March 2021

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View this email in your browser March 2021 E-Newsletter We hope you all are safe and have access to critical resources and healthcare during these trying times. Steering committee members have continued to meet via video chat to develop ideas and programs to be implemented in the near future. We will 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 that pertain to the reopening of the Peace & Justice Center.    For more information regarding community and statewide resources, please visit the links below: BANGOR COVID-19 RESOURCES MAINE COVID-19 RESOURCES   Women's History Month Photo Credit: Wikipedia page for the 2017 Women's March March is National Women's History Month, making it an excellent time to reflect on the progress of women in the U.S. The tradition of celebrating women's history began in 1982 when the first "Women's History Week" was recognized by the president, and by 1987 the people petitioned it be the entire month. This month is meant to be a time to celebrate the accomplishments of the women's rights movement, and often the focus falls on spotlighting extraordinary individuals that changed history. However, we should also take this time to examine the movement critically and acknowledge the battles still to come. The history of the modern women's movement often gets broken up into the "three waves of feminism." Each wave has their own set of amazing accomplishments and pitfalls, which can give us insight on why we are where we're at today. Let's take a brief glance at each, and for further readings on the waves check out this article here by Vox. The first wave of feminism is estimated to have been from 1848 to 1920 when the famous suffragette movement began, with the Seneca Falls convention being the first major event. This era was marked by the battle for equal rights for women, especially the right to vote. Names like Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, and Maria Stewart pop up during this time. However, the first wave is also known for its suppression of black women from the movement despite their immense efforts to push the movement forward; Susan B. Anthony herself declared it a movement for exclusively white women. It is history such as this that led to splintering in the feminist movement, made more apparent during the second wave. Photo Credit: Vox's article, "The waves of feminism, and why people keep fighting over them, explained" Women protest on issues of women's liberation at Washington DC in 1970. 1963 to the 1980's welcomed the second wave of feminism, with women such as Betty Friedan, Andrea Dworkin, Shirley Chisholm, and Gloria Steinem. This era was marked by numerous famous texts like The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir and landmark political movements such as the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and Roe v. Wade. Much of feminist values began to shift to more personal topics, focusing on freedom in relationships, sex, domestic life, and labor. Talk of the "pay gap" and reproductive freedom became essential points. This movement did better than the first to include other marginalized groups, but oftentimes their struggles were treated as secondary. Thus, many of these groups started their own; black women created their own movement under the name of "womanism," and other movements like gay liberation gained footing. The second wave also was known for being blind to privileges of class, race, ability, sexuality, and gender as it pertains to the transgender community. The third wave of feminism is often recognized as beginning in the early 1990's, but it is unclear when and if it has truly ended yet. This wave kicked off with the writing of Gender Trouble by Judith Butler, the Anita Hill testimony, and riot grrl groups. This wave focused on intersectionality, wishing to expand on who feminism fights for beyond cis, straight, middle-upper class white women. They also continued the fight for reproductive rights, called out violence against women, and redefined the sexual liberation movement. Feminists did so through the creation of the "Slut Walk" and the Vagina Monologues among other things, reclaiming the language used around their bodies and amplifying the stories of those hurt by misogynistic violence. Unfortunately this wave gets criticized often for its lack of cohesion and focus. This may be due to the efforts of some feminists trying to make the movement more universal and palatable to others, and this is an issue we may be seeing in the fourth wave. With the growth of the internet grew the idea that "anyone can be a feminist," all it takes is believing women deserve to be equal. This ideology reduces a century-long movement of activism and fighting for civil liberties to a simplistic school of thought with no action behind it. Thankfully though many activists now are also questioning this thought process and pushing for a more nuanced understanding of the movement that keeps its integrity while making room for more people to join. Art Credit: Sam Bullard This was a design Sam made for Mabel Wadsworth Center to show appreciation for their feminist healthcare providers. The feminist movement has its flaws, but its core values through the years has certainly led to great progress. The fight for equality is far from over, but by reflecting on our pitfalls and accomplishments, we can work together to build a better future. This Women's History Month, let's remember to be critical of our past while still appreciating the progress it made. -Sam Bullard Community Food Effort Photo Credit: Sam Bullard An example of the food boxes provided to us by the Ecumenical Food Cupboard. We are still taking nominations for our community food effort! We are looking to sponsor 10-20 local families in need to deliver food weekly to, and we hope to do so for at least half the year. You can anonymously nominate a family (including your own) here on our Google Form here. Our deliveries are now in full swing as we provide weekly boxes to ten families. Thanks to the efforts of many, we have been able to consistently provide these families with food all month. The Ecumenical Food Cupboard has been doing the box arrangements and will continue doing so for us in the coming months. We have also been using some of our food pantry to feed our homeless community in Bangor every Saturday at the Greater Bangor Housing Coalition meetings. This is an effort many of us are passionate about, and we are happy to be serving our community in this way. We also still welcome volunteers for our delivery drivers. Please let us know if you want to volunteer with us on our food pantry efforts too! Thanks for your support, and please be sure to share our form so we can help out our community! Fundraising Committee We are in search of some wonderful volunteers to join our team! Our Fundraising Committee could use some creative minds like yours to get the ball rolling on some fun projects, grants, and appeals. We are looking for volunteers with a passion for community work and a love for our organization. As part of the Fundraising Committee, you will get the opportunity to bring our community together in innovative ways to uplift our work at the center, and build lasting connections with our amazing members. Whether you are an experienced organizer or a fresh face to the world of activism, we welcome your perspective on our committee. Our Fundraising Committee plays an essential role in the functionality of the Peace & Justice Center. We couldn't do all this amazing community work with help from people like you, and we would love to have you as a part of our organization. If you are interested, contact Desiree at desiree.vargas@maine.edu or email us at peacectr@gmail.com. Education Committee Photo Credit: National Endowment for the Arts This February, the Education Committee celebrated one of the many beautiful figures and stories of Black excellence with Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. The Education Committee led the meetings via Zoom, and the second reading even featured special guest Lucy Hurston, Zora's niece. All three sessions went well and were both interesting and informative. During the second session Lucy Hurston's lively presence was both heartwarming and humorous. She answered any all questions asked of her. Her presence was thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated by all the attendees. The committee meets next on March 14th at 6PM via Zoom. If you wish to get involved with the Education Committee reach out to Doug Poulin at dugbug45@gmail.com. Greater Bangor Housing Coalition Photo Credit: Sedum Jackson A still from one of GBHC's first meetings. The Greater Bangor Housing Coalition (GBHC) is a collection of local activist organizations and community members that have come together to reach out to Bangor’s houseless community and work collaboratively to address their issues. This group was established in late October 2020 as a support group, which then transformed into a coalition focused on addressing “systemic problems contributing to houselessness in the Greater Bangor area, creating demands for change, and building community power.” Needlepoint Sanctuary Bangor, Mindful Queer Collective, Poor People’s Campaign Maine, Racial Equity And Justice, Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine, and The People ~ Streetlight Outreach Mission are the current supporting organizations. Since establishing this group, GBHC has taken on a few different issues and networked with various groups and people to help support the houseless community. They have met with the majority of Bangor’s City Councilors and used this time to uplift the voices of the houseless and their demands to the city. Some of the group’s major demands include accessible public bathrooms, safe needle deposits, more warming centers, and inclusive housing. The group also focuses on providing food and other resources like clothes, hygiene supplies, and more. Although GBHC is only a few months old, the group certainly has its hands tied with time-sensitive needs and direct community demands. There are a lot of plans in progress. Some include regular meetings between houseless community members and city officials, converting abandoned spaces into housing, collecting a community fund for bail and down payments, and expanding public transport vouchers and operating hours. The group is also looking to focus and contribute towards local and state legislation that center on issues of houselessness, such as SMARTER NOT HARDER policing. The group meets every Saturday at 1PM in Pickering Square, with a warming center at the Unitarian Universalist Church connected via Zoom. If you want to be part of this vital work you are welcome to join us at either location or virtually. Email us at peacectr@gmail.com if you want the link, and follow the group’s progress on their Facebook group page. No Penobscot County Jail Expansion The No Penobscot County Jail Expansion has embarked on a storytelling project to gather the stories of community members who have spent time in Penobscot County Jail from 2018 to the present. Each participant also has the opportunity to have their portrait painted by a Maine artist. The group will be sharing these stories and portraits in a variety of ways to help create change inside the Penobscot County Jail and in the community.   People who have spent time in PCJ and are willing to tell their story are invited to contact storytelling project organizer Dylan Moore at zeraph.moore@gmail.com. Participants can be anonymous if desired. For more information on the project, check out this Google Doc here. The group continues to meet virtually every few weeks to address a variety of problems in the criminal legal system. They seek solutions to problems, so fewer people face incarceration, and those who end up in jail are treated much better. These meetings are open to all who believe the criminal legal system needs reform. They happily welcome newcomers.   Their next meeting is Sunday, March 14th, at 4PM through this Zoom link.  For more information check out their Facebook page, website, or email them at nopenobscotjailexpansion@gmail.com. You can also directly contact one of the organizers, Doug Dunbar at: dougdunbar@yahoo.com. Freedom & Captivity: Art on Abolition For those of you with a creative mind, you may be excited to hear about this opportunity to share your art! The Freedom & Captivity Coalition and other orgs are in search of visual artists, writers, and musicians for their upcoming show, "Freedom & Captivity: Art on Abolition." This exhibit focuses on the theme of abolition and a reimagining of the world through this lens. This group understands abolition as the "tearing down of racist systems of policing, detention, captivity, and monitoring" and replacing it with "community-led systems of caring for people and harm reduction." This exhibit is an open call that especially welcomes those who are incarcerated or have been incarcerated to participate, as well as anyone in the community that cares about this issue. The exhibit launches on August 2nd, with new proposals due March 15th and existing work submissions due June 1st.  For more information on this exhibit and how to apply, check out this flyer as well as this website here. We hope to see some of your work there! Maine Multicultural Center Next week on Wednesday, March 10th at 6PM, the Maine Multicultural Center will be hosting a virtual forum. This will be presented by Dennis Chinoy and will focus on the deep roots of white supremacy in our society. If you wish to attend the talk you can can join via Zoom here or watch it on Facebook Live here that day. Contact mmccbangor@gmail.com for additional information. Needlepoint Sanctuary Peace Vigils Tuesdays at 12:00PM Looking to get involved again in a safe, socially distanced way? Kevin continues to meet every Tuesday at noon with other activists for the weekly Peace Vigil. The group meets across the street from the Peace & Justice Center on the corner of Harlow and Central Street. We hope to see you there masked up and ready to demonstrate! 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.  For more information, email us at: peacectr@gmail.com. THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS! Donate Now! Copyright © 2019 Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine| All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: peacectr_list@lists.peacectr.org  Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. *|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*