Immigration and Civil Rights History in Maine

Join librarians and archivists from University of Southern Maine Libraries & Learning to discover historic records of Maine’s diversity, followed by a writing workshop with The Telling Room!

We will begin by exploring Maine’s history of immigration and civil rights activism with documents, images, and artifacts from the Franco-American Collection and the African American Collection. After some reflection and group discussion, Ambassadors from The Telling Room will teach us to transform our knowledge into creative and non-fiction writing about Maine’s immigration history and present.

Free and open to the public. October 29, 2024, 5:00-7:30 PM, Glickman Family Library, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine. Writing materials and refreshments will be provided.

Please register at https://forms.gle/g7rwvKgkGs9rxxPx5. 

Participant stipends are available to support the transportation needs and work or care responsibilities of first- and second-generation immigrants. Language interpretation is available by request. If you have questions about disability access or need to request disability accommodations (e.g. sign language interpreters, materials in electronic format, etc.), please contact Jill at jill.piekut@maine.edu.

Living and Learning in Maine: New Mainers Creating a Home is a creative workshop series about print culture, history, immigration, and the arts, hosted by University of Southern Maine Libraries & Learning with support from the California Rare Book School, Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, and the Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts.