W. E. B. Du Bois’s Data Visualizations – Immigrants in Maine, Black History, and Diversity @USM

This workshop will explore the groundbreaking data visualizations of African American life in the United States, created by the Black historian, sociologist, and activist W.E.B. Du Bois. Workshop participants will use Du Bois’s work as inspiration to create their own visual representations of diversity in Maine today, with a specific focus on immigration data. 

Presenters Jeff Beaudry, Leroy Rowe, and Daniel Lawrence have studied and shared the work of W.E.B. Du Bois in several venues over the past year. Their presentations include full-size reproductions of Du Bois’s data visualizations, first presented at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900, displayed with visualizations of present-day data about diversity in Maine.

Free and open to the public. January 30, 2024, 5:00-7:30 PM, University Events Room, 7th Floor, Glickman Family Library, Portland, ME. Supplies, materials, and refreshments will be provided. Language interpretation is available by request. A limited number of participant stipends are available to support the transportation needs and work or care responsibilities of first- and second-generation immigrants. See the registration form for details or email Jill at jill.piekut@maine.edu. Register at https://forms.gle/6uM4bbxR9o91VQZ28. 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 the University of Southern Maine Libraries & Learning with support from the California Rare Book School, Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition, and the Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts.