• • • • • • • • • • •

January 2008Volume 21 • Number 1

Inside:

Black Woman’s Viewon Discrimination 2

P&J Ctr. Responds to Threats 2 Whites Need to Tackle Racism 3

The Elephant in the Room 3Taking a Stand in Bangor 4

We Choose to Be Just or Unjust 4Breakfast to Honor MLK 5

Keep the Dream Alive Event 5Racism Justifies Many Evils 5

Candlelight Vigil 12/14 6Eric Olson, Vol. of the Month 6

Maine Peace, Justice and Environment Network 6

Notices 7Calendar 8

Vigils 9Mission Statement 9

PEA

CE &

JUSTICE CENTER

of Eastern MaineNewsletter

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter..” -- the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King

The Struggle Against Racism

by Doug Allen, Education Coordinator, Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine

This issue of the Newsletter has a major focus on racism. The Statement of Purpose of the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine has the first three listings under “We Support” as allocating resources toward life-enhancing programs, developing nonviolent approaches to conflict, and creating human relations that are not based on racism and other structures of oppression.

January, with the annual celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, is an important time to renew our commitment to struggling against racism. In his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” of April 16, 1963, King justifies his nonviolent civil disobedience in opposing legalized and institutionalized racism. He tells us that “there is no peace without justice,” and racism is always violent and unjust. A misleadingly “peaceful” society, free from overt conflict but shaped by racist attitudes, actions, and structures of power, is violent, unjust, and lacking real peace.

In his remarkable Riverside Church speech of April 4, 1967, titled “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence,” King made the connections between racism, class domination, poverty, militarism, and war: “When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”

Most of us focus on racism only when we hear about an ugly incident. Recently we’ve had several incidents in Maine of overt racist actions and threats, and these must be opposed. But as King continually reminds us, such overt examples are only a small part of the cancer of racism and violence. We must also become aware of racist feelings and inner psychological states, of racist language, of racist socialization, of racist media messages, and of racist economic, political, and cultural relations that shape inequality and lack of freedom. All of these dimensions of racism interact, reinforce each other, and socialize us to become part of a racist world.

NewsletterPEACE & JUSTICE CENTERJanuary 2008 2

• • • • • •

• • • • • •

In addition, as King repeatedly tells us, we must become conscious of the structural racism of the status quo, of business as usual, that most of us do not even recognize as racist and violent. The fact that exploited and oppressed people suffer silently does not mean that the situation is peaceful or just.

In our struggles to deal with racism, we must focus on specific forms of racism, whether in Bangor, Washington, or Iraq; and we must continually make the connections between racism, poverty, class exploitation, sexism, militarism, and war.

One Black Woman’s View of Discrimination in Maine

by Lorraine Haines, Searsport

Each day, usually unconsciously, we are aware of discrimination. We go forward and live our lives, but sometime during the day we will be reminded. Someone we encounter will use the word “yowsuh.” We will go to the market and, if there is more than one person to be waited on or served, we may encounter it. Someone we don’t know might strike up a conversation and start talking in a southern accent. We might be invited to a friend’s home, or to a gathering, only to feel unwelcome by other members of the family.

We are aware of these slights, but we take them in stride, not liking them but also not letting them consume our lives. It is also difficult to try to explain to a child like my seven-year-old grandson, who is just starting out, how to react when he encounters racism, and not teach him to hate at the same time. You have to make children feel that they are people of worth and not to feel too bad if some people are prejudiced against them. I truly believe that if you carry your own self with pride, no one can take your dignity from you.

We in this country wish to teach democracy around the world, but I feel we cannot go into countries where there are people of color until we clean up our act here. I hear of people in Iraq being referred to as “rag heads” and “sand niggers,” and I’ve heard Kim Jong-il referred to as a “pygmy” by our president. This attitude leaves a lot to be desired. What gives me hope are the many people I have come to know who treat me fairly and take me for who I am.

