Race and Ethnicity Commons^™

Umaine Office For Diversity And Inclusion Stop Aapi Hate. Reject White Supremacy Email, University Of Maine Office For Diversity And Inclusion

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Email from the UMaine Office for Diversity and Inclusion with various details of the Office's work and violent and discriminatory acts leveled against Asian people in America.

The Double Standard: Protest Coverage And Racial Bias Webpage, University Of Maine Clement And Linda Mcgillicuddy Humanities Center

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Screenshot of a webpage for the event "The Double Standard: Protest Coverage and Racial Bias" which featured McGillicuddy Humanities Center Fellow Leela Stockley presenting her research on racial bias in the media in relation to recent Black Lives Matter protests as part of Black History Month.

The Atlantic Black Box: Reckoning With New England’S Complicity In The Slave Trade Event, University Of Maine Clement And Linda Mcgillicuddy Humanities Center

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Screenshot of a webpage for the event "The Atlantic Black Box: Reckoning with New England’s Complicity in the Slave Trade" which featured a presentation on the Atlantic Black Box, a public history project that empowers communities throughout New England to take up the critical work of researching and reckoning with the region’s complicity in the slave trade and the broader slave economy. The two presenters were Dr. Meadow Dibble and Dr. Kate McMahon.

Tarred And Feathered: Umaine’S Hidden Connection To The Red Summer Of 1919 Event, University Of Maine Clement And Linda Mcgillicuddy Humanities Center

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Screenshot of a webpage for the event "Tarred and Feathered: UMaine’s Hidden Connection to the Red Summer of 1919" which featured a talk from Karen Sieber, Humanities Specialist at the McGillicuddy Humanities Center. The event was co-sponsored by the McGillicuddy Humanities Center and the Office for Diversity and Inclusion.

Editorial: The Humanity Of Marginalized Communities Is Not Up For Political Debate, Nate Poole

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

On Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, one of the three Louisville police officers that shot and killed Breonna Taylor while raiding her apartment in March was indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment of Taylor’s neighbors, but not the shooting of Taylor herself. The grand jury decision quickly reignited Black Lives Matter protests and outrage in Louisville and across the U.S., and rightfully so. Kentucky law describes the charge against Officer Brett Hankinson as “extreme indifference to the value of human life.” Woefully misplaced as it is, Officer Hankinson should not be the only recipient of this indictment. Rather, the entire …

Lecturer Discusses 'White Privilege', Angela Flandaca

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Article from the University of Maine student newspaper The Maine Campus on University of Maine lecturer Tim Wise's thoughts on 'white privilege'.

Editorial: Diversifying Hollywood Is In The Hands Of The Consumers, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

“Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films," Bong Joon-Ho said, calling out the cultural shortsightedness that plagues Hollywood, in his 2020 Golden Globe acceptance speech for his film "Parasite." His words rang true for minorities everywhere, who sat through yet another award show celebrating predominantly white men.

Racial Considerations In The Language Used Around Mass Shootings Are Vital, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The Gun Violence Archive has logged 385 mass shootings across the U.S. as of Dec. 1, 2019. Just ��ve days later, on the morning of Dec. 6, another shooting was added to that list, when three were fatally shot and eight injured in the shooting at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida.

End Racism Protest' Is Held On The Umaine Mall, Charles Cramer

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Students, faculty and community members from across the Orono area gathered on Monday to protest online comments made three weeks earlier about Columbus Day and Indigenous American peoples by members of the University of Maine College Republicans (UMCR). The comments in question were initially uploaded to the UMCR’s Facebook page on Oct. 5 and were addressed in an email on Oct. 7 by both UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy and Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Robert Dana. The email from Ferrini-Mundy and Dana denied that the posts were representative of UMaine’s values, but chose to maintain their …

