Maine News Sunday

Press Herald - Nearly 25 years have passed since Maine lawmakers decided students should learn about Wabanaki history, culture and contemporary life. Still, not all children in Maine receive that education. A 2022 report that examined 10 school districts found most were struggling to implement the law with little support from the state. Three generations of Penobscot advocates are fighting to ensure students in Maine are taught about Indigenous tribes.

A proposed bill would require applicants for school positions in Maine to disclose all investigations they were subject to under previous employers, as well as by state licensing agencies, law enforcement and the Department of Health and Human Services. The information would stay between employers. A public hearing on the bill is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Snow is in the forecast for Monday, fresh off a storm that brought 4-6 inches to much of Maine. The latest forecast calls for 6-8 inches of snowfall in the Casco Bay area, with the storm starting Monday morning and winding down that night. Strong winds could lead to lower visibility, hazards and coastal flooding, according to Meteorologist Jerry Combs.



Eddie Bauer stores in Maine set to close

Press Herald - “I grew up thinking we didn’t have slavery in Maine,” Merita McKenzie said, leading a tour of close to 80 people through downtown Portland. “I thought it stopped in Massachusetts.” 

As she learned more about African American history in Maine, McKenzie found that she was wrong. Maine had seen slavery, and more than she expected. “It’s very sad, but it’s very true that slaves were here,” McKenzie said. 

A walking tour through Portland’s downtown on Saturday afternoon highlighted the city’s Black history, including the arrival of slaves on ships docked in southern Maine harbors and, later, slaves boarding ships in Portland, searching for freedom..... 

McKenzie, a Portland native, has ancestors with a long history in the city. Her great-great-great grandmother came to Portsmouth from Dutch Guyana by herself at only 11 years old, later settling in Portland and growing the family McKenzie was born into....

Slaves would enter by ship near the Ocean Gateway on the city’s waterfront, Maine historian Bob Greene said.

.... On Gould Street near the harbor, where slaves would be dropped off upon arrival in Portland, the ghosts of their footprints still mark the stones. 

One block away from famed restaurant Eventide, the Abyssinian Meeting House stands, the third-oldest African American meetinghouse in the country. 

....Portland is steeped in Black history, McKenzie said, but residents don’t often realize it. MORE