Lorraine Haines is married to Joe Perry, the current chairperson of the NAACP in Eastern Maine.

Peace & Justice Center Responds to Racist Threats

by Christina Diebold, co-editor

Acting quickly after news reports of racist threats, the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine called a press conference on November 30 to show solidarity with the NAACP. Although the press conference took place only two days after the Bangor area learned about threats by Kendrick Sawyer, 75, of Brewer to shoot NAACP members attending their Kwanzaa celebration in December, more than 30 people turned out, and a phalanx of speakers rejected racism and violence.

Dr. Josephine Bright, secretary of the NAACP, explained that the organization took the threats seriously, and for the safety of its members and the public was forced to cancel the Kwanzaa event, which has been held at the Unitarian-Universalist Society of Bangor for a number of years.

Half a dozen members of the clergy spoke briefly. They were Elaine Hewes, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Bangor; Grace Bartlett, First Congregational Church, Brewer; Gerald Oleson; Mark Doty, Hammond Street Congregational Church, Bangor; Jim Haddix, All Souls Congregational Church, Bangor; and Brad Mitchell, Unitarian-Universalist Society of Bangor.

Rev. Jim Haddix of All Souls Congregational Church

Also speaking were Maria Girouard of the Penobscot Nation, state Senator Elizabeth Schneider of Orono and Bangor City Councilor Geoff Gratwick, who spoke of the

NewsletterPEACE & JUSTICE CENTERJanuary 2008 3

• • • • • •

• • • • • •

need to bear witness and to make Bangor a safe place for everyone.

Other speakers were Labor leafers Jack McKay and John Hanson, Katherine Kates of PICA, Joanne Dauphinee of NOW, and Francine Stark of Spruce Run.

A common theme was that follow-up action is needed to address the continuing problem of racism. Television stations 2, 5 and 7, the Bangor Daily News and WERU radio covered the press conference.

Whites Need to Tackle the Racism that Benefits Them

Reverend Elaine Hewes, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Bangor

In the aftermath of the threat made against the NAACP by a local white man, many people in the Bangor area have spoken out against this threat and against the individual who made it. And rightly so. Threats such as this cannot be ignored or dismissed. They must be addressed and challenged, and all possible avenues must be taken to ensure the safety of NAACP members.

It is important to recognize, however, that such a threat made against persons of color is an outward manifestation of a much deeper and more subtle form of racism that pervades the institutions and the systems of our entire culture in the United States. It is all too easy for those of us in the white community to decry threats made against persons of color without recognizing the ways in which we benefit from systems and institutions, laws and policies that grant privilege to people simply because they are white. If we are really serious about confronting racism, then we must confront the very policies and practices that benefit white people.

This is not easy work. It requires a relearning of much of our history. It requires careful analysis of institutional practices and policies and a dismantling of those practices and policies that benefit white people. It asks those of us who are white to take direction from persons of color when working together on issues or programs. It even has as its goal the loss of privilege and power we have “enjoyed” as white people from the beginning of our nation’s history. But it is work that has the potential to help us learn what true community means, to learn what it means to be a human being in the fullest sense of the word. It is work that must be done if the deeper wounds of racism are ever to be healed.

Perhaps the recent threat against the NAACP will be the catalyst we need as white people to begin the work

necessary for healing the wounds of racism. I say this with both hope and trepidation, knowing that as a white person, I am standing on the very systems that need dismantling. But I am also hopeful that there will be a commitment to this work for the sake of a more just, equitable and healthy community.

The Big, Pink Elephant in the Middle of the Room

by Maria Girouard, Orono

At the November 30 press conference organized by the Peace and Justice Center in response to overt racism targeting the NAACP and the Kwanzaa Celebration, I said I was disturbed by the news, but not surprised, likening racism in the state to a big, pink elephant in the middle of the room – a glaring, obvious intrusion. Out of place, yet avoided, unacknowledged, and ignored by most.