Hateful Rhetoric And Online Platforms Foster Environments Where Hate Can Grow In The United States, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has released a report that the number of hate groups in the United States has risen for the fourth year in a row. The United States is now home to 1,020 hate groups, including neo-Nazis, white supremacists, black nationalists, neo-confederates and the Ku Klux Klan. Proliferation of racist, xenophobic and generally violent political rhetoric from specific leaders of our country and the ability to recruit members, organize events and raise money on online platforms have contributed to the violent attitudes of the United States that fail to reject and even fosters the rise of …

Editorial : Desensitization To Tragedy, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Amidst the midterm elections, the never-ending battle between the president and the press, and the raging wildfires in California, the tragedy that repeatedly strikes our nation has found its way back into our headlines once again. Mass shootings at the Pittsburg synagogue, Florida yoga studio and Thousand Oaks all happened in the span of 11 days. Despite the horrific levels of these tragedies, the cycle remains the same: they occur, we talk about them for a week and then we move on.

Tragedy In Pittsburgh Brings Community Together, Emily Turner

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Many members of the local community came together throughout the week to show support for members of the Jewish community in light of the shooting that took place at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Oct. 27, 2018. On Oct. 29 there was a candlelight vigil held on the steps of the Raymond H. Fogler Library at the University of Maine in remembrance of the 11 victims who lost their lives. Professor Amy Fried spoke of her family’s experience of anti-Semitism in Europe and how historically America has been welcoming to the Jewish community. Because of this …

Can Tenure Be Abused?, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

In any higher education establishment, academic freedom is of great importance. The security provided to professors by academic tenure ensures that faculty are protected from termination because of their speech, research findings or political reasons. Without this security, academic progress could be stifled. But can this privilege and security be abused?

Racism In Our Backyard, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Maine can be quiet. Humble. Secluded. Lost in the upper northern woods of New England, the large state can feel separated from the rest of the nation. Problems and politics are diluted by the rocky shores of Acadia, the dense enclosures of forests and the strong sense of community. This is “Vacationland” after all. So when a small, rural Maine community is thrust under the bright light of the national media spotlight, it tends to burn. Jackman, Maine is one of those small communities. Recently featured on media outlets including The Washington Post, CNN and USA Today, the story of …

Doug Allen Talks About Trump, One Year Later, Jack Barber

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

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.

Do Not Silence People; Debate And Engage Them, Jonathan Petrie

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

During the protests of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, you may have seen Richard Spencer — notable alt-right, white nationalist leader — get punched in the face during an interview. In response, a lot of people shared the video praising the actions of the violent perpetrator, citing Spencer’s racist ideology as a means to justify violence. Here’s the issue. No matter how much you disagree with someone, you do not get to punch them. Violence does not solve this debate.

An Indictment Of The System, Jonathan Petrie

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

This past week, the nation was hit by a shock wave. Donald Trump, the former host of NBC’s “The Apprentice,” was elected president of the United States. People are wondering, “how could this be?” This is a man who openly used race-baiting rhetoric, endorsed xenophobic policies, insulted disabled reporters and performed so many more ridiculous acts I probably could not fit them into this piece. So how could this guy have possibly won?

Whitewashing In Hollywood Silently Affects Our Children, Sam Tracy

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The reaction to the 2016 Oscars, which birthed the trending topic #OscarsSoWhite on Twitter, highlights a serious problem in our country — a lack of representation for non-white communities. Watching a movie in the 1950s is still somehow reminiscent of today. We have put an end to blackface, the practice of coloring a white person’s face with paint to fill the role of a historically non-white character without hiring an accurate representative. Yet major blockbuster films did not commonly hire non-white characters for major roles until just recently. Our movies now typically feature a white cast, with the exception of …

The Devil Of Hell's Kitchen : Social Constructions In The Best Of Us, Sam Tracy

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Cultural norms shape perceptions. This is an unavoidable truth, but one that is rarely acknowledged. It isn’t important whether that lack of acknowledgement is based on a general unawareness or willful ignorance or something else — but simply that it happens. The majority of the mainstream public is in the dark about many prejudices that seep into societal norms. One of the struggles many of us face is putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes. Majorities have trouble sympathizing with minorities or refuse to try. White people cannot be the target of racism, heterosexuals do not have to live with homophobia …

Umaine Professors Study The Link Between Racial Prejudice And The Punishment Of Criminals, Gladys Ganiel

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

During the past 30 years, the criminal justice system in the United States has meted out increasingly harsher punishments for offenders, so that today the U.S. imprisonment rate is the highest in the Western industrial world. Research by two University of Maine sociology professors suggests that racial prejudice against African-Americans is one of the underlying factors in the creation of public policies favoring crime control.

