LACO Food Pantry Car Show, June 6, 2026 (Saturday)
Category Archives: Peace and Social Concerns
Powwow at Bowdoin, May 2, 2026 at Noon
Peace and Social Cobcerns Committee calls our attention to the third annual Powwow at Bowdoin College, sponsored by the college’s Office of Inclusion and Diversity and the Bowdoin Indigenous student group.
FCNL Initiates Priority Setting Process
Friends Committee on National Legislation is beginning its next round of setting its legislative priorities. Each Quaker Meeting is invited to participate in the process. Below is a letter sent to all Quaker Meetings about this opportunity. Following it is a summary of the process FCNL follows.
Durham Friends Meeting will hold its discernment discussion on Sunday, April 12, 2026, 11:45 to 1:45 pm.
Invitational Letter to Quaker Meetings: January 1, 2026 Dear Friends,
On behalf of the General Committee of FCNL, we invite you to engage your meeting or church in worship and discernment about our legislative priorities for the 120th Congress, which begins in January 2027. From its inception, the Friends Committee on National Legislation has relied on meetings and churches to ground our work in the concerns of Friends. Our process of asking Friends to consider, every two years, which issues should be the focus of their lobbying organization in Washington, DC, connects our advocacy strongly to the testimonies and values of Friends. As your meeting, church, or other Friends group takes part in this priorities-setting process, please first review FCNL’s policy statement, The World We Seek, available at https://www.fcnl.org/LegislativeStatement. Your discernment on which specific issues are rising to the priority level provides guidance to FCNL staff on where to focus their lobbying attention for the next two years. The following questions can then guide your identification of the issues of greatest importance to you. • How are Friends called to influence our government today? • What issues should be the priority for our advocacy efforts? • Where is the Spirit leading us? The enclosed documents, Guidelines for Participating in the Priorities Process, and FCNL’s website, fcnl.org/priorities, provide information and materials to guide you. Please submit the outcome of your discernment no later than April 17, 2026. Participation of Friends in meetings and churches across the country is essential to making our Quaker lobby who and what we are — from the issues we work on to the way we focus on building relationships and looking for that of God in everyone we talk with. In politics today, the kind of approach that FCNL takes is increasingly important and increasingly rare. We know that it makes a difference, but we can’t do it without you. The Policy Committee is ready to support you if further guidance is needed. Requests for help can be directed to Noell Krughoff (nkrughoff@gmail.com; (317) 512-1091) or Scot Drysdale (scotdrysdale47@gmail.com; (603) 643-3989). Additionally, on February 12, 2026, from p.m. Eastern, we will be hosting a call to answer questions, connect you with others leading this process, and ensure you are prepared to share your group’s priorities by April 17.
Understanding the Process: Setting Legislative Priorities
1. Nationwide Quaker Discernment
Every two years, FCNL asks Friends and their meetings, churches, and other groups all over the country to discern which public policy issues they feel are most pressing for the next Congress. These groups highlight legislative priorities from the many topics and questions identified in FCNL’s Policy Statement, “The World We Seek.”
2. Policy Committee
Next, the 13-member FCNL Policy Committee, appointed by the 200 Friends on General Committee, reads all the responses and meets together to consider what meetings, churches, groups, and individuals are telling FCNL.
For each concern raised, the committee considers how that area is supported in the FCNL Policy Statement and the historic leadings of Friends. The committee also considers the capacity of staff, the financial resources of FCNL, and the potential role of FCNL and other groups working on the issues. Finally, the committee considers whether a chosen issue is likely to come before the upcoming Congress.
The committee makes difficult choices among the many advances we would all like to make toward the World We Seek, knowing that if we try to do everything, we will do nothing well.
3. General Committee at Annual Meeting
The Policy Committee brings its recommendation to the FCNL General Committee meeting for final discernment in the November Annual Meeting. The General Committee may choose to accept the recommended priorities or ask for further modifications. Throughout the discussion, however, the priorities discerned by Friends across the country remain at the center of the Committee’s consideration.
LACO Benefit Dinner Request, February 14, 2026
Fight Hunger One Bowl, Cup at a Time will be held on February 14, Valentine’s Day, at the Lisbon Falls Baptist Church, on Rte. 196 from 4:00-6:30 P.M.
