Volunteers gather to collect signatures for "Bathrooms for Bangor."
It’s hard to believe how fast this year has gone by. The Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine has certainly kept busy in that time by supporting a variety of community events, programs, and movements.
We kicked off our summer tabling at Bangor’s Pride Plaza, showing support and providing resources for our queer community. We helped organize a powerful “Rally for the Penobscot River and Wabanaki Sovereignty” in response to the state denying the Penobscot Nation their sovereign right to protect their relative, the Penobscot River. Throughout the following months we collaborated on a “HomeFULL Cookout,” “Bangor Arts & Music Expo”, and “Haunted by the Housing Crisis” rally with our houseless community and the Greater Bangor Housing Coalition. We recently assisted Mabel Wadsworth Center with a “Rally for Abortion Justice” to take action against the unjust laws in Texas and beyond limiting abortion rights.
The Peace & Justice Center tackled local and statewide issues within the legislative realm. Co-Program Director Sam testified in court for Maine People’s Alliance v. HoltraChem in support of a mercury cleanup, a case the center has followed for over 20 years. They also gave testimony for LD 1600 and spoke on a panel for the Equality Act. Both Program Directors attended local council and commissioner meetings and encouraged community members to attend, emphasizing the importance of listening to impacted groups. The center also joined Penobscot County Cares, an initiative working to allocate American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to community needs.
The center continued supporting various programs. We helped the UMA Bangor Community Garden and Labyrinth provide over 450lbs of food to the community this harvest. Our Education Committee hosted readings of The Gatherings: Reimagining Indigenous-Settler Relations, with various authors and Wabanaki community leaders guiding discussions. We organized a design opportunity that uplifted the works of local artists and gave our merch a new look. The center additionally helped provide meals during Saturday gatherings in Bangor to the houseless community. Our Program Directors are also in the midst of building “Imagine Abolition,” a long-term program focused on educating our community on abolition.
Here’s where we need your help. In September we parted ways with our physical space on Harlow Street. With the repercussions of the pandemic our funds have been struggling, and we need your support to regain our footing. We want nothing more than to be able to continue this community work, and we can achieve this through you.
We are setting the goal of raising $30,000. Reaching this goal will be the first step in providing sustainability to the center. It will allow us to maintain our current staff, aid in maintaining a new space, and allow new and existing programs to grow within our community. Please consider donating the most you can afford to reach this goal by check or virtually via Donorbox.
Checks can be made out to the Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine, or for a tax exempt donation please make all checks out to our fiscal sponsor R.O.S.C. (Resources for Organizing and Social Change). Send your checks to: Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine
PO Box 2628
Bangor, ME 04402
We would like to lastly thank our supporters who have continued to uphold the center. It is because of you that we get to do this incredible work in a community of love. Thank you!
For a More Just & Peaceful World,
Anthony Jackson (he/him) & Sam Bullard (she/they)
Peace & Justice Center Co-Program Directors
P&JC Merch
Please Use Other Door's design (left), Rory Turnbull's design (center), and Olivia Baldacci's design (right) are available this month as shirts, stickers, and cards.
The Peace & Justice Center now has new t-shirts and stickers! Funds made on these items will go towards supporting our center so we can continue doing our community work.
Thank you again to all the wonderful artists that participated! Your art deserves to be recognized and uplifted, and we appreciate having you in our community.
Houselessness is dire in our community and around the country. The Education Committee will be hosting a series of panel discussions on this issue. Part I: Providers’ Perspective will take place on Sunday, January 16th at 6PM. The committee will be hosting the following providers: Pat LaMarche, Tracey Hair, Jamie Beck, and Boyd Kronholm.
Jamie Beck is the founder and president of Dignity First, a housing first nonprofit located in Bangor. Dignity First operates on a solidarity, recovery-oriented model based in the philosophy all people deserve a roof over their heads and housing is a precondition for recovery. Tracey Hair is the executive director at HOME since taking over for Sister Lucy Poulin in 2016. From their website: "Home is a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping and enhancing the quality of life for low income and homeless families."
Part II: Community Perspective will take place at another date to be announced. This event will focus on the voices of those most affected by houselessness and their community wisdom.
Please join us for this important discussion on Zoom on January 16th. If you would like to join us for these discussions, please email Kay Carter (Kaycarter08@gmail.com) for the Zoom link. We look forward to seeing you!
If you want to keep seeing programs like this, you can donate to the Peace & Justice Center by mail or via Donorbox to support our efforts. Donations help us provide honorariums and materials that keep our Education Committee events running.
Greater Bangor Housing Coalition
Faith Linking in Action gathers with GBHC to give donations for the Winter Drive.
This month, the Greater Bangor Housing Coalition (GBHC) alongside Needlepoint Sanctuary (NPS) continued to collect gear for the Winter Drive. Mid-month the group was happy to host Faith Linking in Action (FLIA), who brought a truck bed's worth of materials to give out. The group and our community greatly appreciated this kind gesture and it was certainly put to use.
GBHC and Needlepoint Sanctuary are still in search of donations to prep for the cold winter ahead. Some useful physical donations are listed above. Drop off physical donations at their Saturday meetings. Direct funds are also invaluable; NPS has a GoFundMe where you can donate funds to this cause.
The group meets every Saturday at 1:30PM in Pickering Square, with a rain location at the Unitarian Universalist Church. You can donate to GBHC here on their Donorbox.If you want to be part of this vital work you are welcome to join us. Follow the group’s progress on their Facebook group page.
Penobscot County Cares
Penobscot County Cares is a collaborative effort involving more than 35 community-based organization. It's focused on raising awareness about chronic, worsening crises related to inadequate mental health care, insufficient substance use disorders, and far too little safe/affordable housing. Penobscot County Cares is calling on elected officials to prioritize solutions to these crises when making decisions about the use of millions of dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Penobscot County is receiving $30 million. A meeting with several Penobscot County legislators was held November 19th.
More individuals, agencies, groups and organizations are encouraged to join this effort. Everyone is welcome to attend the Thursday meetings to learn more and hopefully get involved. Additionally, representatives from the current participating organizations are urged to join the upcoming meeting. They need more groups and organizations--small or large--to join this effort and for participants to attend.
Penobscot County Cares meets every Thursday at 4PM. To obtain the Zoom link, please e-mail Doug Dunbar at: penobscotcountycares@gmail.com.
No Penobscot County Jail Expansion
No Penobscot County Jail Expansion (NPCJE) continues to advocate for a reduction in the number of people jailed, for better treatment of those who are held at PCJ, and for investments in solutions to problems contributing to incarcerations rather than any efforts to expand the size of the jail.
Unfortunately, the Penobscot County Commissioners are once again proposing an enormous expansion of the jail. The plan calls for adding space to hold up to 200 more people. It's a terrible use of tax dollars. It won't solve problems. In fact, it'll make them worse. People are needed to join No Penobscot County Jail Expansion.
The next meeting of No Penobscot County Jail Expansion is Sunday, December 5th, at 4PM. People can join by contacting Doug Dunbar via email at dougdunbar@yahoo.com, nopenobscotjailexpansion@googlegroups.com, or 207-299-5626. For more information on the group, check out their Facebook page, website, or email them at nopenobscotjailexpansion@gmail.com.
Find Us on Social Media
We will be sharing more of our ongoings on our website and all of our media platforms. Follow us here on Facebook and Instagram.
We will continue to monitor the State of Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and use them to inform our decisions on meetings, gatherings, and any and all safety matters or measures. We request that anyone attending our events continues to wear a face covering.
For more information regarding community and statewide resources, please visit the links below:
