Resources for Organizing and Social Change - ROSC

From our friends at Sunlight Media Collective:

Public Comments about the proposed Juniper Ridge Landfill expansion are due to the DEP by September 6th. The Conservation Law Foundation and Penobscot Nation wrote a letter to the DEP stating that the expansion cannot meet the standards for a positive Public Benefits Determination because it is inconsistent with the State of Maine's Solid Waste Management Hierarchy and with ensuring Environmental Justice for the communities adjacent to the landfill. You can read their full letter here. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PSQS4rfkis_wW0sIhCbwHFrf-7v7hehK/view Public comments may be submitted by email to [email protected] by the extended deadline of September 6th. The Maine DEP will be making a decision about the “Public Benefit” of expanding JRL by September 23rd. The DEP is required to consider “Environmental Justice” when making a determination about whether a landfill expansion meets the “Public Benefit” criteria.

Public Comments about the proposed Juniper Ridge Landfill expansion are due to the DEP by September 6th. The Conservation Law Foundation and Penobscot Nation wrote a letter to the DEP stating that the expansion cannot meet the standards for a positive Public Benefits Determination because it is inconsistent with the State of Maine's Solid Waste Management Hierarchy and with ensuring Environmental Justice for the communities adjacent to the landfill. You can read their full letter here. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PSQS4rfkis_wW0sIhCbwHFrf-7v7hehK/view?usp=sharingWritten Public comments may be submitted by email to [email protected] by the extended deadline of September 6th. The Maine DEP will be making a decision about the “Public Benefit” of expanding JRL by September 23rd. The DEP is required to consider “Environmental Justice” when making a determination about whether a landfill expansion meets the “Public Benefit” criteria.

Check out this opportunity from our friends at Disability Rights Maine:

Portland folks!
Are you a person that receives Section 18, 20, 21, or 29 waiver services?

Are you interested in helping people learn how to advocate for themselves in their person-centered-planning meeting?

This training is for you! During it you will:
- learn about Person-Centered Planning
- learn how to teach others to advocate for themselves
- make real system wide change for others

DRM will be offering a training on September 6th in Portland!

$150 Stipends are available. More paid training opportunities are available when the 6 hour training is completed.

Register today: https://tinyurl.com/y8cd69e7

For more information or to get help signing up, contact:
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: 207.626.2774 Ext. 104

Portland folks!
Are you a person that receives Section 18, 20, 21, or 29 waiver services?

Are you interested in helping people learn how to advocate for themselves in their person-centered-planning meeting?

This training is for you! During it you will:
- learn about Person-Centered Planning
- learn how to teach others to advocate for themselves
- make real system wide change for others

DRM will be offering a training on September 6th in Portland!

$150 Stipends are available. More paid training opportunities are available when the 6 hour training is completed.

Register today: https://tinyurl.com/y8cd69e7

For more information or to get help signing up, contact:
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: 207.626.2774 Ext. 104

The GrassRoots Organizing Workshop (GROW) weekend is only 6 weeks away! Time to Register!

October 4th-6th at the Pilgrim Lodge in Central Wabanaki Territory referred to as West Gardiner, ME

The goal of GROW is to create a culture of organizing as the way to make change and build grassroots power in the state. The theme every year typically rotates between Skills, Tactics, and Strategies. These gatherings also offer a lot of breathing room for reflection, art-making, community connection, and replenishment. This year our offerings will be as focused on organizer and activist wellbeing as they are on skills-building.

Workshops, education, and activities for this year will focus on:

-Organizing 101/102

-Wabanaki History & Land Acknowledgements

-Creating Art for Change and Healing

-Direct Action

-How to Make Zines

-Holding Space for Collective Grief - The Work That Reconnects

-A Year in Review of Ceasefire Activism

-Opposition Analysis

-Community Care and Nervous System Support

…and more to be announced!

Other offerings/activities:

-Open mic
-Community bonfire
-GROW weekend library
-Clothing swap
-Community art
-Access to lake and boating..and more to be announced!

What does it cost?

