Events at Member Institutions

Join the LGBTQ+ Collection for a Discussion on AIDS and COVID USM’s LGBTQ+ Collection, of the Jean Byers Sampson Center for diversity in Maine Presents   A Virtual Panel Featuring: Crystal Fawn Gamet, an orphan from the AIDS epidemic, and Katie Rutherford, Executive Director of the Frannie Peabody Center will discuss these two pandemics and what we learned from AIDS as we face COVID. Facilitated by Brody Wood, LGBTQ+ Collection Advisory Committee   This is the first in a series of programs on AIDS & COVID.   Please contact us at usm.specialcollections@maine.edu if you have accessibility needs. FOR MORE INFORMATION https://usm.maine.edu/library/specialcollections/aids-and-covid-what-have-we-learned PLEASE REGISTER AT https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxt7liA4wIktdNYctkCDYqX1lxtKgSJrqHpThY42oLAng6bg/viewform

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Join us for a free, virtual presentation on Thursday, April 1st at 7 pm.

Former Maine newspaper editor Chet Lunner brings a unique, 360-degree perspective of current affairs and “fake news” as a veteran journalist, 9/11 government spokesman, and crisis communications expert.

We’ll look at the history and impact of misinformation, how Maine’s founders predicted the dangers of “alternative facts,” and some solutions that anyone can employ.

This event is hosted on Zoom, and participants are encouraged to ask questions at the end of Lunner's presentation. Pre-registration is required - register today for free at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pduuurDMtHdKxqDKfTHzsZDsJUmbylw3H

Planning to enjoy Maine Maple Sunday? How about a little history to boot! In 2021 March 28 is Maine Maple Sugar Sunday and after a year off, the Camden Rockport Historical Society's historic homestead and campus is eager to welcome the public for maple-related festivities. 

From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Wendy Pendleton Harvey will be offering maple sugaring demonstrations in the society’s historic 1820 sugar house. Families are invited to participate in this fun, traditional all-ages celebration of spring. Admission is free and a designated board member will be safely serving maple syrup topped ice cream outdoors if the weather allows!

Masking and distancing requirements will be enforced and CHRHS hopes to open some of its buildings to the public with Covid safety in mind. Additionally the beautiful campus offers a wonderful outdoor opportunity to view the buildings and soak up some local history.

The driveway to the museum and historic homestead campus is conveniently located on the Camden-Rockport border, just past Hannaford supermarket, on the right, off Route 1 going South. 

Board members and volunteers will be on hand to welcome visitors and discuss the historical society with interested parties. Volunteers interested in working with the historical society over the summer are invited to learn more and express their interest. 

For more information, contact the Camden-Rockport Historical Society by email at crhsme@myfairpoint.net. 

"You and I can never be satisfied with sitting down before a great human problem and saying nothing can be done. We must do something. That is the reason we are on Earth."

- W. E. B. Du Bois, 1909

Please join us via Zoom Webinar on Thursday, March 25th, from 6pm-7:30pm, as we welcome Dr. Whitney Battle-Baptiste, Professor of Anthropology, and Director of the W.E.B. DuBois Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In her talk, "W.E.B. DuBois in Our Time: From Reconstruction to Black Lives Matter," which will be followed by a Q and A, Dr. Battle-Baptiste will connect what we describe today as anti-racist scholarship with the incredible and radical legacy of W. E. B. Du Bois.

The lecture is free and open to the public.  Pre-registration is required. Register here to receive the Zoom link. 

This lecture is sponsored by the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, the Department of History, the Race and Ethnic Studies Program, and the Department of Geography and Anthropology at the University of Southern Maine.

Please note: This event will include live ASL Interpretation. 

Questions about the event can be directed to oml-usm@maine.edu

Please join USM's Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education on Wednesday, March 10th, from 6pm-7:30 EST for: "Iyoka Eli-Wihtamakʷ Kətahkinawal--This is How We Name Our Lands: Mapping Penobscot Place Names," a virtual Zoom webinar panel discussion on the making of the 2016 Penobscot Nation Cultural and Historic Preservation Department Map and Gazetteer, as we learn from Language Masters, Historians, Artists, and Cartographers, on the intersections of place, language, art, culture, and cartography.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER (Free and open to all). 

The panel features members of the mapmaking team, including:

Carol Dana

James E. Francis, Sr.

Conor M. Quinn

Gabe Paul

Margaret Pearce

According to the mapmakers, "This map is a Penobscot guide to the place names given by our ancestors. On one side are the English translations, and on the other side are the Penobscot names. A separate gazetteer is for your reference for a quick connection between Penobscot and English. The names offer a window into the past and allow us to view the landscape at the heart of our culture. The meanings of the names tell us how we interact with the shape and character of the land and how we interconnect with the rivers, lakes, wetlands, falls, eskers, meadows, and rocks across our traditional territory. They indicate where plants, animals and materials for tools are found. They inform us where and when to plant, tan hides and hold our seasonal gatherings and ceremonies. The canoe routes, gathering places, and stories show us how the place names connect and why they are located where they are. Together, place names, travel routes, and stories reveal a map given to us from the hearts of our ancestors. The last piece of the map, of course, is you."

This event is held in conjunction with USM's 2020-2021 Gloria S. Duclos Convocation, Indigenous Peoples: Recognizing and Repairing Harms of Colonized Systems.

We hope you can join us.

USM African American Collection of the Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine celebrates Black History Month ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Special Collections

Mapping African American History in Maine USM African American Collection of the Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine celebrates Black History Month   Feb. 17, 2021, 5:30-6:30 Please join us for a virtual panel discussion on mapping Maine’s African American History   Mapping Maine; Digitizing and Charting Sites Connected to Maine’s Black History  Anastasia Azenaro-Moore  Anastasia Azenaro-Moore has worked in historic preservation since graduating with her Masters from Savannah College of Art in Design in 2017. She currently works as the Operations and Communications Administrator at Maine Preservation   Making African American History in Maine Visible: African American Collection Project  Susie R. Bock and Ida Santos Susie R. Bock, Coordinator of USM’s Special Collections, holds Master's degrees in European History and Library Science from Columbia University, and has curated the African American Collection for over 20 years. Ida Santos, an undergraduate working on a degree, majoring in both Music and Physics, has been gathering the mapping data since September 2020.   Won't You Be My Neighbor?: The Landscape of Anti-Blackness in American Schooling Larissa Malone, Ph.D   Larissa Malone, Ph.D. holds a doctorate in Cultural Foundations of Education from the School of Foundations, Leadership, and Administration at Kent State University. Dr. Larissa Malone is an assistant professor in USM's Teacher Education Department. A critical race theorist, Dr. Malone’s research centers on the minority experience in American schooling, inclusive of students, parents, and teachers, and her aim is towards creating equitable educational spaces for all. You must register by clicking the button below in order to receive a Zoom link. Register Here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdjRDRqaziNEai0iPi9uG8APtjee8kwr9oys7K_upCSA5rC6w/viewform

Wed, Mar 3, 5-6:15PM

Free; donations welcome

Online

The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia is the nation’s largest publicly accessible collection of racist objects that uses items of intolerance to teach tolerance through honest dialogues and examinations of the historical patterns of race relations. Join this virtual conversation with the museum’s founder, Dr. David Pilgrim, to examine its mission, vision, and work.

For more information and to register, visit

HistoricNewEngland.org/Tolerance

In this hybrid of lecture & performance, Regie Gibson explores the creative power of speech in the modern Black spoken-word tradition. 

Literaryperformer, Regie Gibson, has lectured & performed widely in the U.S., Cuba & Europe. Representing the U.S. in Italy, Regie competed for & received both the Absolute Poetry Award in Monfalcone & The Europa in Versi Award in LaGuardia di Como. He’s a Brother Thomas Fellow & has received two Live Arts Boston Grants to develop his first play, The Juke: A Blues Bacchae in which he intersects the ancient Greek tragedy with African-American spiritual & musical culture.

Regie has served as a consultant for the NEA’s “How Art Works” commission & the “Mere Distinction of Color”: a permanent exhibit at James Madison’s Montpelier home focusing on American slavery & the U.S. constitution. He has composed texts for The Boston City Singers, The Mystic Chorale, the Handel+Haydn Society, & has featured with the Lexington Symphony. He’s an actor & creator of The Shakespeare Time-Traveling Speakeasy— a theatrical, literary-concert focusing on the life & works of William Shakespeare. He serves on the boards of the New England Poetry Club & Grub Street Writers & teaches at Clark University.

This event will be hosted both via Zoom and Facebook Live. Participants are encouraged to ask questions at the end of Regie’s presentation.

Zoom Registration - Link here

Facebook Event - Link here

Learn more about the First Amendment Museum

Join us online on Thursday, January 21st at 7:00 PM for a presentation on MLK.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most prolific and honorable leaders for all time. He is also one of the most complex.

In August 1963, Dr. King was at the height of his popularity with his fight to end racial discrimination in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement. His “I Have a Dream” speech is one of the most celebrated orations in American history. However, Dr. King himself evolved as a leader. His relationships with J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, the militant Black Power movement, his commitment to fighting the war on poverty and his stance on the Vietnam War all pose the question: did Dr. King’s dream result in a nightmare?

Ryan M. Jones, historian and Museum Educator at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN – the site of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., will be presenting on the life of MLK and the civil rights movement.

We will be hosting this free event on both Zoom and Facebook Live and encourage participants to take part in our Q&A at the end of Jones’ presentation.

More information - www.firstamendmentmuseum.org/ryan

Facebook: www.facebook.com/firstamendmentmuseum

Join the First Amendment Museum online on Thursday, January 14th, 2021 at 7 pm EST as we speak to Micheal Meyerson for his presentation “From the Constitution to COVID: Religious Freedom in America.”

Meyerson is a Professor of Law and the Piper & Marbury Faculty Fellow at the University of Baltimore, specializing in constitutional law and American legal history. As the author of Endowed by Our Creator: The Birth of Religious Freedom in America (Yale University Press, 2012), Meyerson has also written three other books and published numerous articles on constitutional law, contracts law, and the First Amendment, some of which have appeared in the Stanford Journal of International Law, Indiana Law Review, Nebraska Law Review, Notre Dame Law Review, Miami Law Review, and Harvard Journal of Law & Technology. He is a member of the New York Bar.

Be sure to tune into this presentation with Meyerson, a gifted storyteller and animated speaker, who will explore the themes and history of religious freedom in the United States, from the founding fathers to present-day issues surrounding COVID.

Our lecture will be hosted both via Facebook Live and Zoom. Participants are encouraged to take part in a Q&A session with Meyerson at the conclusion of his presentation.

The First Amendment Museum's mission is to inspire Americans to live and love their five freedoms - freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble, and freedom to petition. Learn more about us on our website!

For more information including the Zoom link for this free, online event, check out our event listing here or visit our Facebook at www.facebook.com/firstamendmentmuseum

Please call the Museum with any questions about the presentation at 207-557-2290