Maria Girouard speaking at the Press Conference

After the press conference, I returned to work, analyzing Wabanaki Alliance newspapers from the 1970’s, and came across this editorial in the August 1977 issue:A lot of people have made up their minds about Maine Indians. The old saying about prejudice stemming from ignorance has some truth to it. Educating and informing people is a way to challenge certain assumptions. And certainly prejudice, whether against Indians, other groups, or even whites, is based on assumptions rather than real knowledge. If we become sensitive to how we deal with individuals and groups, and realize what attitude we take toward these persons, we have made a giant step in improving human relations.

• • • • • •

January 2008 4 NewsletterPEACE & JUSTICE CENTER

• • • • • • •

• • • • • • •

Ideally, we would wipe our minds clean of all unfounded assumptions and prejudices. Then we would make a fresh start. In a sense, this newspaper is a fresh start. Through a newapproach to Indian issues and the Indian community, we hope that people will become aware of their attitudes and assumptions, and the decisions they base on those ideas. Majority groups have traditionally been wary of people with different cultural backgrounds. All too frequently that wariness turns to suspicion and dislike, and the ‘different’ becomes a value judgment, with one group perceived as better than another.

Historically, the majority groups sees itself as superior to the minority, and Maine’s 4,000 Indians and one million whites have not been an exception to that form of bigotry.

This editorial supports my belief that racism is society’s problem. Judgments based on misinformation, misconceptions, and ignorance lead to hate, violence, and the dirtying of the life we all share on this planet. Those people polluting our world with racism have a responsibility to clean up their act, and this involves taking responsibility to know and understand your neighbors. I commend the P&J Center for taking a stance against racism and herding the big pink elephant toward the door. Now if only we can find a way to quit feeding it, so it will fit through the door and out of the room!

Taking a Stand in Bangor by Reverend Mark Allen Doty, Hammond

Street Congregational Church, UCC

Recently I joined other clergy and community leaders at the press conference at the Peace & Justice Center, in reaction to the death threats made to those who planned to participate in this year’s NAACP Kwanzaa Celebration in Bangor. I said in my remarks that I sincerely hoped that this focus on local racism would not end there. It is vitally important, in my view, to keep the conversation going about all forms of discrimination in our city.

I briefly mentioned Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. When I was twelve years old, I spent a day with Dr. King. It was the summer of 1960, and our family was asked to drive him to a speaking engagement in central Indiana. After we picked him up at the airport in Indianapolis, we drove him to DePauw University, where he addressed a group of pastors. On the one-hour trip to Greencastle, my father stopped the car every twenty minutes so that my two siblings and myself could have twenty minutes in the front seat between Dr. King and Dad. We did the same thing on the way home. The conversation between my parents and the civil rights leader touched on many topics: President Kennedy and

the election, Mrs. King and his family, his vision for America. At the press conference, I said that summer day has “cast a long shadow” on my life. More than anything, that experience impressed upon me the righteousness of colorblind race relations. When any member of our human family feels threatened in Bangor, or Washington, D.C., or Los Angeles, or Cape Town, it is a moral issue.

After the press conference, I joined others from our community in the World AIDS Day observance on December 1. Before the end of his life, Martin Luther King Jr. was an impassioned defender of those who suffered from HIV/AIDS, eloquently arguing that the task of global community was not to judge or discriminate but to offer care and compassion.

With the death threats leveled at a segment of women and men in our area, the need to offer meaningful support and encouragement is urgently required. One of the blessings which came out of the press conference was the strong message from all quarters of the community that prejudice and intolerance in any form is unacceptable.

We Choose to Be Just or Unjust by Francine Stark, Spruce Run

I was so saddened by the power that one man’s threats carried, power enough to shut down a celebration of culture and community. In working to end gender-based violence, I have conversations daily with people trapped by individual threats and use of violence. A single voice could not carry so much power in a culture that provided no support for such words. A single threat would carry no weight if it were clear that no one else would make a similar threat, or help carry out the threat, or walk away when the threat converted into action.