We ask people to pay 0-$100 for each day of GROW. All are welcome no matter what you are able to pay. If you and your family don’t have a lot of money, feel free to pay on the lower end or pay nothing. If you and your family have more money, please consider paying more and taking part in class solidarity.

What is class solidarity?

Class refers to where you and your family fit into the world regarding finances (for example: poor, working class, middle class, wealthy). GROW is put together on a shoestring budget so we can make sure it is accessible to all. If you and your family are people who can pay more for you to go to GROW so others can pay less, please consider doing so. If you do so, you will be taking an action of solidarity and making GROW more accessible for people who cannot afford to pay much.

No matter what you pay for GROW, there is no judgment. Pay what you can but most importantly come!

HOW TO REGISTER:

Click here: https://forms.gle/g271484LnmRY7df6A

How to pay the event fee:

The link to pay is separate from the registration link and can be found here: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=4YPMZZTTUCYX8.
You can also pay when you arrive instead, but note that even if you pay ahead you still need to fill out the registration form to have your slot held!

Transportation note:

If you’d like to come but transportation will pose a barrier, please add yourself to our carpool board, and/or contact Sass at [email protected] or Sett at [email protected]

If you have any questions:

E-mail: Sass at [email protected] and/or Sett at [email protected]

Call: 207.607.2571

GROW is a popular education event organized and led by activists and community organizers in community with ROSC. If you’d like to join our organizing team in future years, let Sass or Sett know! Being a GROW organizer can count toward community service hours.

GROW is sponsored by Resources for Organizing and Social Change (ROSC).

ROSC: www.resourcesforsocialchange.org

Registration closes tomorrow!!! https://maineyag.weebly.com/register.html

[Image ID: meme showing a demonstration with people holding signs that say things like End the Occupation and Free Palestine with text above the demonstrators, overlayed in black with a red background that says: "JULY 24 -- 11AM - 1PM, MAINE MOBILIZATION FOR PALESTINE, GATHER AT THE STATEHOUSE IN AUGUSTA, CAPITOL STREET SIDE OF BLAINE HOUSE, COME STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THOSE SURROUNDING THE WHITE HOUSE" And then at the bottom of the image in red text with a a beige background it says: "ARREST NETANYAHU!" And below that in black text with a green background it says: "BRING SIGNS, FLAGS, NOISEMAKERS AND YOUR SPIRIT OF LIBERATION AND JUSTICE!" And in the upper right corner of the meme is a logo in black block text that says: MAINE COALITION FOR PALESTINE]

Registration is now open for this year's Youth Activism Gathering! Visit www.tinyurl.com/YouthActivismGathering2024

The Youth Activism Gathering is a youth-led and run, three-day-long gathering for politically conscious youth, organizers, and activists who come together each year to educate one another on organizing, activism, and social change. It's three days of workshops, music, great food, and more in an affirming and supportive space!

This year’s YAG will take place August 16th-18th at the Pilgrim Lodge in "West Gardiner, Maine"

Already confirmed workshops for this year we have:
-Consent 101
-Disabled Joy & Rage for Revolution
-How to Make Zines
-Outdoor Safety/Skills
-Organizing 101/102 w/Students for Palestine
-Fatigue & Burnout (Allyship vs Impacted Communities)
-Death Positivity
-Writing Workshop for Change
…and more to be announced!

Already confirmed activities for this year:
-Film viewing & discussion: Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
-Open mic!
-Fidget making
-Glording
-Poetry in nature
-Clothing swap
-Naloxone training
-Gaga ball
-Community art
-Paper telephone
-Campfire w/ s’mores
-Notebook decorating
-Fiber arts
-Swimming
-Finding constellations

FMI: www.maineyag.org

[Image ID: Dark purple meme illustrating night sky with stars and crescent moon, and at the bottom a silhouette of pine trees and a log cabin. There is a black and white QR code in the upper right corner and text in white block letters reads: "YOUTH ACTIVISM GATHERING" and in smaller white letters below that reads "REGISTRATION OPEN NOW"]

Resources for Organizing and Social Change - ROSC Resources and development for frontline community organizers working on root causes of injustice.

Come see us on the hill!

🌱✊ Join ROSC in cultivating social change from the grassroots up! We're here to empower Maine's communities, providing resources and support for those affected by oppressive systems. Together, let's sow the seeds of justice and nurture a movement for nonviolent social change.

www.HarrysHill.net

https://www.resourcesforsocialchange.org/

Published on March 27, 2024
SHELBY HANDLER

Blessing Over Organizing

Blessed are we, betrayers of all counterfeit kinships,
whose estrangement moves us toward an ancient & urgent togetherness.
May we organize our ghosts to join us in the streets.

May we wrench our shimmering multiplicities
from the maw of militarism.
May new homes be formed between our marching shoulders.

And may we bless the Signal threads & the spokes councils & care teams!
Bless the interest form, the QR code, the recruitment spreadsheet
with its infinite containers brimming with affinities

that never existed until now! Bless all the sacred architectures we craft
to catch our people, how our efforts stretch
across time & space to weave a place for our folks to land in.

Bless all the mundane work it takes for us to be dangerous together.
Bless calling our friends & family to ask, “Do you want to get involved?”
Bless what we really mean:

Do you want to build a new world together? Do you want to build a new ‘us’ together?
Bless how we refuse to leave the sterile offices
of those who could stop a genocide but are choosing not to.

Bless the children & grandchildren of refugees
scaling the walls of warships to stop weapons from leaving the port.
Bless how we link arms & lock ourselves to buildings

to forge a chain that pulls us closer to the world we need.
May we win real safety this time.
May we create new kinships along the way—

kinships that can outlive all forms of supremacy.
May we reach a belonging our ancestors never got to have.
And may we call out to those who are not yet with us:

If your heart is broken, may that breakage be a doorway.
There is a family waiting for you
called a movement.

—

Shelby Handler is a writer, translator, and organizer with Jewish Voice for Peace. Recent work has appeared in Poetry, The Iowa Review, Redivider, The Journal, Black Warrior Review Online, among others.

[Image ID: multi-colored (red, black, white, green) meme that says "EMERGENCY ACTION, RAGE AND GRIEF FOR RAFAH, 2PM: All-Day Standout, 6PM: Rally + Speeches, 7PM: Holding Space, Rage and Grief alongside your Community, May 7th Starting @ 2PM, Monument Square, Portland". Under the text are two images of covid face masks and the logo for Coaltion for Palestine, which shows a map of Palestine, a dove, and a Palestinian flag.]

ROSC is a proud member of the ME Coalition for Palestine ❤️🖤🤍💚
Please see an action alert from them below:

Happy International Workers Day!

The Maine Coalition for Palestine recognizes how the struggle of Palestinians intersects with the struggle of American workers. No matter your profession, the money you earn through your work is taxed by the state and federal government, and Mainers pay over 11 million dollars through our collective tax dollars to fund Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. As business owners and non-profit leaders who support a ceasefire, we ask you to stand with workers this May Day to say, “Not with our labor! Not with our money!”

On May 4th at 1 PM, the Maine Coalition for Palestine invites members of our community to embody the spirit of solidarity by joining our May Day rally in Deering Oaks Park. After hearing from speakers from different labor groups and student organizations, we will march to the USM campus to join with students across the globe currently asking their institutions to divest from genocide.

Here are some ways you can participate on May 4:

Send a Representative: Participate in the May 4th rally by sending someone to represent your group or encouraging employees to participate. We are stronger (and safer) in numbers, and their presence will demonstrate solidarity and contribute to the collective voice advocating for justice and peace in Gaza.

Get the Word Out: Help publicize our event by hanging the attached graphic in your business windows or posting about the rally on your social media platforms. By doing so, you amplify the message and encourage others to join the cause.

Officially Endorse the Rally: With your consent, your logo can be added to our banners or promotional materials, which will be displayed and handed out during the event. This visible support shows a commitment to standing with the Palestinian people during this critical time.

