commissioner at the Permanent Commission; Place Justice Advisory Council Member
Stephen M. Dickson
Maine State Geologist, Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry; Place Justice Advisory Council Member
Marcelle Medford
Assistant Professor of Sociology at Bates College; Commissioner at the Permanent Commission; Place Justice Advisory Council Member
Jessica Lambert, Choctaw Nation
Policy Fellow at The Wilderness Society; Founding member of the Coalition for Outdoor Renaming & Education
Meadow Dibble
Executive Director, Atlantic Black Box; Place Justice Project Co-Lead
Erika Arthur
Program Associate, Atlantic Black Box; Place Justice Project Co-Lead