At the heart of oppression is the idea that some people have the right to power over other people. Whatever shape oppression takes, it is about a shared belief system about how people should expect to be treated, given their color, gender, religion, abilities, sexual orientation, size, age, immigration status, country of origin ... or any of the myriad ways we carve lines to separate ourselves into sets of people who are less deserving of respect and dignity than “we” are.

How awful to know that if you publicly celebrate your beliefs, you risk being killed. How awful to know that to be yourself, you risk being killed. How awful to know that if your husband kills you, people will say that you should have known better than to be with him. How awful to be born in poverty and be locked in a sweat shop to make expensive clothes for people who believe that you are grateful to have a job and expect nothing better.

• • • • • •

• • • • • •

January 2008 5 NewsletterPEACE & JUSTICE CENTER

We are creating our culture every day – with everything we say, do, tolerate, challenge, buy, sell, ignore, promote, celebrate, and reject. We each must decide deeply inside ourselves that all people are created equal and live out that conviction with diligence and consistency.

Breakfast to Honor Martin Luther King Jr.A keynote address by University of Maine philosophy professor Douglas Allen will highlight a joint Greater Bangor Area NAACP/University of Maine Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast celebration on Monday, Jan. 21, 2008. The 8:30-10:30 a.m. event is scheduled for UMaine’s Buchanan Alumni House, 160 College Avenue.

Allen is a long-time civil rights activist who describes King as having been a major influence in his life. Allen was involved in the civil rights movement in the South,and he has taught and conducted extensive research related to King’s life.

Local NAACP officials say that the January event will present an important opportunity to promote King’s message of peace and civil discourse, particularly in light of recent threats of violence against the branch and its members. The Bangor-area NAACP canceled its Kwanzaa celebration in December because of those threats.

“I’m very happy and excited to work in conjunction with the University of Maine to hold our annual breakfast,” says Joe Perry, president of the Greater Bangor NAACP. “The UMaine breakfast celebrations have long been the primary local event honoring Dr. King on his birthday, and we are already hard at work jointly planning the Buchanan Alumni House breakfast program.” Those who wish to purchase tickets should call Perry at 548-2081 or Josephine Bright at 947-4625.

Keep the Dream Alive Spoken Word Café

by Karen Tolstrup

In honor of Dr. King’s birthday this year, the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine is planning something different. At 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21, we will gather at the Keith Anderson Community Center in Orono for an evening of potluck food and spoken word presentations. All are invited to participate in this event.The theme for the evening is race, injustice and our vision

for a better tomorrow. Come and read a poem, the lyrics to a song, or a piece that you feel conveys your experience and dreams for a better society in the future. Keep it 10 minutes or less so all will have a chance to speak. Write it yourself or use someone else’s work. We will have some resources available. Read something one of your personal heroes has said, be it Dr. King, Gandhi, or Bob Dylan. Maybe a children’s book says it for you. The point is to be willing to stand up and share with your peace and justice brothers and sisters.

Don’t forget to bring a dish to contribute to the community supper. We hope that this event will be fun, interesting and inclusive. It will be if you participate! And it’s free.

• • • • • •Racism Justifies Many Evils

by Michael Vernon and Carol Dove, Victory Gardens

As antiwar protests continue and talking heads parade through Washington, other issues are perhaps being overlooked. For instance, the Patriot Act has transformed domestic spying from not very subtle to blatant. The big issue, though, is the war on the people by the corporate state.

In order to gain support, or at least public acquiescence to abominable policies like the war against Iraq, it was important that white America fear these brown-skinned foreigners. Such fear also makes torture more acceptable.The corporate state continues to use racism to justify unjust domestic policies, as well. Legitimizing torture required a legal precedent. In March 2007 the state of California charged eight former Black Panthers with the 1971 shooting death of a San Francisco policeman. The case rests on testimony gathered through the torture of three of the black men in New Orleans in 1973. The case was thrown out in 1975 because of the torture.