In the longer term, if you are interested in organizing ongoing and new campaigns with the coalition, such as local consumer boycott demands, please reply to this email and we will gladly connect with you!

Your support reaffirms an ongoing commitment to supporting a ceasefire in Palestine and helps us get closer to liberation for ALL peoples. Even small actions can make a difference, and collectively, we can continue to contribute to positive change.

In solidarity,

Maine Coalition for Palestine

Valentine's Day Rally in Brewer! Feb 14th at 9:15am.

[Photo ID: multi-colored meme with an angel in the left corner holding a bow/arrow and candy hearts in the center, and text at the top that reads: "Valentine's Day Rally, Protect Katahdin from toxic metallic mining! Wolfden Mine Decision on the Agenda for Land Use Planning Commission Meeting, Wednesday Feb. 14th - 9:15am, Jeff's Catering, 15 Littlefield Rd, Brewer." In the lower left corner it says: "Join in to show love to the Northwoods and celebrate the recent LUPC draft decision denying Wolden's Resources' application to rezone Pickett Mountain for toxic metallic mining" (and in smaller scroll it says "bring valentines themed messages and signage"). In the bottom right corner it says: "Were in the home stretch but were not in the clear until the draft decision is signed on the dotted line. Time to keep the pressure on to ensure the commisioners sign the draft and send Wolfden and their Pickett Mountain mine project packing!" There is also a small QR code in the bottom center with the words "friends of pickett mountain" over it with a silhouette of a canoe, a pine tree, and various forest animals]

Look at this line-up!!

ROSC is proud to have signed onto this letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Thankful to the Kindling Collective for putting this together and for all the continued work of the ME Coalition for Palestine and of Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights

Couple of public art builds happening this week 💕💕 Great way to get involved and to connect with other beautiful people doing beautiful things. ✨️✨️
❤️🖤🤍💚
[Image ID: meme with black background and large text in red, white, and green on the left that says "PALESTINE ART BUILD & BANNER MAKING". Under that text it reads in all white, underlined: "TWO NIGHTS OF SIGN AND BANNER MAKING:" below that there are two white boxes side by side with black text. The box on the left reads: "TUE, DEC. 5 AT 4:00PM, 971 CONGRESS ST, PORTLAND (W/OPEN BENCH)" and the box on the left reads: "WED, DEC 6 AT 5:30PM, 175 LANCASTER ST, PORTLAND (W/YOUTH LED JUSTICE)". Under the boxes on the right side in white it reads: "MASKS REQUIRED!" In the upper right hand corner is a small image of a banner with the Palestinian flag, olive branches and text that reads: "NO BUSINE$$ AS USUAL BOYCOTT GENOCIDE" showing crossed out logos from Starbucks, SodaStream, Khava, McDonald's, HP, Puma, and Sabra. In the lower left corner is an image from a Free Palestine rally that shows a crowd and political signs that read: "FREE PALESTINE" and "FREE ALL PALESTINIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS". In the bottom righthand corner the logo for Coaltion for Palestine with images of keffiyeh pattern map of Israel, a dove and the Palestinian flag are shown, and the logo for Youth Led Justice, which is a green geometric shape with the letters YLJ written in black in the middle.]

[Image ID: black and white meme with a grey silhouette of a destroyer ship and a barbed wire fence, and text that reads: ALL OUT FOR GAZA, NO WEAPONS FOR GENOCIDE (text for the word 'genocide' is in red with the rest of the text on white). BATH, MAINE DEC 8TH. 2PM, GATHERING @ THE INTERSECTION OF WASHINGTON & KING ST. ACTION PLAN UPON ARRIVAL. LET'S MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD! BRING: WATER, A SNACK, A MASK, KEIFFIYEH, PALESTINIAN FLAGS, WARM CLOTHES, COMFORTABLE SHOES, A SIGN, ETC. On the left side of the meme in small text it reads: Coalition for Palestine with three small images of the Palestinian flag, a dove, and an outline of Israel filled in with keffiyeh pattern.]

Action alert:
If you can, call Jared Golden's office NOW (207-249-7400) to share your support of the protestors currently holding a sit-in at his Bangor office and demand Golden support a call for immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza.

[Image id]: white background, some tree branches peeking out of the left side of the flyer overlaid with an outline of Palestine filled with black green and red flowers. there is also a white bird holding a Palestinian flag among the branches. text reading Stop the Genocide 4pm Saturday 10/28 emergency rally and provocative visual demonstration. text underneath reading: Palestinians in Gaza are being bombed by the us backed Israeli government with support from local politicians. armed forces have also destroyed their lines of communication and access to internet. we must demand ceasefire and dignity together (end text) Below the text a bird with the Palestinian flag overlaid holding an olive branch

ROSC staff and board were meeting over Zoom when the tragic and traumatic incident that lead to an ongoing manhunt occurred. We sat together, breathed together, let each other process a bit before heading off early. We had a small email chain afterwards with a few updates about the situation that night.

As an organization and individuals, the people who make up ROSC want to hold the community of Lewiston so closely to our hearts. Theres no words for the massive loss of life, of human beings. They deserved to see the sun rise again. They deserved to see their families. They deserved a safe environment for them to have fun, laugh, eat, and drink. To those injured and those who survived, you deserved certainty and stability. To their families, you deserve a world that will let you grieve in the ways you need, and maybe even bring you some good home cooked meals while you process so you dont need to focus on feeding yourself.

To those who dont have direct connections to the victims, but still find yourself dissociating, crying, or feeling agitated or scared, know that you’re valid. This is scary, the entire state is having a trauma response. Your body is going to feel that. Please be kind to yourself, give yourself time, give your friends time. Lean on the folks you love - I’m sure they want to lean into you, too. Hug yourself closely, hug your loved ones closely. Know that if you’re reading this, you’re part of our community, and we want you feeling safe, happy, fed, and held. You’re worth it, and you deserve it. You dont need to do anything to deserve this love, you already have it.

We also want to take a second to acknowledge how hard a Stay in Place order might be for unhoused community members. As our Executive Director said in a post of their own: “This morning what I'm thinking about are the houseless people in that area and Lisbon. What does it mean to shelter in place when you don't have shelter? Where do you go to the bathroom when all the businesses are closed?”

If there’s any organizing around the needs of those without resources, family, and walls, please let us know. They are part of our community, and we want them feeling safe, happy, fed, and held. They’re worth it, and they deserve it. They dont need to do anything to deserve this love, they already have it.

Stay safe, everyone.

Sett Vincent on behalf of ROSC

We are sending out so much love and care to all of our community directly impacted by the violence in Lewiston last night, and to our community in general. It doesn't have to be this way. Please take precious care of yourselves today.

We came across a list of trauma-informed resources posted inside the safety check page that we want to share with you all:

Trauma-Informed Resources

Lewiston, ME

Local Resources:

2-1-1 Maine: Contact 2-1-1 for free and confidential health and human services information in the area. To get connected to a certified resource specialist, simply dial 2-1-1 from a cell phone.

Maine Intentional Helpline: The Intentional Warm Line is available toll-free from anywhere in Maine, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is a mental health peer-to-peer phone support line for adults, aged 18 and older, offering mutual conversations with a trained peer specialist who has life experience with mental health recovery. Dial 1-866-771-9276 (WARM).

Maine Crisis Line: Maine’s crisis telephone response service is for individuals or families experiencing a behavioral health crisis or having thoughts of su***de and/or self-harm. Trained crisis call specialists answer the line and provide free and confidential telephone support and stabilization 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Dial 1-888-568-1112.

National Resources:

Everytown Survivor Network: A nationwide community of survivors working together to end gun violence. The Survivor Network connects survivors to each other for ongoing peer support, amplifies the power of survivor voices, offers trauma-informed programs, provides information on direct services, and supports survivors who choose to become advocates. Text the word SURVIVOR to 644-33 to join.

SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline: Helpline operated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that offers 24/7 free crisis counseling for people experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster (including mass shootings). Dial or Text 1-800-985-5990 to connect with counselors in 100+ languages via 3rd party interpretation services.

Community Response:

Vigils: In the aftermath of a tragedy, some communities have organized vigils to remember the victims and to provide a space for members of the community to express their sorrow for the tragedy. Best practice from our experience is for these activities not to be political in nature, and to be treated as a thoughtful remembrance gathering and an opportunity to show support to families. The families of victims may or may not choose to participate, and that is their decision.

Support for Victims’ Families and Witnesses to the Shooting: After a traumatic event, individuals respond in any number of ways. Many people are able to recover from their trauma using natural supports they have available to them. Others, however, may experience intense thoughts and feelings that last a long time.

Self-care is a critical part of any recovery process. Self-care practices are those things we do for ourselves to maintain and improve our emotional, mental and physical well-being.
***

We also just want to add that Community Care is just as essential as self-care. Please check in on each other. And, if you are feeling alone, reach out to those who love you and let them do that. You are worthy of support and care.

[Image ID: Beige rectangle with black and red font that says: STOP THE SWEEPS SOLIDARITY RALLY, which is next to a red box with white font that says PORTLAND CITY HALL OCTOBER 16, 2023 @4 PM. Below this it says in black text: Come join us as we demand the city put a stop to ALL sweeps until April 30th and lift the emphasis areas in town. Thanks to some of our sponsors:Grace-Street Ministries - Maine Poor Peoples Campaign - DSA - HopeBrokers - Maine Peoples Alliance - Space Gallery - PSL - Resources for Organizing and Social Change - Maine Climate Action Now - Maine Youth for Climate Justice - Sebego Medical Group - Homeless Advocay for All - Southern Maine Workers Center - Arcadia. In a red rectangle under the list of sponsors is white text that says MASKS ENCOURAGED - BRING SIGNS & ART. Under the rectangle is a two tone red silhouette of a large crowd of people, many of which are holding signs or waving flags.]

Unhoused Solidarity in Action:
A guide on how to help homeless people beyond care packages

ROSC was very lucky to host a workshop at this year's Youth Activism Gathering on this topic. Please take a look at this rich resource put together by the knowledge of lived experience.

Unhoused Solidarity in Action A guide on how to help homeless people beyond care packages

A Guide to Unionizing Your Workplace ✨️

[Photo ID: All slides are in a format that looks like it is typed into a PC window that is white with gray borders, which is atop an image background that is multicolored blue, orange, pink, purple, yellow, and green. Throughout each slide there are pictures of cats in playful poses and small decorative images like multicolored stars and sparkles. The text on each slide reads as follows:

1st Slide: “A GUIDE TO UNIONIZING YOUR WORKPLACE - Unions build power for working people, protect workers, and help close the wealth inequality gap.”

2nd Slide: “When you and your co-workers form a union, you earn the right to negotiate for: higher wages, better benefits like health insurance and pensions, protections from unsafe work environments, a voice in your workplace without the fear of retaliation” with each example showing a small arrow next to it and underneath the examples text that reads “HERE ARE FIVE COMMON STEPS TO TAKE TO FORM A UNION IN YOUR WORKPLACE.”

3rd Slide: “STEP 1. > Get together with your co-workers who may share a common interest in organizing a union. >Do many of you share the same concerns about your workplace? Think of your top few collective issues and write a list. >Make sure to only talk while you’re on a break, away from your office or work areas, or off company property. >Organizing a union is protected by law, but you should avoid letting management know for as long as you can.”

4th Slide: “STEP 2. >Find or build the right union for you. Do some research online or connect with union members in your local community or in the same industry.” >Set up an organizing committee – a group of workers made up of people representative of your workplace to collaborate on moving your union campaign forward.”

5th Slide: “STEP 3. >Talk to your co-workers to build majority support for the union. >Schedule one-on-ones with your coworkers to discuss issues in your workplace and build support for your union. >Remember to continue your union discussions to non-working locations.”