The cost is $15.00 per person. We need as many people from the board and the supporting churches to make salads, soups, chili, breads, rolls, and pies for this event.
Kim Bolshaw. our representative to LACO, will pick items up from the Meetinghouse on Saturday morning; to contact Kim, text her at 207 808 3007. Thank you.
Wabanaki Legislation Alert, January-February 2026
From Peace and Social Concerns Committee
UPDATE: February 12, 2026:
The date for the public hearings on the two big “sovereignty bills” has been announced. The
date is: Thursday, February 19, 2026, 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. in the Judiciary Committee
meeting room, State House, Room 438.
10:00 a.m.: LD 395: “An Act to Restore Access to Federal Laws Beneficial to the
Wabanaki Nations”
1:00 p.m.: LD 785: An Act to Enact the Remaining Recommendations of the Task Force
on Changes to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act”
See the Wabanaki Alliance website for a summary of the bills and talking points:
LD 395: https://www.wabanakialliance.com/ld-395-talking-points/
LD 785: https://www.wabanakialliance.com/ld-785-talking-points/
These bills will be very similar to ones that have come up in previous sessions, so you can dust
off and update those previous testimonies!
To support these bills contact your legislators. You can find them by going to
www.maine.gov and type voter lookup into the search bar. Select Government: eDemocracy:
Voter Information Lookup and enter the name of your town
Important Wabanaki Legislation, January 23, 2026
The Wabanaki Alliance will be having a Lobby Day, likely in February, in conjunction with the
hearings on the two most important bills coming before the legislature this session. We ask you
to contact your legislators in support of these bills.
P&SC will provide more information as we learn the dates and committees that will hold
the hearings.
To support these bills contact your legislators. You can find them by going to
www.maine.gov and type voter lookup into the search bar. Select Government: eDemocracy:
Voter Information Lookup and enter the name of your town.
LD 785 (previously LD 1626 in past legislature), which will incorporate all of the proposed
amendments to the 1980 Settlement Act that haven’t already been passed (which is the majority
of them recommended by a 2019 bipartisan task force); and,
LD 395 (previously LD 2004), which seeks to give the Wabanaki Nations access to all of the
beneficial laws that have been passed for the other 571 federally-recognized Indigenous
Nations, but which have been denied to the Wabanaki since 1980)
FCNL Asks Us to Write Letters to Senator Collins About Immigration
Through Wendy Schlotterbeck, the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) is asking us to participate this month in a campaign they are calling Letter by Letter: Building Solidarity with Migrants.
“Throughout the fall, FCNL is collecting handwritten letters to deliver to Congress on December 18 for International Migrants Day. We’re sending a clear message: Immigrants make this nation whole. Unchecked, clandestine detention and deportation must stop.”
More information on the Campaign is available HERE.
Time is of the essence. Wendy will be delivering our letters on December 18. She’ll be at Meeting this Sunday, December 14, equipped with pens, paper and envelopes to write letters right then and there. This Sunday will be the best day to get to her for her to carry to Collins’s office.
Here’s more from FCNL:
“Legislators must reject President Trump’s efforts to deport millions, close the border to families and children seeking refuge from persecution, and strip protections from sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and places of worship. His administration has moved to deputize the military for civil immigration enforcement and divert funds Congress set aside for humanitarian and migration needs.
“This is not an immigration policy—it is a reckless, punitive, and unconstitutional abuse of executive power. It’s an assault on our faith calling to love the immigrant as thyself. It’s an abandonment of American values. Members of Congress can still choose another path.
“Constituent handwritten letters cut through the noise like little else. Below are talking points on four themes to help you begin: refugee admissions, threats to Dreamers, enforcement in sensitive places, and military involvement in immigration enforcement. Share your story, how your community is affected, and urge your members of Congress to act.”
LACO Christmas Craft Fair, December 6, 2025, 8am to 4pm
Lisbon Area Christian Outreach (the food pantry we support) will hold a Christmas Craft Fair on December 6, 2025, from 8am to 4pm at the Lisbon Falls Baptist Church, 555 Lisbon Street, Lisbon Falls, Maine.
Where to Send Money to Aid Immigrants and Refugees
On November 9, we sent out a Friends Note seeking monetary assistance for legal costs in aid of two migrants (Miguel and Patricio) who had been seized by ICE. Haven Immigration Law has filed habeas corpus petitions on their behalf, but funds are needed to pay for this legal assistance. Money can be sent via Venmo to Christine Livia@steeny-bean, or to one of the four organizations below. (NB: links need to be retyped.)
“Encounter,” by Brittany Luby and Michaela Goade; read by Jeanne Baker Stinson
For the message at Durham Friends Meeting on November 9, Jeanne Baker Stinson read Encounter, a children’s book by Brittany Luby (writer) and Michaela Goade (illustrator). The publisher (Little, Brown) describes it as “A powerful imagining by two Native creators of a first encounter between two very different people that celebrates our ability to acknowledge difference and find common ground.”
From Storytime Trail: “Based on an actual journal entry by French explorer Jacques Cartier from his first expedition to North America in July 1534, this story imagines the first encounter between a European sailor and a Stadaconan fisher.
“As the two navigate their differences (language, dress, food) with curiosity, the natural world around them notes their similarities. The seagull observes their like shadows, the mosquito notes their equally appealing blood, the mouse enjoys the crumbs both people leave behind.
“This story explores how encounters can create community and celebrates varying perspectives and the natural world. It is at once specific and universal. It’s a story based on a primary document and historical research, but it is in equal measure beautifully imagined. It makes room for us to recognize our differences while celebrating our shared humanity.”
P&SC Urges Extra Support for Local Food Banks
Peace and Social Concerns Committee would like to call our attention to the emerging food crisis with the interruption of SNAP benefits during the federal government shutdown. P&SC urges DFM folks to be especially generous in contributions to local food banks and pantries.
Here’s a statewide initiative to support food banks.
Friends Committee on Maine Public Policy, October 16, 2025, 4-6 pm
From Shirley Hager, regarding the Friends Committee on Maine Public Policy (FCMPP):
Please save Thursday, October 16, 4:00-6:00 p.m. for a fall FCMPP meeting on Zoom.
Maulian Dana Bryant, Executive Director of the Wabanaki Alliance, will be our guest to share highlights of what the Alliance would like to achieve in the upcoming legislative session, and also to talk about the importance of Question #1, on the ballot this November, for Wabanaki communities and for all of us. This is an opportunity to get revved up and focused on upcoming important issues, and to have your questions answered.
Members of the Episcopal Committee on Indian Relations are invited as well. I have included several of them in this email and invite them to spread the word on their committee.
Stay tuned for further details of the meeting, and for the Zoom link, a bit closer to October 16.
Best wishes to all amidst this beautiful fall weather.
Shirley — Shirley N. Hager
https://www.thegatheringsbook.com; And now an audiobook! https://utorontopress.com/utp-audio/ (click on book image)
Please include a request for anyone wanting to join us who are not on the FCMPP list to email me at: shirley.hager@maine.edu, so that I can send them the Zoom link and meeting details closer to the meeting date.
Important Wabanaki Legislation, 132st Legislature, Spring 2025
Peace and Social Concerns Committee calls to the Meeting’s attention bills before the Maine legislature that are of particular importance to the Wabanaki Alliance.
The following information, and more, can be found on the Wabanaki Alliance Bill Tracker website at https://www.wabanakialliance.com/legislative-bill-tracker/
To find your legislators go to www.maine.gov and type voter lookup into the search bar. Select Government: eDemocracy: Voter Information Lookup and enter the name of your town.
Important Wabanaki Legislation
132st Legislature
Updated May 23, 2025/Updated March 28, 2025/ Originally posted February 18, 2025
Important Wabanaki Legislation 132st Legislature February 18, 2025
The following information, and more, can be found on the Wabanaki Alliance Bill Tracker website at https://www.wabanakialliance.com/legislative-bill-tracker/
To support these bills contact your legislators. You can find them by going to www.maine.gov and type voter lookup into the search bar. Select Government: eDemocracy: Voter Information Lookup and enter the name of your town.
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LD 14, An Act to Provide Indigenous Peoples Free Access to State Parks
Sponsor: Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec)
The Wabanaki Alliance supports this bill. Read our testimony >> SUMMARY
This bill provides that a citizen of a federally recognized Indian nation, tribe or band in Maine is not required to pay a fee for admission to any state-owned park, historic site, camping area or beach managed by the State. The bill also specifies that to qualify for free admission, a person is required to present a qualifying tribal identification, as approved by the respective tribal government, to the park attendant or other designee of the Director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Read the complete bill text»
The Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry held a public hearing March 11 (read the public testimony) and a work session March 18. The committee voted that the bill Ought to Pass.
⚠STATUS: Passed initial votes in House and Senate!
The bill passed “under the hammer” (no roll call) in the Senate and passed the House 121-18 (see how your representative voted). The bill will undergo more procedural votes next.
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LD 958, An Act to Prohibit Eminent Domain on Tribal Lands
Sponsor: House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor)
The Wabanaki Alliance supports this bill. Read our testimony >> SUMMARY
This bipartisan bill amends the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement
Implementing Act and the 2023 Mi’kmaq Nation Restoration Act to prevent the state from taking Wabanaki land for public uses, often referred to as “the right of eminent domain.” This would apply to land located within Passamaquoddy Tribe territory, Penobscot Nation territory, Houlton Band Trust Land and the Mi’kmaq Nation Trust Land. By removing language that gives the state eminent domain power over tribal lands, LD 958 restores a fundamental principle that the Wabanaki Nations are sovereign governments with inherent power to regulate their territories. In committee, the bill was amended to stipulate that legislation would apply only to trust lands. Read the full bill text >>
Learn more in our Take Action Post on LD 958.
⚠STATUS: Committee voted OTP; Full Legislature will vote soon.
The Committee on Judiciary held a public hearing April 4 (read the public testimony). Committee members introduced an amendment that stipulates the legislation would apply only to trust lands. The committee voted 10-4 that the bill Ought to Pass as amended. It now goes to the full Legislature for a vote.
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LD 1474, An Act to Strengthen the Teaching of Wabanaki Studies in Maine Schools
Sponsor: Rep. Laurie Osher (D-Orono)
The Wabanaki Alliance supports this bill.
SUMMARY
This bill creates the position of Wabanaki Studies Specialist within the Maine Department of Education to oversee compliance with the 2001 Wabanaki Studies Law, which requires the inclusion of Wabanaki history, economic and political systems, and culture in the curricula of all public K-12 schools. According to
a 2022 report by the Wabanaki Alliance, the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission, ACLU of Maine, and the Abbe Museum, most school districts in the state have largely ignored the law since it was enacted, which prompted the introduction of this legislation. LD 1474 requires ongoing funding for the Wabanaki Studies Specialist and for contracted Wabanaki advisors to advance the implementation of Wabanaki studies across the state. LD 1474 also directs the state Board of Education to require completion of a Wabanaki studies component within teacher certification requirements and ensures funding is available to hire Wabanaki advisors and educators who would help the Wabanaki studies specialist create short-term courses that would be available to all Maine teachers. A similar bill (which also included additional provisions related to African American Studies) was approved by the 131st Legislature but died on the appropriations table last spring along with dozens of other unfunded bills. Read the full text of LD 1474>>
Learn more in our Take Action Post on LD 1474.
STATUS: Voted OTP by the committee; full Legislature will vote soon. The Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs held a public hearing April 22 (read the public testimony). The committee held two work sessions and the majority voted (7-6) that the bill Ought to Pass. It goes to the full Legislature for a vote next.
A Gift from Rachel Carey-Harper and How We Have Used It
Rachel Carey-Harper, a Quaker in New England Yearly Meeting, recently made a gift to Durham Friends. (At the same time she made similar gifts to other Meetings in NEYM.) She asked us to re-donate this money to causes of importance to us. Here is what we have done.
From the February 2025 Meeting Minutes: The Meeting received a $2,000 gift from Rachel Carey-Harper. She expressed a desire that the money support people who are affected by the ways in which our government is no longer funding organizations, e.g., immigrants and refugees, LGBTQ+, Women’s shelters, etc. The money may be given to more than one organization. The suggestion was made that a portion of the funds go to domestic violence survivors. Several people spoke in support of giving to Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services (MEIRS) today, the need being immediate. Clerk proposed giving $1,000 to MEIRS today, and return next month to discuss allocation of the remainder. Meeting approved this proposal.