Recognize Martin Luther King Day, Kathleen March

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Each academic year as January nears the University of Maine begins to think again about Martin Luther King, about the day officially designated to honor his life and teachings. Like several other national holidays, this one currently does not bring with it a day off from classes at this university. Several reasons have been cited for this: one is the academic year is already too short.

Suppressing Minorities With Religion, Hillary Montgomery

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

While perusing the discussion folders in my FirstClass account recently, I happened upon the gender folder. For some odd reason, a number of files pertained to the subject of God and religion. Whatever the reason for using this folder to discuss such debated issues is no matter, rather the content of these messages really got me thinking.

Mr. Gnu Comic Strip, Travis Dandro

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

A four-panel comic strip drawn by Travis Dandro depicting a bigoted perspective of both people of color and individuals with disabilities.

Long description.

Panel one contains one figure, a highly stylized, anthropomorphized Gnu (or African antelope with along head and beard), presumably the title character of the strip, Mr. Gnu. The character is holding a cereal box in front of him. Lettering over the character's head reads: "Hey kids! I'd like to introduce a new cereal!"

Panel two contains a close up of the cereal box with the lettering, "Sammy Davis CRUNCH" over a stylized drawing of a character that …

All Bets Are Off, Michael L. Lane

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The recent ruling by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has, as do all courts of law worthy of the name, laid down the law in what inevitablely will be a very emotional and drawn out struggle. While Indian tribes across the nation scrample to erect casinos under the auspices of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Maine's own Passamaquoddy Time saw their proposal to build a casino in Calais, shot down on grounds that it is illegal.

Maine Indian Rights The Worst In The Country, Eric R. Manni

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Does Michael L. Lane thoroughly research a subject before he use[s] his pen? Responding to "All bets are off" (Maine Campus Feb. 16), Lane has addressed four separate issues in one commentary. This is typical over-generalized […] when it comes to addressing Native American issues.

Activist Speaks To Umaine About Hate Crimes, Keith Edwards

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Claudia Brenner, a gay and lesbian activist, spoke at the University of Maine Tuesday in a lecture titled, "Claiming Our Voices: A Personal Experience."

Angela Davis Addresses Racism--Activist Tells Students To Demand More Multicultural Programming, Julie Campagna

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Angela Davis, an internationally recognized author, scholar, and human rights activist, arrived late Wednesday night to the University of Maine's Memorial Gym, but the half hour delay was well worth the wait. Racism, repression and hate-violence were among the major subjcts Davis discussed, including the alledged racial attack in February against UMaine students Quester Hannah and Aaron Phillips.

Students Say Racism A Problem At Umaine, Doug Vanderweide

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Article from the University of Maine student newspaper The Maine Campus regarding racism experienced by Black students at the University of Maine.

More White Than Black, Doug Kesseli

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Editorial from the University of Maine student newspaper The Maine Campus regarding the lack of Black students, faculty, and administrators at the University.

Screwballs Comic: "Toke N' Choke", Tom Higgins

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

A four-panel black and white comic strip drawn and authored by Tom Higgins expressing ethnic, black male stereotypes.

Long description.

Panel one: In the foreground is one of the usual white, men characters. The man has a long, rectangular nose and long, flat-top hair style. A speech bubble over his head says, "Hey man, did you get th' stuff?" He is looking in the direction of a black man wearing a striped Zoot suit and black fedora who has opened a door and is walking into the room, toward the white character. The black character is drawn as if he …