Auburn Public Library plans to celebrate Black History Month with three programs via Zoom.
Bob Greene Submitted photo
Black History in Maine with Bob Greene, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 4-5 p.m.
It is frequently said that Maine is the whitest state in America, according to a news release from the library. Yet Black people have a long history in the Pine Tree State. The first one was was about 12 years before the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock. Maine’s first doctor may have been a Black man. And the nation’s first Black lawyer passed the bar and began practicing in Portland. Maine had slaves, but also builders, farmers, fishermen, ship captains and educators.
This program will be presented by Bob Greene, a native of Portland and the eighth generation of his family to be born in Cumberland County. His roots in Maine stretch back into the 1700s.
After graduating from Portland High, he went off to college and a career as a journalist, covering among other things airplane crashes, Mississippi River floods and the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He has met three presidents: Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. And, as The Associated Press Tennis Writer, he traveled the world covering the sport.
After retiring he returned home to Maine where his genealogical research has led to his deep knowledge about Maine’s Black history. He teaches a Black History of Maine course at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Southern Maine.
Greene also is the 2021 recipient of the Maine Historical Society’s Neal Allen Award, which is presented each year for exceptional contributions to Maine History.
Film Screening: “Evanston’s Living History,” Tuesday, Feb. 22, 4-5 p.m.
The library will host a virtual screening of “Evanston’s Living History: The Fight to Escape Racial Discrimination.”
According to kanopy.com, “It is the story of a community’s struggle for justice; with roots extending to the town of Abbeville, South Carolina, and the horrific lynching of one of its prominent citizens, Anthony Crawford. It is the story of Crawford’s granddaughter, great-granddaughter, and great-great-granddaughter working alongside the families of Emmett Till, Michael Schwerener, James Earl Chaney and Andrew Goodman to gain passage of United States Senate Resolution 39, which apologized for the failure of the Senate to enact anti-lynching legislation. It is the story of Evanston’s greatest generation, and their courageous fight to free Evanston (Illinois) from the bondage of racial discrimination.”
Craig Dudnick Submitted photo
Discussion with the Filmmaker of “Evanston’s Living History,” Craig Dudnick, Friday, Feb. 25, 3-4 p.m.
The library will next host Craig Dudnick, the filmmaker of “Evanston’s Living History: The Fight to Escape Racial Discrimination, via Zoom. The 30-minute talk is to be followed by 30 minutes of discussion.
Dudnick’s talk will start in 1865 with the birth of Anthony Crawford, leading up to 2005, when the Senate apologized for not backing anti-lynching legislation. It will be followed by a discussion of the movie.
Participants are encouraged to view the film prior to this talk/discussion. Those interested can view this movie via Zoom through the library on Tuesday, Feb. 22, or they can watch the movie prior to this program. The movie is available on kanopy.com.
For planning purposes, registration is required. To register, visit auburnpubliclibrary.org or email dwallace@auburnpubliclibrary.org. Registrants will be emailed the Zoom link on the day of the program(s) for which they register.
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