Now, as part of the Patriot Act, the corporate state is attempting to make testimony acquired by means of torture admissible in court. This case of the San Francisco Eight has enormous legal and moral importance for all of us.We have to pay attention to what is happening at home as well as to what happens abroad. The war on our rights is not going to end with a change of administration or with the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

The Freedom Archives has produced an excellent film, Legacy of Torture, which will be shown at 7 p.m. Sunday, January 27, at the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine, 170 Park St. in Bangor. To arrange for other showings, call us at 431-8306. More information is available at cdhrsupport.org, or freedomarchives.org.

• • • • • •

January 2008 6 NewsletterPEACE & JUSTICE CENTER

Volunteer of the MonthThe Peace & Justice Center honors Eric Olson as January’s volunteer of the month for his steadfast commitment to our mission by providing a sound system at events, posting events on our Web site, creating pod casts of special events, serving on the Education Committee, and for caring passionately enough to create his own blog: www.maineowl.net/blog. (Check it out!)

Thanks, Eric, and happy belated birthday!

In the season of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and the winter solstice, peace advocates gathered in the heart of downtown Bangor the evening of December 14 for a candlelight vigil organized by Veterans for Peace, Chapter 003. More than 30 people prayed, sang, read poetry and spoke out for peace. The Voices for Peace Choir led the singing, and Al Larson read several haiku written by third-graders who entered the Peace Poetry Project sponsored by Veterans for Peace. In air gliding highweightless falling like featherslike a cloud watching -- Nathaniel Watching the full moonI stay awake in night timequiet as an owl-- Austin Camping relax in your chairslisten to the birds chirpingin the tent all night -- Kathryn

• • • • • • • • • • • Maine Peace, Justice and Environmental Network

by Laurel Lambert Schmidt, Facilitator, Maine Peace, Justice and Environmental Network

On Maine’s progressive scene since June is the Maine Peace Justice and Environmental Network. Its Web site, MPJEN.org, is designed for local groups to work closely with each other, support each other’s actions, share resources and increase communications with each other. MPJEN has grown to include 27 network member groups from the state of Maine.

The Web site offers its own Web page, online actions center, petition/boycott center, calendar, resources and more to each group that joins our network. The message center gives members email access to every organization within the system with automatic notifications occurring when organizations vote their support or participation for each other’s actions. Member groups can post articles, announcements and pictures on the Web site’s home page. We welcome new groups in the network. There is no charge.

Through networking, MPJEN promotes grassroots actions while bypassing the problems inherent in coalitions and top down organizations. It’s one of seventeen state network/coalition Web sites for twenty states and over 650 organizations that are part of the Peace, Justice and Environment Project (PJEP). The first state to use this new • • • • • • •

Photo by Kelly Bellis

• • • • • • •

n o t i c e s“Sweet Peace” Open HouseLet’s come together in the new year to celebrate the 20th year of our work for peace and justice. You are invited to the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine’s “Sweet Peace” Open House, Saturday, January 12, 4-6 p.m., 170 Park St., Bangor. Come and enjoy chocolate and other sweet desserts, fruit, cheese and snacks. Bring your children to make origami peace doves, create posters for the Martin Luther King commemoration, and join in a sing-along for children of all ages. There will be a showing of photos of past peace and justice actions and events, plus an opportunity to chat with other peace and justice members and to learn about ways you can be involved in helping to grow peace in our region. Whether you are a long-time member or just becoming involved, whether you are young, old or somewhere in between, we look forward to spending time with you and talking about how we can keep the Center going and growing.

HOPE Festival AND Green ExpoSave the Date for HOPE Festival + Green Expo 2008! Saturday, April 19, 10-4 p.m. in the Field House, University of Maine, Orono. We are pleased to be working with Maine Partners for Cool Communities to add a Green Expo as an exciting new part of this year’s HOPE Festival. You won’t want to miss the alternative and renewable energy solutions offered by Maine businesses, so mark your calendar. If you have an alternative energy business and would like to participate in the HOPE Festival, please contact the Peace & Justice Center for more information no later than January 30, 2008. Since tables will be in greater demand than ever, if your organization wants to be sure to reserve a table, contact the Center at info@peacectr.org or call 942-9343.

Web site technology was Illinois; our newest networks are in Washington State and Virginia. You can access the list of PJEP networks at www.pjep.org. PJEP is growing band of volunteers/facilitators who work to expand and enhance this networking movement for peace as a way to ensure the future for all our children. Naturally, we expect great things from the new network in Maine - www.mpjen.

Please check out our site(s), or call 708-447-9577 or send an email to admin@mpjen.org if you’re interested or would like to know more. We find the more people use the networks, the more effective they become.

Plans to Mark 5th Anniversary of WarThere are lots of ideas swirling around right now (just like snow) about what to do on or near the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in mid-March to pressure the country into calling for an end to the occupation. We want to pull these ideas together and coordinate which ones groups want to carry out in Maine (and in connection with national plans as well). You can come to a planning meeting (some from Eastern Maine will be attending) to connect these ideas Jan. 5-6 (beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, finishing mid-afternoon on Sunday) at the Meg Perry Center, 644 Congress St. in downtown Portland. Housing can be arranged. For more information, contact Larry Dansinger at 525-7776 or rosc@psouth.net.

David Cobb Visit: An Appeal for FundsOn February 10-11, if funding is found, David Cobb, 2004 Green Party presidential candidate and progressive activist, will visit the University of Maine campus to direct an all-day workshop and to give a lecture on the 2008 national presidential campaign. The workshop, titled “Why Do Corporations Have More Rights Than You Do?” is designed to build awareness of the problems that excessive corporate power have created and to show how that power can be diminished. The visit will be co-sponsored by UMaine Student Government, the Office of Student Affairs, the Peace Studies Program, the Orono Peace Group, and the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine. A shortfall of $1,600 remains in spite of sponsorship by these organizations. If you can contribute to the fund that will allow David to come to Maine, please make a check payable to the University of Maine, write “David Cobb Lecture Fund” on the memo line, and mail your contribution to David Cobb Fund, c/o John Greenman, 4 Oak St., Old Town, ME 04468. For information, call or e-mail John at 827-7014 or jgreenman@gwi.net.

Thank you, Liberty School!We were saddened to hear that the Liberty School in Blue Hill is closing its doors. But as they close their doors, they opened their hearts to us. We want to thank Debbie Christo and the board members of the Liberty School for donating more than 50 beautiful matching folding chairs to the Center. We invite students, staff and family members of the Liberty School as well as Peace & Justice Center members to come to our upcoming events to see how the chairs contribute to creating a more welcoming space. Because of this donation, we were able in turn to donate our plastic chairs to Food and Medicine and the Worker Center in Brewer for their outdoor events such as the 4th of July celebration and Labor Day celebrations. The donations received for chairs so far will go to acquire chairs for people with disabilities.

January 2008 7 NewsletterPEACE & JUSTICE CENTER

• • • • • • •

Health care organizingMore and more people are recognizing the crisis in health care in Maine and beyond and want to change the system. POWER (Portland Organizing to Win Economic Rights) is one of those groups. They sponsored a public forum in December on a single payer system, presenting health care as a right for all people rather than a privilege. More forums are expected, with a “truth commission” planned for April. POWER also has a survey anyone can fill out which will be used to publicize the health care crisis. For a survey or more info: POWER, 650-5092 or power@povertyontrial.org or www.povertyontrial.org.

Donated heating oilIf you or people you know are having a hard time keeping warm this winter, there is another option for donated heating oil. Citizens Energy, in conjunction with Citgo Oil Company and its owner, the government of Venezuela, is offering free oil to those in need who apply by the end of February. The Oil Heat Program’s toll-free hotline number is 1-877-563-4645 to get an application. Up to 100 gallons will be donated to those who qualify. You can also check www.citizensenergy.com.

Community Supported FisheryYou’ve heard of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs where eaters buy a share in a nearby farm for the summer and fall. Now there’s also Community Supported Fishery (CSF) based on the same principle. The First Universalist Church of Rockland and Midcoast Fishermen’s Association of Port Clyde are sponsoring the first such CSF to buy whole shrimp from December to March. While it may be too late for this one, you can find out about future CSF’s by calling Kim Libby at 372-8462.

January 2008 8c a l e n d a r

NewsletterPEACE & JUSTICE CENTER

• • • • • • •

January 5-6: Planning for 5th anniversary of U.S. invasion of Iraq response actions, Meg Perry Center, 644 Congress St., Portland. Danny Muller, Peace Action Maine, 772-0680 or danny@peaceactionme.org or Larry, 525-7776 or Logan, 615-5158.

January 9-10: Annual meetings for Maine Civil Liberties Union w/speakers, awards, 6 p.m., Glickman Library, USM, Portland (9th) and 6 p.m., Public Library, Bangor (10th). MCLU, 774-5444 or www.mclu.org.

January 12: “Sweet Peace” Open House to celebrate the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine’s 20th year; 4-6 p.m., 170 Park St., Bangor. See related notice; for information call 942-9343 or e-mail info@peacectr.org. January 13: “Uprooted” (the current immigrant experience in the U.S.) filmshown, 7 p.m., 170 Park St., Bangor. PICA, 947-4203 or www.pica.ws.January 14: “Streamlining Government: Sound-bites or Sound Policy” conference on economic issues for Maine, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Civic Center, Augusta. Maine Center for Economic Policy, 622-7381 or info@mecep.org or www.mecep.org.January 15-17: Annual Maine Agricultural Trades Show (with MOFGA annual meeting and programs on organic agriculture and support for small farmers especially on Jan. 15), Civic Center, Augusta. Food for Maine’s Future, 692-2571 or info@foodformainesfuture.org or www.mofga.org. January 16: “Bombies” (the problem of cluster bombs) film shown, 6 p.m., Free Library, Belfast. Peace and Justice Group of Waldo County, 338-4920 or thespark@prexar.com.

January 19: Final hearings on Plum Creek proposal for development of Moosehead Lake area, Greenville. Contact LURC for written statements at

lurc@maine.gov 287-2631 or or www.lurc.gov and Native Forest Network, nfnmaine@yahoo.com or NRCM, 800-287-2345.

January 21: ”Keeping the Dream Alive” NAACP Breakfast 8:30-l0:30 Buchanan Alumni Center, 160 College Avenue, University of Maine, Orono. Tickets $15 adults, $10 Students $5 Senior Citizen and children under 10.FMI 866-4720 dkhiel@adelphia.net or Joe Perry 548-2081 joe.perry431@verizon.net.

January 21: “Keep the Dream Alive Spoken Word Café,” 6 - 8:00 p.m. at the Keith Anderson Community Center in Orono (just behind the Post Office).For information,call 942-9343 or e-mail info@peacectr.org.

January 26 (snow date: January 27): Annual workshop (10 a.m.-noon) for war tax resisters (how to withhold federal tax dollars from the military) with follow-up potluck and planning meeting for national War Tax Boycott (noon-3 p.m.), Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine, 170 Park St., Bangor. Larry Dansinger, Maine WTR Resource Center, 525-7776 or rosc@psouth.net.January 27: “Legacy of Torture” film on state oppression of Black Panthersin 1970’s w/discussion with Carol Dove and Michael Vernon, 7 p.m., Peace andJustice Center of Eastern Maine, 170 Park St., Bangor. Call 942-9343 orinfo@peacectr.org or www.peacectr.org. February 1-3: Nonviolent Communication in Parenting training, Camden w/Children’s House Montessori School. Peggy Smith, 789-5299 or peggy@MaineNVCnetwork.org.February 9: 14th Annual Changing Maine on “Talking Openly about Diversity, Oppression, and Racism in Maine” w/Cultivating Multicultural Alliances (CMA), about 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 153 Hospital St., Augusta. ROSC, 525-7776 or rosc@psouth.net to register.

January 2008 9 NewsletterPEACE & JUSTICE CENTER

PEACE & JUSTICE CENTER

is published 10 times a year by the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine. Deadlines for News Items and Calendar items are the 15th of the preceding month. Contributions, comments, feedback, are encouraged.

Before submitting material please check with the editor for space availability, length of the article, and final deadline.

Editor: Charlotte Herbold charlotte.herbold@umit.maine.eduCo-editor: Christina Diebold cpdiebold@yahoo.comLayout: Judy Rusk judy@ruskhouse.comPrinting: Northeast Reprographics www.nerepro.comDistribution: Kevin Holmes

Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine170 Park Street, Bangor, ME 04401207-942-9343 or info@peacectr.org

Mission Statement

View this newsletter at www.peacectr.org

...to support as well as link individuals and groups concerned with peace, social justice, and environmental issues. Center services promote cooperation, expand awareness, explore connections, and encourage community involvement in working toward a peaceful and just society. The Center also develops programs in response to those community concerns not being adequately addressed by existing social change organizations.

Newsletter

Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the staff, board, committees or membership of the Peace & Justice Center.

Peace Vigils:For additions & cancellations: charlotte.herbold@umit.maine.edu.

Bangor: Tuesdays 5-5:30 p.m. Federal Building, Harlow St. Call the Peace and Justice Center at 942-9343.

Bar Harbor: Sundays on the Village Green; 1-2 p.m., a silent and respectful peace vigil; bring your own signs. For information, call Suzanne at 288-8037 or Dee at 288-4365.

Belfast: Sundays noon-1, High and Main Sts. Call 338-6365.

Blue Hill: Sundays, noon, Blue Hill Bridge. Call 326-4405.

Bucksport: Sundays at noon on the Bucksport/Verona Bridge; meet at the traffic light on the Bucksport side; call 469-8972.

Deer Isle: Mondays 4-4:30, Route 15 across from Deer Isle Congregational Church. Call 326-4405 or 348-2511.

Ellsworth: Sundays at noon on the bridge in town; bring signs and songs. For information, call Martha at 667-5863.

Houlton: Fridays, noon-12:30, silent vigil at the Peace Pole in Monument Park. Call Marilyn, 532-3797.

Lincolnville Beach: Sundays at noon, Ducktrap Bridge. Call John, 230-2410.

Presque Isle: Sundays 12-1, Bridges for Peace on the Aroostock River Bridge.

Rockland: Sundays at noon, corner of Park and Main Sts. Call 273-3247.

Skowhegan: Sundays 12-1 at the Margaret Chase Smith Bridge

Southwest Harbor: Saturdays, 11 a.m. to noon, Pemetic Green, Main Street. Bring your own sign or use one from our collection. Kate, 244-3702.

This space is available for your ad!3 3/4” wide by 2” high

$30 per month or $100 for 4 months

Questions? Contact Stephenat 557-5017

or at OfficeManager@peacectr.org

• • • • • • •

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage Paid

Bangor, Maine 04401Permit No. 12

Peace & Justice Centerof Eastern Maine / ROSC170 Park StreetBangor, Maine 04401

Return Service Requested

• • • • • • • • • • •

GET THE NEWS!

YES! I/we would like to join the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine.

HERE’S MY DONATION OF $

Please make your check payable and mail to:Peace & Justice Center

of Eastern Maine170 Park Street

Bangor, Maine 04401

Please send my free copy of the P&J Center of Eastern Maine newsletter to:

Name:

Address:

City:

State/Zip:

Telephone:

Add me to your ACTION E-Mail list:

E-mail Address:

PEA

CE &

JUSTICE CENTER

of Eastern MaineNewsletter

Candlelight Vigil 12/14/07 Held by the Veterans for Peace, Downtown Bangor

Photo by Kelly Bellis