MIO Performs “The Weeping City” & Upcoming June Events
A Day Of Remembrance
On Tuesday, May 25 Maine Inside Out joined a coalition of community artists and organizations organized by Indigo Arts Alliance to hold A Day of Remembrance one year since the murder of George Floyd. In the words of our partners at Indigo Arts Alliance,
"May 25th, 2020 marked a monumental shift in the global conversation around racial justice and the role we all play in actively dismantling systemic racism and white supremacy. For so many of us, the memory of George Floyd’s murder is steeped in layers of grief. True justice would be for his life to never have been so violently snatched away and our hearts will forever be with his loved ones.
Tuesday evening, we were reminded of the power in our collective voices, the power of our collective liberation, and the power of radical love. The fight for Black Lives is far from over, but only together will we be able to create sustainable and equitable change for a world that truly embodies freedom and justice for all."
We at MIO have so much gratitude for the organizations and people who gathered the community together in solidarity and moved us into action. Thank you to our partners on the organizing coalition: Indigo Arts Alliance, Black Owned Maine, The Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center, BLACK Power, Racial Equity & Justice, Maine Immigrant Rights' Coalition, and Maine Youth Justice for organizing the event. Genius Black, VIVA, and Maya Williams for your powerful music, words and poetry. The cast of The Weeping City and Nancy Valmond-Bell who created the original production in 2009 and who guided this re-staging. The Maine Inside Out community who showed up in solidarity. Little Chair Printing for printing the t-shirts and the incredible drummers Namory Keita and Alejandro Graciano for accompanying us in The Weeping City performance. Skye Gosselin and Abdul Ali of Maine Youth Justice and At Large Portland City Councilor April Fournier for calling us to collective action. Dianne Smith for her powerful creative celebration, “Black is Beautiful,” projected by Lumen Arrt. John Sundling with the Plant Office for the gorgeous flower memorial. Tony Delois and The Francis for the building that became “Counting From Thirteen.” Thank you Titi de Bacarrat for calling this incredible community to action.
Chiara Liberatore, MIO's representative on the planning coalition, offered this reflection and invitation on May 25:
“When I think about the importance of this day and what we are here to remember I am filled with anger and grief. What I know is that grief can be transformed into power when we find each other and hold on tight, when we mourn together, when we name what should be named, and when we celebrate life.
While planning this event I witnessed us appreciate one another and care for one another. I witnessed us share excitement for ideas and put them into action. I witnessed moments of pause for grief and pain. I witnessed celebration of our creativity and art. We’ve brought this to you tonight and you are here, which means you have joined us. Together, we are a collective that can transform our grief and rage into power. We can move forward together with more connection and more readiness for what we can build with our hands.”
Take Action
City of Portland Actions
1. Learn More About City of Portland Legislative and Finance Committee:
Legislative and Nominating Committee: This committee meets every Tuesday morning at 8am to review current legislation being proposed at the state level, focusing on those that most impact the city of Portland. Recently there have been the beginnings of conversations around policy being proposed that would impact marginalized communities (anti-trans youth laws, police bills, decriminalizing homelessness).
Tuesday meetings open to the public, and the agenda includes bill tracker that shows what actions (if any) the committee is considering
The legislature is getting ready to go into session this upcoming week to vote on bills. The schedule can be found here: http://legislature.maine.gov/Calendar/#Weekly/2021-06-06
Finance Committee: This committee meets as needed to review, comment, and ask questions about the Capital Improvements budget, the school budget and city managers proposed budget. The Budget begins in the fall with departments submitting their requests to the city manager. The city manager meets with councilors and department heads to review the budget before it is finally presented to the finance committee.
2. Attend the Racial Equity Steering Committee Report Workshop
The Racial Equity Steering Committee Report - The city created a committee to review systemic racism and the role of policing in Portland. The Racial Equity Steering Committee, which met weekly over the course of several months, delivered its final report to the City Council in April. The City council will be holding a workshop to review the committee's recommendations on June 28th at 5pm which will be accessible for public participation. You read the full report here.
3. View Portland City Board and Committees to serve on:
Boards, commissions, task forces, and committees are an important part of Portland’s government. Vacancies on these boards, commissions, task forces, and committees come up several times throughout the year, depending on the rules and membership terms of each. The city encourages members of the public to regularly view the list of vacancies and apply to serve, as it is one of the best ways Portlanders can become active in their community. You can view the vacancies here: https://www.portlandmaine.gov/1643/Boards-and-Committees
Next round of appointments will likely be this Fall, keep an eye on social media and the page for call for applications.
This information was presented by Portland City Councilor, April Fournier and Maine Youth Justice’s Advocacy Director, Abdul Ali during A Day of Remembrance.
Upcoming Events
Meet the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women
Friday, June 11 12:00-3:00pm
Kennedy Park in Lewiston, ME
The National Council leads a Northeast campaign to end the incarceration of women and girls. They are gender inclusive and include all people who identify with the labels "women and girls." Join them in Lewiston on Friday, June 11th, for an opportunity to connect with the National Council and groups who work in Lewiston (and statewide) who are working to end harmful systems of punishment. If you are planning to come to the hang out, please fill out this survey! If you don't fill out the survey you can still come.
Juneteenth: Looking For Action
Thursday, June 17 6:30-8pm
Virtual Event
Join MIO for our 4th virtual Open Mic featuring original performance art and community dialogue inspired by Juneteenth and the struggle for racial justice and freedom. Registration details coming soon!
Juneteenth
Congress Square Park in Portland, ME
Join MIO and our community partners for a 2 day celebration of Juneteenth in person at Congress Square Park in Portland, ME. Original art performances and art making, community dialogue, and collective action. Stay tuned for more details!