6th Slide: “STEP 4. >Now that you have a strong majority, you show your workplace’s support for unionization through what is called a card check. >You will need at least 30% of workers to sign and indicate an interest in a union. >You then submit those signed cards or petition signatures to the National Labor Relations Board in order to initiate a formal union election.”

7th Slide: (Continuation of Step 4): “There is another way to choose your representation: If your employer voluntarily recognizes the union after showing the majority support, you can notify the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that voluntarily recognition has been granted.

8th Slide: “STEP 5. >Secure a majority of the vote in your union election. >Then, the bargaining begins.”

9th Slide: “REMEMBER: YOU HAVE RIGHTS! >You have the right to join, form, and assist a union. >You have a right to distribute union literature, wear union insignia, ask coworkers to sign union cards, and talk about unionizing with coworkers. >Supervisors and managers cannot spy on you, question you, threaten you, or bribe you regarding your unionization efforts. >You can’t be fired, disciplined, demoted, or penalized for unionizing.

10 Slide: “***SOURCES: >AFL-CIO, CWA, NLRB, UnionTrack” (this slide is white text on a solid blue background)]

Credit: Working Families Party
✨️✨️Happy Labor Day ️✨️✨️

WHERE THE RIVER WIDENS
Wabanaki REACH and Threadbare Theatre Workshop Create New Play
by, for, and with Wabanaki People

INDIAN ISLAND (August 23, 2023)– As part of Wabanaki REACH’s truth-telling initiative, Beyond the Claims– Stories from the Land & the Heart, the organization has partnered with Threadbare Theatre Workshop (https://www.threadbaretheatreworkshop.org) to create where the river widens, a new play by, for, and with Wabanaki people.

where the river widens is an original, community-devised play centering Wabanakik and the Maine Indian land claims. There will be two public performances on Indian Island, September 16 & 17 at 5pm. Folks must register in advance to reserve seats at https://www.wabanakireach.org/upcoming_events.

Wabanaki REACH spent the past year collecting over forty personal oral history interviews from Wabanaki and Maine communities about the Maine Indian land claims and the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980. Since then, the organization has been building an archive and creating educational resources for the greater community– where the river widens marks its first public offering related to the project. Beyond the Claims has been led by Wabanaki ways of being and knowing, through oral history and storytelling, to further Wabanaki REACH’s work of bringing truth, healing, and change to the Dawland.

“We were so moved by the stories we gathered, it was a natural next step to talk about theatre as a way of continuing to move the conversation from the head to the heart, to reach more people, and to gather in community,” said Maria Girouard, executive director of Wabanaki REACH.

where the river widens is a poetic, spare, lyrical movement through stories, place, and time. This thought-provoking play not only illuminates a complex and tumultuous era, but celebrates the beauty, creativity, and resilience of Wabanaki people. The play is set outdoors along the Penobscot River and weaves music, song, and dance with actual interviews from Beyond the Claims. The co-creators and performers of where the river widens are Lilah Akins, Esther Anne, Nick Bear, Wolatqin Bear, Andrea Francis, Maria Girouard, Dale Lolar, George Loring, Margo Lukens, Joshua McCarey, and Erlene Paul.

“Devised theatre is sometimes referred to as collective creation which is really just making theatre from scratch with the people around you. Threadbare’s way of co-creating, not only with community members but inspired by them, aligns so beautifully with Wabanaki REACH’s values of connection and joy. I am grateful for the generous folks who have come together this summer to create and perform this play– they are brilliant,” said Kate Russell, artistic director of Threadbare Theatre Workshop.

where the river widens is an hour-long, outdoor performance on the grass beside the Penobscot River on Indian Island, Penobscot Nation. Folks are welcome to register in advance for two public performances on September 16 & 17 at 5pm. Seating is limited. For more information and to reserve your seats, please visit https://www.wabanakireach.org/upcoming_events
*Please note: This event is SOLD OUT. To have your name added to a wait list please send an email to [email protected] and include the number of tickets desired. You may only reserve up to 4 seats max.