Dear Conservation Voter,

Here in Maine, problematic and racist place names are still impacting communities today. Whose perspectives have been privileged, and whose have been dismissed or forgotten?

Tomorrow, Thursday, December 14 at 5:30 PM our friends at Atlantic Black Box and the Permanent Commission on Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations are hosting an online panel discussion: Naming the Problem: Problematic Place Names in Maine and How to Make Positive Change as part of the Place Justice initiative. To learn more and register, please see their message below.

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Naming the Problem
Problematic Place Names in Maine and How to Make Positive Change
Thursday, December 14 at 5:30 pm EST ONLINE [[link removed]]

Place names have a lot to teach us about our history, values, and present-day relationships with one another. Even when these names fade into the backdrop of our lives, they continue to inform our sense of place in subtle but important ways, communicating ideas about who belongs and what matters.

Here in Maine, racist and problematic place names have long marred the landscape and continue to impact our communities today. Examining this toponymic landscape through an equity lens provides insights into whose perspectives have been privileged and, by contrast, whose experiences have been dismissed and forgotten. Which members of our communities get to see themselves reflected on the landscape? What could place justice actually mean?

REGISTER HERE [[link removed]]

The Place Justice initiative was launched in January 2023 by the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations and is carried out in partnership with Atlantic Black Box. Join members of the Place Justice team and national place name advocates on Thursday, December 14, 2023 at 5:30 pm EST for an online panel event where they will share findings from their research into Maine’s problematic place names, offer guidance for equitable and just approaches to naming, describe the current regulatory process in Maine, note important movement at the national level, and voice their support for a new State Names Board.

We hope to see you there!

Meghan Hurley | she/her
Communications Manager
Maine Conservation Voters
[email protected] [[email protected]]

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