From the March 2025 Meeting Minutes: “On the use of Rachel Carey-Harper’s Donation — Linda Muller. After conducting some research, Linda Muller and Sarah Sprogell recommend the Meeting donate the remaining $1,000 (out of the original $2,000 gift) to Safe Voices, a domestic violence direct service organization working in Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin Counties. This is a geographic area of greater risk, many towns without standing police departments. Over 2,700 women were served last year. Meeting heartily approved this contribution.”
Rachel Carey-Harper has asked us to look at and give feedback to Healing Reflections, a new website launched with support, collaboration, and guidance from Barnstable Friends Preparative Meeting and approval of Mattapoisett Monthly Meeting. The website focuses on grounding ourselves in what connects us, healing that which separates us from each other, and ways we can move forward in love. They would like to know if you think there is anything being presented that is contrary to basic Friends faith and principles. We are encouraged to contribute to the “From the Orchestra” section which includes messages or reflections sharing our sense of Spirit.
You can learn more about the family business, Eden Hand Arts, which Rachel Carey-Harper now owns, HERE.
FCNL: Welcome the 119th Congress WITH Action
to Register, GO HERE
“Proposal for a Wabanaki Elder-in-Residence at U Maine,” by Shirley Hager
Shirley Hager, of Winthrop Center Friends Meeting, brought the message to Durham Friends Meeting on December 15, 2024. She outlined the proposal now afoot for creating a Wabanaki Elder-in-Residence at the University of Maine. Initially, this would be a three-year pilot program, costing about $30,000 each of the three years.
The materials she distributed encouraging contributions from Quaker Meetings and individual Friends are below.
Active Hope Reading Group — An Invitation
From Peace and Social Concerns Committee:
As we all seek to find our own path forward in the current environment, we invite you to join us in reading Active Hope by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone.
We will be meeting on the 4th Sunday in January, February, and March at 9:30 am.
A section of the book will be discussed at each meeting.
To learn more about the book follow this link.
Chris Newell Lecture and Film: When Native Peoples Tell Their Own Stories, November 1, 6:00-7:30 pm
From Peace and Social Concerns Committee:
A Lecture & Film Screening with Chris Newell
When: Nov 1st, 6 – 7:30 pm
Where: Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main Street, Freeport
Tickets:
- $10 for non-members,
- $5 for members,
- Free for Teachers & Students (ticket still required)
What is the impact of history and education when more inclusive of Native peoples of this land? How do you bring it into your learning space? Chris Newell will examine these questions and more as he discusses the far-reaching work of himself and his partners at Akomawt Educational Initiative to bring Native content to all areas of education in our society.
The lecture will be followed by a screening of the short film “Weckuwapok (The Approaching Dawn).”
Chris Newell’s book “If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving” will be available for purchase.
For more information about our speaker, Chris Newell, access his biography here!
LACO Fundraising Dinner, October 5, 2024, 4:30 to 6:30 pm
There will be a LACO Fundraising Dinner at Durham Friends Meetinghouse, October 5, 2024, 4:30 to 6:30 pm.
LACO is Lisbon Area Christian Outreach, a food pantry amd clothing bank supported by a number of churches, including this Friends Meeting, in and around Lisbon, Maine.
From FCNL: Commemorate Orange Shirt Day, with Action
FCNL is asking us to contact our congressional representatives urging support for creation of a Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies.
Recommended Social Justice Resources for Teachers and Others
The Social Justice Book Project, at Durham Monthly Meeting of Friends in Maine, has produced the materials in this folder for use by teachers of young children and organizations wishing to establish similar projects in their communities. These materials are available to you to print and share. By October 1, 2024 all of the materials will be available and they include:
Guide Books
A Guide to Building a School Justice Book Project
Creating an Anti-Bias Classroom Community – the Role of Books
Exploring the Black Experience in America – the Role of Books
Exploring Wabanaki History and Culture with Attention to Care of the Environment – the Role of Books
Booklists:
Anti-bias Classroom Community Books
Black Experience in America Books
Books By and About Indigenous Peoples
Books About Social Justice Activists
Stories About Inspirational Figures
Books About Appreciating and Caring for the Environment
Resources:
A List of Other Recommended Resources
Walk for Historical and Ecological Recovery (WHERE2024), May 9, 5:30pm
Peace and Social Concerns calls these events to our attention:
Dear friend, Over the course of 2024, partners committed to surfacing the truths of colonization and oppression in the place known for millennia by the Wabanaki people as the Dawnland will engage with local communities on a journey across land and water, shining a light on the ways that Indigenous, Black, and settler-descendent populations are represented—or not—in Maine’s commemorative landscape.Convened by the public history nonprofit Atlantic Black Box, the Walk for Historical and Ecological Recovery (WHERE2024) is a broad-based and community-engaged effort carried out in partnership with Wabanaki REACH, Indigo Arts Alliance, Community Change Inc., and In Kinship Collective. |
| Join WHERE2024 partners on Thursday, May 9 at 5:30 pm for a launch event hosted by the Land We Live Onto kick off this epic collective journey. Click HERE to RSVP |
| Over seven months, a series of walks and programs situated in seven locations throughout the state will engage the public in surfacing suppressed stories of genocide and survival, enslavement and resistance, displacement and represencing.Walking in solidarity to forward ongoing processes of truth-seeking and transformation, our aim is to catalyze creative and embodied approaches to antiracist and decolonial historical recovery efforts across the state and the region.Please join us on May 9 as we move to reckon with all that has happened here and to engage in dialogue around the ways that our past continues to shape our present-day relationships and our possible futures.CLICK TO RSVP OR JOIN MAILING LIST |
| Atlantic Black Box is dedicated to expanding the field of historical recovery. We empower communities throughout the Northeast to research and reckon with the region’s active role in colonization and slavery while recentering the stories of its historically marginalized groups. Atlantic Black Box is a 501c3 public charity EIN 86-2963335 P.O. Box 8771, Portland, ME 04104 www.atlanticblackbox.com info@atlanticblackbox.comCopyright © 2024 Atlantic Black Box, All rights reserved. |
“Common Ground” to be Shown at Meetinghouse, April 26, 7pm
Peace and Social Concerns Committee will be showing a film, “Common Ground” at the Meetinghouse on April 26 at 7:00 PM. More on the film HERE.
From the film’s website:
From the filmmakers of ‘Kiss the Ground’ (Netflix) comes the follow-up documentary ‘Common Ground’, winner of the Tribeca Film Festival. Common Ground is an important new documentary film featuring Laura Dern, Jason Momoa, Woody Harrelson, Ian Somerhalder, Donald Glover, Rosario Dawson, Mark Hyman, Gabe Brown, and many others.
Directed by Josh and Rebecca Tickell, Common Ground provides hope for future generations with concrete ways to fix a broken planetary system. The film explores how regenerative agriculture can help heal the soil, our health and the planet.
Setting Priorities for FCNL, Sunday, April 14, Noon
From Peace and Social Concerns Committee:
We know elections matter, and we know that our voices matter. That is why Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) asks us to identify the top priorities that they will focus on in the next Congress, convening in January, 2025.
On Sunday, April 14 at 12 noon, our Peace and Social Concerns Committee will lead us in a meeting wide discussion and discernment. If you cannot attend, in person or by Zoom, please reply to this email (durham@neym.org) with your thoughts.
“We may all feel at times that we stand alone and are helpless as single individuals to influence issues that we have a driving desire (leading) to improve and/or change. Please recognize that if you accept this invitation to provide input to FCNL you will be joining hundreds of others pushing for a better world. The success of FCNL’s 80 years of advocacy work has always depended on persistence, patience and the support of caring people (examples: 2016 US-Iran Nuclear Agreement, 2023 repeal of 2002 Iraq War Authorization, 2024 advocacy for passage of Bill S.1723 Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act).”
On April 14 we will prepare a message from Durham Friends, letting FCNL know what is most important to us right now. Please help us do that by attending our meeting or sending your thoughts by email.
Here’s a list of current priorities, feel free to add yours under Other Issues
Economic Justice:
Sustainable Energy and Environment:
Justice Reform and Gun Violence Prevention:
Just Migration:
Native American Concerns:
Middle East Policy:
Nuclear Nonproliferation:
Pentagon Spending:
International Peace Building:
U.S. Wars and Militarism:
Voting and Elections:
Other Issues:
Letter Writing Party for Maine Gun Safety, via Zoom, February 29, 7pm
Portland Friends Meeting (and others) invite us to participate in a Zoom Letter Writing Party for Maine Gun Safety — to be held on Leap Day, February 29, 2024.
Here are the details:
- Thursday, February 29, 7 – 8ish pm
- To register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvdu-grD0rHdXBsyoa-ISvKkY9BriDTNlk
(to avoid zoom bombing you’ll have to quickly take a moment to register)
- Not sure what to say in your letter? We’ll send you a template you could use, or you can write your own if you feel inspired! More materials HERE.
Come spend an hour with Quakers and others throughout Maine by writing letters to your legislators, Janet Mills, or the newspaper, to promote the four priorities of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition.
Make it even more of a party by invite friends to join you in person at your home, and then log on together!
Can’t make the party? That’s ok, you can write a letter on your own time. Attached is a Letter to the Editor Toolkit, and you can also use that to help you reach out to Janet Mills or your legislator. Find your legislators here: https://nrcm.salsalabs.org/mainelegislatorlookup/index.html.
Also, we’re attaching a list of high-priority legislators who could use more nudging on this issue. Most of them are outside of Greater Portland (although one is in part of Westbrook and Windham). But please take a few minutes with the list, and if you know someone who lives in one of these towns, please reach out to them to contact their legislator, and invite them to this zoom party. This is how the work gets done!
Hosted by members of Portland Friends Meeting and Durham Friends Meeting, open to all!
Rob Levin and Heather Denkmire and Valerie Todd and Leslie Manning
Questions: email rob@roblevin.net.
“Our Anti-Bias Curriculum,” by Ingrid Chalufour
Ingrid Chalufour brought the message at Durham Friends Meeting on February 4, 2024
Today I bring good news. Your money for children’s books is well spent. The 7 teachers who worked with us this fall have completed a process of using books to help them create an anti-bias classroom community. Basically, we have layered an anti-bias approach onto what they already do to create community. A definition:
“Anti-bias curriculum is an approach to early childhood education that sets forth values-based principles and methodology in support of respecting and embracing differences and acting against bias and unfairness.” From Teaching for Change
Note that we not only introduce injustice but we let children know they can do something about it.
The teachers received books about kindness; books that elicited empathy including topics such as homelessness and bullying; books that introduced all kinds of diversity (race, ethnicity, family structure, gender). They wrote reflections for us about the use of the books and the children’s responses. In conclusion, they wrote reflections about the impact of the whole unit. Their stories have provided evidence that the books do have an impact on children’s learning and on the teachers as well. I will share a few quotes:
Jeanne, who teaches a combined 1st-2nd Grade wrote, “I see that my work has had an impact this year because… my students feel comfortable asking questions and sharing ideas about the similarities and differences between us. I think the sense that any of these topics (race, ethnicity, language, religion, other aspects of culture…) are open for discussion and wondering is a key aspect of the anti-bias classroom. The other key component is the idea that we can each make a difference…. We all have such a long way to go but pure curiosity, without judgement, in a space of caring is how we start the journey.”
Aja, a PreK teacher wrote, “The books and conversations we had helped create a safe space where our ideas are not right or wrong but used to build knowledge from one another. We found joy in our physical differences and people colors are now widely used and discussed in the classroom. Children went home and talked about learning about melanin. We challenged some biases around gender stereotypes, abilities, and family and home structures. The kindness book was a wonderful book to read over and over and was such a simple yet helpful book in establishing a caring classroom community.”
From Emma another 1st-2nd Grade teacher, “I believe that because I made an effort to have open and honest conversations about identity, the children became more comfortable talking about the different ways they identify and the different ways people in their community identify. We spent time defining words like ‘empathy’, ‘race’, ‘diversity’, ‘community’. I know the majority understand these words because when I first asked what they meant, few students raised their hands and their answers were off-base; now when we have conversations revolving around those topics, it’s clear that we don’t need to define them because they are either a) using those words, or b) able to answer the questions I pose that contain those key words. I think in these early stages of language acquisition, this is a critical piece.”
Finally, from Kate a Kindergarten teacher, “Adding this layer has made me look more closely at the curriculum in order to figure out where could I weave in these books, so along with content students are experiencing, accepting, celebrating differences.”
We, the work group, are continually learning from the work of the teachers and from the consultants who are informing our journey. The teachers work this fall has taught us that spending time on creating an anti-bias classroom community is an essential foundation to the social justice work that follows which is exploring the Black experience in America and Wabanaki studies, with attention to care of the environment.
As we move from creating community to this new work about People of Color, we are introducing racism. Some ask why do you introduce 4- to 8-year-old children to racism. A primary reason is that small children are keen observers of the world. They are noticing similarities and differences and forming opinions, making judgements. When their judgements are made in the white dominant culture, they can begin to discriminate. At the same time these children are very quick to see unfairness. It is the perfect time to introduce the unfairness of racism. The question we have tackled recently is how do you do this. Young children are concrete thinkers so you must scaffold the message, moving from experiences the children can identify with to more abstract concepts like race. It is also essential to our approach that introducing any injustice is accompanied by the idea that you can do something about it.
Recently I happened upon a book at Curtis Library that does all of this. It is just the perfect book as our teachers transition to their new topic this winter and spring so we bought one for each of them and I will share it with you now: Our Skin, by Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli and Isabel Roxas.
Our Hearts Are Breaking Interfaith Service, February 28
Braver Angels Workshops at Curtis Library, Feb. 17 and March 9
Important Wabanaki Legislation, 131st Legislature, February 2, 2024
The following information, and more, can be found on the Wabanaki Alliance Bill Tracker website at https://www.wabanakialliance.com/131st-bill-tracker/ The bills listed below are currently being targeted for your support. They will be voted on by the House and the Senate in the near future.
TAKE ACTION: Contact your legislators. Contact your legislators and ask them to vote YES on LD 25 and LD 294.
To find your legislators go to www.maine.gov and type voter lookup into the search bar. Select Government: eDemocracy: Voter Information Lookup and enter the name of your town.
LD 25: An Act to Provide Indigenous Peoples Free Access to State Parks
Sponsor: Sen. Craig V. Hickman, D-Kennebec
The Wabanaki Alliance supports this bill.
SUMMARY
This bill provides that a member of a federally recognized Indian nation, tribe or band is not required to pay a fee for admission to or use of any state owned park or historic site managed by the state of Maine. An amendment to the bill proposed in committee also waives camping fees.
STATUS: Vote coming soon.
The Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry held a public hearing on Jan. 25. The committee voted that the bill ought to pass as amended. It will go to the Senate next for a vote.
LD 294: An Act to Include a Tribal Member in the Baxter State Park Authority
Sponsor: Rep. Benjamin T. Collings, D-Portland
The Wabanaki Alliance supports this bill.
SUMMARY
This bill would add a Wabanaki citizen to the Baxter State Park Authority, which has full power in the control and management of Baxter State Park. The nominee would be appointed by the governor based on a joint recommendation by tribal governments of the Mi’kmaq Nation, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkomikuk, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik and the Penobscot Nation.
STATUS: The Legislature will vote soon.
The Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry held a public hearing and work session during the first half of the legislation session. An additional work session was held January 17 and the majority of the committee voted the bill ought to pass as amended.
Wabanaki Sovereignty Lecture, January 18, 2024
Peace and Social Concerns calls to your attention a lecture on
Wabanaki Sovereignty and Upcoming Maine State Legislation
- THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024
- 7:00 PM 8:00 PM
- JESUP MEMORIAL LIBRARY34 MT. DESERT STREETBAR HARBOR, MAINE 04609 (MAP)
- GOOGLE CALENDAR ICS
options: in person or via Zoom. Register here.
M L King Day Reflections with Tom Hamm, January 15, via Zoom
Earlham Scool of Religion is making available, via Zoom, the lecture Quaker historian Tom Hamm will give: “Quakers and Race in the 1920s.” Registration is required to get the Zoom link.
